The Natchitoches enterprise., 1896-06-11
WHEN VIRTUE LOST.
A SToRYTo PROVE THAT RIGHT DOES
NOT ALWAYS CONE UPPERMOST.

Remarkable Tale of Love and Tragedy
In Southern TOwn-The Fatal Work
>Nef Two Bullets Fired by Enraged Rivals.
The End of o Foolish Girl.
A Star reporter was one of group in
a hotel lobby the other evening and a
New York drummer had just finished a
story on the old line of virtue triumph
ing and the villain of the plot getting
his just dues this side of the hot place,
when Kentucky congressman took the
floor.
''That sort of thing" he said, sis
we'll enough in books and ON the stage
and am Wiling to agree mat It hap
pens in actual life, but not always. Let
me cite ar instance to the contrary"
There being no objection to the cita-
tion, the Kentuckian, after casting his
eye over the company, proceeded:
Years ago, in southern town." he
said. "there lived pretty girl with a
lot of money-a combination no man can
deny the power of-and she had sweet
hearts galore, but two Of her devotees,
one quite reputable man aud the other
quite as disreputablep and after hcr mora
for her Deney than herself. led al the
rest, and both Of them were nervy men
and quick ON the trigger. Any sensible
person would have thought that the girl
would have decided very early as be-
tween the good and the bad, but overy
one knows that women don't do that
way III matters Of the heart.
81 will say for her, though, that her
preferences were for the decent man and
he stood the best chance of winning
among all Of the contestants. His dis
reputable rival, however. received more
or less encouragement and he was max
ing hot fight-so hot, in fact, that ON
one or two occasions the men had come
to blows and once, at least, pistols had
been drawn. The girl was foolish, as
other women have been under like cir
cumstances, and rather enjoyed the po-
sition she occupied, and felt ffattered by
the dangerous rivalry for her hand and
heart. One day, though, it eliminated
tragically, and the girl didn t regret it,
that anybody ever heard her mention. Il
was in the afternoon and q pleasant day
and the Gwo rivals met unexpectedly
just across the street from her house,
and each on his way to call on her.
'The girl lived on corner and they
were approaching from different streets
and almost batted into each other at the
crossing. That was hardly the place to
have it out, but they were hot blooded
and young and on the instant two men
jumped back from each other few feet.
air. and enc man fell TO the sidewalk,
dead. And it wasn't the bad man,
either. On the contrary, 1t was the repu-
table one, and there was bullet hole
straight through his forehead. The bad
man n's shot had preceded the other just
enough, and the decent mans pistol
went off as he threw up his hands. Eve
minutes later the whole street was in an
uproar, and the bad man was in custody.
The other man was carried over to the
girls house, for it was not known then
that he was dead, and physician was
called: half an hour later the dead body
was removed to an undertaker's, and
that part of the tragedy was over.
"During all the excitement, the girl
had not made her appearance, and as
soon as the air quietcd little search
was made for her, because 1t was known
that she had been in the house shortly
before the shooting. Her mother went
directly to her room, and when she
opened the door, she saw her daughter
sitting at the window, or rather leaning
upon a flower shelf on the window sill,
and her first thought was that the girl
had seen the shooting and had tainted.
She ran to her and lifted her up and as
she did so she found her faco bloody and
the girls body almost stiff. She ran,
screaming, out, and when the doctor
came he found dead girl with bullet
hole in her head.
"Further examination showed hole
in the glass of the window, and the
whole story was told. Tho girl had been
sitting there, and had no doubt seen the
meeting of the two men, and the bullet
from the killed man g pistol had reached
her there and ended her life ut the same
time the life Of the man she would have
married went out. OF course it was sell
t.sfense in the case Of the man who
escaped his rivals bullet, and it wa
the Tival's bullet which killed the girl
and the rival was beyond any earthly
jurisdiction. The affair ended there
with nothing good in triumph. except
public sentiment which compelled tn
killer to stay away from the town To-
five or six years.
Didn't he even meet violent deatl
or something like that" inquired In
drummer, thirsting for some trace 0
the usual in the tale. !"
mo-" replied the Kentuchan. mo
even that. His uncle died and left han
fine farm, and he found a very mic
girl who was willing to marry him.
The drummer sighed and didn't ole
to cap the Kentuckian's story with
better one. Washington Star.