The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-03-06

! NUbiN'E 0iNHHi' tr7'curL RTMgti2S
without foundation at the time) infa-
mousIy and cowardIy charged her with
! departure from recttude, & charge that
! causes me to shudder with shame, SO vile
! was the Islander, so sensitive was the best
/ Of women.
And yet, having felt the fun effects of.
my unreasonable, cruel passion, she I'm
/ complaining;y gave attention to all her
wifely duties, making my visits home as
/ pleasant as she could, caring for my per
/ sonal comfort. a martyr to her sense Of
| duty. when she would nave been justi-
| fed in refusing 10 ever again see me after
/ the foul wrong I had done her
Later the disruption was more COM
! plete, even her gentleness and endurance
no longer permitting her to bear unmerit-
! ed reproaches and viHainous ISLANDERS. In
June came that trip to the Pacific coast,
which she was justified in taking, which
/ caused, solely through my actions, so
much publicity and harm to her. During
that time my madness, for il was moth
! ing else but mental disorder, led me to
60 most despicable thing, without the
shadow OF foundation. without even a sus-
picion upon which TO base it. I saw pass
ing out OF my life the woman l loved
whose image filled my heart, and my
brain was on Ere I made no excuse for
such an act. a most villainous and con-
temptible one, but would have the public
| believe that which is true, that the men
tai agony I had long endured much OF
the time reprcssed, none of the time
/ caused by any act or word of my wife,
pushed me into the most miserable, de-
spicable and degraded thing-a liar, in
keeping with so many of my utterances
for the four or Eve months previous. 1t
was not jealousy, for never by word or
act did my wife for one moment give
me the least cause for such a feeling. My
faith in her was as unbounded then as it
is now. Never have ! had a doubt of her
honor, her virtue, her womanly faithful
ness, and yet there followed that cruel
wrong on my part.
That I did not then realize the enorm-
ity of my offense in publishing a circular
that should have damned me, should, it
seems to me establish my mental ire
sponsibllity at that time. l here declare,
under oath, that Mrs. Stacey never made
any of the alleged confessions or state
ments contained in that publication; that
all the charges We're false; that there was
no excuse for using her name in Connec-
ton with any OF those given, and that the
use of her daughters name was unwar-
ranted and without Justification; that it
was put out solely to hurt her; and that
1 never for one moment had even sus-
picion Of unfaithfulness or dishonor at
any time in her life. l knew, also that
she was making a Iong-contemplated trip
on a visit 10 state she loved. l further
unhesitatingly declare, knowing our lives
are forever separate through my own acts
and words and realizing that her feelings
for me are justly only those of deserved
contempt, to which hatred might be add
ed. that in my estimation, knowing her
entire life from girlhood up to the pres
ent time she is as pure as any woman
in the land. on whom no faint of SANDER
can uuthfuIly rest, and whose mental
distress during the past twelve months
has been caused by the utterly false and
baseless ISLANDERS perpetrated by me, the
husband who should have guarded and
protected her good name.
Il have been known in this state for
years IS one not accustomed to apologize
ing or retracting. I never spared others,
and I do not now spare myself. I despise
q liar. and for that reason hate what
have been. With this knowledge as a has
is Tor this statement I deliberately pro-
noUnCe every charge made by me against
my wife false, cowardly, damnable and
without foundation in any degree. And
now. In the full possession of all my
senses, publicly declare my fun belief
and conviction in her purity and limo
cence. as fully as I believe that there is
a just GOD, whose mercy can not he so
great as TO permit Him TO overlook the
evil I have done To one of the best wo-
men on earth, whose sunerines have
come 10 her through knowledge Of me
There is not a household in the land in
which this wroased woman can not be
received as an hocored guest. I say this
knowing TO the fullest her irnermost life
and hey thoughts for sixteen years.
Let the blame and contempt fall
where il shoud-uron me. and not upon
her who should have only trusting
friends. I surrender friends and all in
doing this tsrdy Justice 20 enc whom I
have harmed SO greatly During tho re
naming tlUe Of my hfo 1 Will. as far rs
possible. atone and make amends. accent
Ing my Just punishment. always regret
TING this great wrong I have done and
hoTl0s shat fair-minded people VIII AID
by their sense OF right ia aisPening the
gloom east by my unwarrantahie course
upon the life of one whom I should have
cherished. I realize that this confession
banishes me Irom Kansas and the honor
able men who have been nay associates.
bv. If it only partly rights the wrong I
have committed then iI VIII not have been
lu vain Christ had charity for the fall
ea; surely p Christian people can have
love. respect and confidence for one whose
sood name has been furnished without
cause. a. Il. STACEY"
Will DECIDE A TIE