The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1895-11-09
and read the following, couchcd
n n Main and delicate hand:

script, and read the following, couchcd
in a plain and delicate hand:
u Ronsard Redcliff, have q history.
VIII anyone be proflted by its relationi
Perhaps IL may prove, should anyone
ever find it by my bones, that the wages
of sin is death and that he who soTS to
the wind will reap the wh;rlwind. And
he who is thoughtful may look farther
and learn another lesson. l feel my rea-
son going just as certain as / ever
stood by the sea and saw the tide ebbing.
! have e~ndeavored to fight Off the feeling.
but it stays, ard with it a horrible sug-
Ces:ion to commit suicide comes. Fearful
that something may happen, and de-
sirOus of having my child's bones pro-
tected at least by some one who may
become interested in her innocent, but
lonely life, 1 state that l was born In
Louisiana, and for many years lived
in New Orleans. / was a musician by
profession. and at one time my friend
had hopes that"-heret the writing became
undecipherable. Then 1t continued: 81
married a beautiful lady of the same
city, and for a few years We lived hap
PLY: the only barrier being my inability
to support her In the style to which she
had been used. This worried me so that
in an evil hour I committed forgery
not through depravity, but for the sake
Of her. l could not brook a look of re-
proach from her eyes for bringing pow
erty to her. Being detected. I was sent to
the state prison, away from my wife and
child, Ruby.
Serving out the sentence, l returned
home, fondly expecting my wife's love
and sympathy in my hours of humilia-
ton; for l had suffered for her. But
what was m surprise and despair to see
her turn from me in scorn and hate,
to tell me in words which I interpreted
TO be spoken in Jest, that 1 had mes
merized her into becoming my wife.
and that when I was out of her sight she
did not love me so well. Remembering
this, in my desperation, l sought an
interview with her, hoping that I might
exert a power over her, but she kept
well out of my sight.
There are many things coming up in
life to wound us. but there is no pang
so poignant as that caused by the eyes
which once loved US looking into ours
with Indifference or hate. Some men
nave gone mad for this.
Crushed already by disgrace, after
life was a burden. After wandering over
the state a few months, the idea took
possession of me to abduct my child
it out, and We strolled and wandered
five years-and now L feel the end is
nearing. Ruby, coffined and buried by
my own hands, sleeps among Gods first
temples and l will follow soon. Frierds!
this is my only request: Send this let
ter to my wife in the beautiful city of
my birth, where happiness sun rose
and set, and ask her to have the body OF
the child of a dead love placed in the
family vaul of the Redcliffs. As for me,
I desire to slumber here until the dawn
breaks, if il ever can break to a life
gone down in such black despair"
What could the incident mean? Had
I been asleep, and while wandering in
that state found the manuscript in
some crypt or niche? 1 have never
been able to this day to account for the
letter but in this way: The next morn
ing, at the mouth of a cav along my
route, I discovered a dead man, a violin
by his side. His hair and beard were
long, his form gaunt and his clothing
very Indifferent, and from indications
l believed that he had been dead u a
few hours. Mesmerism was mentioned
in the letter. Perhaps the dead man
was Redcliff; perhaps his hypnotism
may have thrown the spell about me
and compelled me to follow him until
the letter vas placed in my hand. This
is mere supposition, but / know the ex-
istepce of the letter to be a fact. Ihave
it now, having sem it to New Orleans,
and finally received it again from the
dead letter office.
But Redcliff-was death a welcome
or farewell?