The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-03-21
BRANDED As ODICASI
California Town Avenges the
Sin Against Woman.
LOTS KUTNER CAST OUT
Faring as Usually the Woman,
Only, Fares.

man for the greatest crime against So
ciety-a srime which usually goes unpun--
ished.
Louis Kutner's heartless conduct--as
they beheve-caused Bessie Evans. a
young girl. to commit suicide.
The women of Modera, who were quick
ly poined by their men relatives, there
upon held a mass meeting at which they
branded Kutner a social outcast.
They declared that they would never
recognize him in future and that he could
! never hope to regard MADEIRA his home
again.
Here are the exact words of the reso-
luton, which was supplemented by many
vigorous expressions of individual opln-
ion by the most prominent women and
men of MADEIRA:
Resolved, That we, the citizens Of Ma
dera in mass meeting assembled III the
name of moral purity, home and justice,
do hereby call upon all to whom these
presents may come to use every moral in
tiuence to erase from our midst the name
of Louis Kutner, whom we brand as a So
! cial outcast."
Many precautions were taken to make
1 he resolution something more than. an
e. mpty outpouring of strong language
One of the first effects will be TO injure
Kl 1tner who is a rich man, in his bust
mes 5.
The women further decided that Kut-
ner ought to be driven out of MADEIRA and
they consulted their husbands and broth
ers az to the best means of driving him
out. With the generous impulsiveness
of Western men they replied that the wo-
men need not trouble themselves about
the matter, that they would see that Kut-
ner vents that he went quick and for
good.
In order that the resolution might not
be forgotten, they formed a club called
''The Bessie Evans Club" to perpetuate
its memory.
It should be noted that the punishment
mete>i out to a ann by these pioneer wo-
men of MADEIRA corresponds nearly to that
ordinarily visited upon an erring woman
MADEIRA is a pros porous little town of
| 1000 people on the fertile plains of the San
| JOAQUIN Valley.
Bessie Evans was a pretty little Welsh
girl. nineteen years of age CHEEKY, viva
cious and innocent as a child. She was a
| a
small town like MADEIRA the lines of social
caste are not closely drawn, and she was
a general favorite. She was born in
Wales. her father dying when she was
quite young She came to this country
about five years ago with her mother,
who has since remarked. About a year
ago Bessie had a desire to be independent
as her mother now had additional cares.
so she started to face the world alone
She secured a position in the hotel at Ma
dera and was happy. To her work was
pleasant and her ruddy cheeks and langh-
ing eyes lost none Of the color and the
brightness that the Welsh mountains i'm
part
There were a number of permanent
guests at the hotel, among them being
one Louis Kutner, a rich merchant and a
member of a house that has big ware
houses and stores dotting the vast ex-
panse of the San Joaquin plains. He is
about thirty years of age. BesSie's pref
tiness and innocent, childish ways at
tracted him, and he lost no opportunity
of talking to her or being in her COM
pany, but always about the hotel He
never accompanied her on the street. AS
the months passed the girl seemed to
have become infatuated with him and was
warned of her danger by her associates,
the other girls in the hotel, but it was a
danger which she could not realize.
The Iandlady a motherly soul, Mrs. j.
) w. Thomas also talked to Bessie and
warned her against indulging hopes that
could never be fulfilled and that Kutner
was a wealthy man. belonging to veal
thy family that would never permit his
. marriage with a poor waitress.
For a time Bessie broke with him, but
, It was noJfor long. AS in the past he
was persistent in his overtures for a re-
Cancellation, and soonthe were on the
old familiar terms.
He spent his money on her freely and
, made her dissatisfied with the poor pit
lance of a waitress. with which she had
once been happy She believed that he
was going to marry her.
/ But at last she was forced to realize
that she had been deceived and then she
= ended her misery in a tragedy 1t was
on the morning of Tuesday, February %,
, that this occurred. When the house
keeper at o'clock in the morning went
r to arouse the girls for their daily work
she received no answer at Bessie Evans
e door.
The door was broken open, and on the
T bed lay Bessie dying. She was almost
5 speeches., but among the few words she
( uttered were:
4 Lou I have done it,
. There was an overpowering smell Of
5 carbolic acid in the room. She had pois-
n oned herself with the most cruel and
o easily procurable poison.
= On the washstand in her room were
, found a letter addressed to Kutner and a
= slip of cardboard. On the latter was the
h fouowin:
n "A woman's innocence and purity and
h self-respect. be she high or low, rich or
l. poor. are the most precious things she
e possesses; they are the jewels which God
5 has given her 70 guard and give back .
& Him untarnished. and he who shall rob
her OF them deserves not the name OF
man or = place among men; he should be
wiped off the face Of the earth. b. E.
The letter 10 huaner was as follows:
MADEIRA Feb Is 1900
My Dear Lou:-I beg OF you TO for
give me FOR what I have done. I have
done my best 10 look on the bright side
= Of things. but in vain. 7 am so unhappy,
!. Lou. tha; I can't stand it any longer.
II Had I never wet you. Lou this never
would have happened. loved you bet
: ter than my own l:te. I could never live
10 without You I know I have caused you
1t an awtui let of trouble. but Try ard for
z get everything as quick as possible
Please say nothing about this scribbl!nE