The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1895-11-02
script, and read the following, couchcd
in Il plain and delicate hand:

script, and read the following, couchcd
in Il plain and delicate hand:
II Ronsard Rodcliff, have history.
VIII anyone be proilted By its relation?
Perhaps 1t may prove. should anyone
ever find IL BY my bones, that the wages
Of sin Is death and that he who sows to
the wind VIII reap the whirlwnd. And
he who is Thoughtful may look farther
and learn another lesson ! feel my rea-
son going just as certain as ! ever
stood by the sea and saw the tide cbbing.
have erdeavored to fight or the feeling,
but it stays, and with &c q horrible sug-
C6stiCn to commit suicide comes. Fearful
that something may happen, and de-
slrous of having my chllds bones pro-
tectcd at least by some one who may
become intcrt stcd in hor innocent, but
lonely life, | state that I was born In
Louisiana, and for many years. lived
n Now Orleans. ! was a musician by
profession, and At ono time my friends
had hopes that'--here the writing became
undeclphcrable Then it continued: ~
married "A beautiful lady Of the same
city, and for a few years we lived hap
pity: 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 l committed forgery
not through depraVity but for the sake
OF her. | could not brook a look OF re-
proach from her eyes for bringing pow
erty 10 her. Being detected l was sent to
the state prison, away from my wife and
child. Ruby.
Serving out the sentence, returned
home, fondy expecting my wife's love
and sympathy in my hours of humilia-
ton: for / had suffered for her But
what was my surprise and despair to see
her turn from me In scorn and hate,
absolutely refusing 20 see me. She used
to tell me in words which l interpreted
TO he spoken in Jest, that had mes
merized her into becoming my wife.
and that when 1 was out of her sight she
did not love me so well, Remembering
this, in my desperation, / sought an
interview with her, hoping that l 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
have gone mad for this.
Crushed already by disgrace, after
life was burden. After wandering over
the state "a few months, the idea took
possession of me to abduct my child
and leave Louisiana forever. l carried
it out, and we strollcd 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 / will follow soon. Friends
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 vault OF the Redclifs. AS for me
desire to slumber here until the dawn
breaks, IL II ever can break to life
gone down in such black despair"
What could the incident mean? Had
/ been asleep, and while wandering in
that state found the manuscript in
some crypt or nicheP l have never
been able to this day to account for the
letter hut in this way: The next morn
ing, at the mouth of cnve along my
route, discovered dead man, violin
by his side. His hair and beard were
long, his form gaunt and his clothing
very Indifferent, and from indications
/ believed that he had been dead but n
| few hours. Mesmerism was mentioned
in the letter. Perhaps the dead man
was Redcliff; perhaps his hypnotisnl
may have thrown the spell about me
and compelled me to follow him until
the letter was placed in my hand. This
is mere superstition, but know the ex-
istencc of the letter to be fact. Ihave
it now, having sent 1t to New Orleans,
| and finally received it again from the
dead letter Office.
But Redcliff-was death a welcome
or farewell?