Willmar tribune., 1899-12-27
& ened servants D tt hem were four
hVesnewspaper correspo dents and sav.'


lened servants ttllss,n were fout 8,
newspaper correspo ents and sev.
eral neighbors Dr. Bruce and tic
bishop met this miisccel ccellaneous crowdsa1
Ethe head i'm and succeeded IS
Eexcla ding al except thoss whose pres,
Eences eswas nec cessaIy IN these the two
friends learned an tl,e facts ever known
/ about 1.-THE Sterling tragedy las tai
I papers in their is,ensat atiional accounts
next day called it.
Mr. Sterling had gone into his room
& that evening about 8, % clock, and that
d sas the last seen of & him until IN hall
IN ho1f ssshot was heard and 8 servant
| who was Id the hail ran into. the room
and found the owner Of the house dead
I on the floor, killed by his own hand.
Felicia at the time was sitting by her
mother. Rose. was reading in the il;
brary. She ran mp stairs, saw her father
as, he was being lifted upon the couch
by the servants and then ran screaming
into her mothers room, where she flung
herself down on the foot Of the bed in
. rswoon. Mrs, Sterling had at first
tainted at the shock, then rallied with
wonderful swiftness and sent mes
senger to call DR.. Bruce. She had then
insisted on seeing her husband. In spite
Of Felicia, she had compell led Clara and
the housemaid, terrified and trembling,
to support her while she crossed the
hall and entered the room where her
husband lay. She had looked upon him
with a fearless face, had gone back into
her own room, was laid on the bed, and
as DR.. Bruce and the bishop entered the
house she, with prayer Of forgiveness
for herself and her husband on her
quivering lips, had died, with Felicia
bending over her and Rose still lying
senseless at her feet. a: ':s - +
SO great and swift had been tho en-
trance OF grim death into that palace
of luxury that Sunday night, but the
full cause of his coming was not known
until the facts in regard to Mr.. Ster-
ing's business affairs were finally dis
closed.
Then it was learned that for some
time he had been facing financial ruin
owing to certain specu1ations that had
in q months time swept his supposed
wealth into complete destruction. With
the cunning and desperation of a man
who battles for his very life. when he
saw his money, which was all the life
he ever valued. slipping from him he
had put off the evil day to the last mo-
ment. Sunday afternoon. however, he
had received news that proved to him
beyond q doubt the fact of his utter
ruin. The very house that he called his.
the chairs in which he sat, his carriage.
the dishes from which he ate, had all
been bought by money for which he
himself had never really done an honest
stroke of pure labor.
1t had all rested on tissue of deceit
and speculation that had no foundation
in real values He knew the fact better
than any one else. but he had hoped,
with the hope that such men always
have, that the same methods that
brought him the money would also pre-.
vent its loss. He had been deceived in
this, as many others have been. Al
soon as the truth that he was practical
ly a beggar had dawned upon him he
saw no escape from suicide. It was the
irresistible result of such a. life as be
had lived. He had made money his god.
As soon as that god had gone out,of hill
little world there was nothing more e
worship. and when mans object d
worship is gone he has no more to live
for. Thus died the great millionaire,
Charles R. Sterling, and. verify, he died
as the fool dieth, for what is the gain
or the loss of money compared with the
unsearchable riches Of eternal life, which
are far beyond the reach Of worldly
speculation, loss or changer
Mrs. Sterling's death was the result
OF shock. She had not been taken into
her husbands confidence for years, but
she knew that the source Of his wealth
was precariouR Her life for several
years had been death in life. The
Rolfes always gave the impression that
they could endure more disaster un.
moved than any one else Mrs. Sterling
illustrated the old family tradition
when she was carried into the room
where her husband lay, but the feeble
tenement could not hold the spirit, and
it gave up the ghost. torn and weakened
by long years Of suffering and disap'
pointment.
The effect of this triple blow, the
death of father and mother and the lost
of property. was instantly apparent il
the sisters. The horror Of events stupe
fed Rose for weeks. She lay unmoved
by sympathy or any effort to rally. She
did not seem yet to realize that The
money which had been SO large a. par.
of her very existence was gone. Ever
when she was told that she and Felicia
must leave the house and be dependent
upon relatives and friends she did not
seem to understand what it meant. IS.
:" Felicia, however, was fully conscious
Of the facts. She knew just what had
happened and why. She was talking
over her future plans with her cousin
Rachel a few days after the funerals.
Mrs. Winslow and Rachel had left Ray.
mond and come to Chicago at once q.
soon as the terrible news had reached
them. and with other friends of The
family they were planning for the fu'
ture Of Rose and Felicia. 81; 5ss ss> {
L Felicia, yon and Rose must come te
Raymond with us. That is settled
3 Mother will not hear of any other plan
at present Rachel had said. while hen
beautiful face glowed with love for he,
cousin. q love that had deepened day
by day and was intensified ~ tht
knowledge that they both belonged K