The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-08-26
STORY OF A LOVE LETTER
THAT COST THREE LIVES
The Tragedy Of a Lost Letter.

WRITTEN FOR THE SUNDAY REPUBLIC.
The post office of London, Mo. is no
more. Time was when this post office
was one of the business centerS of that
section of Missouri. That was in the Gays
when il was on the line of the stage coach
! route to the West, and when 1t was at enc
end of the division of which Hamburg.
Ia. was the other end. But thosS days
have passed. The overland mail route WAS
succeeded by the railroad route; and the
tide of the busy world ceased to pass
| through and people ceased to stop IN Lon
don. Its mission was ended. and 81 the
authorities at Washington ordered ifla; the
post office be discontinued.
There is much of romance and If tragedy
| connected with the history of The london
post office. There are stories OF bold at
tacks by reckless highwaymen upoE- the
numbering old stage coach that n'ade
weekly trips from London TO Hamburg:
there are stories of wild revels. and IF mad
bushwhacking: there are stories of love
and hate and happiness and revenge.
Among them is the story of u lost love let
ter that cost three lives.
The love letter was lost in the winter OF
1856. At that time John j;urnsiie. a
young Pennsylvania. was clerk ill the
store of Uncle" Billy Logan, the Post
master. William McGann. a young man
barely OF age, was one of the most sue
cessful and prosperous cattle owners ana
farmers in the section; Mary Stellens was
the belle Of the nelghborhood. Before
Burnside went to London it was told that
McGann and Mary were engaged to be
married. But Burnside was handsome.
possessed of some Of the polish of the out
side world. happy. whole sOuled, and young.
He fell under the magic of Mary's charms
and was her captive. He called on her ire
quently; he went with her to parties and
picnics as often as he could. He was de-
voted to her and soon 1t was neighborhond
gossip that he had won the girl from Nc
Gam. Il.
McGann gave no sign that he knew oil
a change In Mary's feelings toward him.
He was a man of affairs-he owned a thou
sand acres of land, and perhaps 500 cattle.
He was making money rapidly. and he had
little time for frolicking.
About the middle of October old man
Stellens started for Fort Crook. Neb.. on
a ca%ttle-buying trip. He had a sister living
at Nebraska City. and took Mary that far
with him, leaving her there for a visit. No
date was set for her homecoming, but II
was neighborhood gossip that about a
month later Burnside would drive over and
bring Mary back home with him. How the
rumor started was never learned; Out
Burnside, when he heard it. did not deny it.
Inc rumOT came 10 MCCd1iii = eds. iS
said nothing; but a few days later he went
to Uncle Billy's store, called Burnside
into a corner away from the crowd, and
the two men had a long and earnest talk.
Neither ever told what was said in the
few minutes that they spent in the corner
of the storeroom, but 1t was noticed that
afterwards they seemed to avoid each
other.
About a week after Mary's departure. Nc
Gam mailed a letter to her. Then he
called "Uncle Billy" to one side and told
him he expected an answer shortly. and re-
ouested that he handle the mail himself, as
he did not want the answer to fall into
Burnside's hands. "Uncie Billy reasoned
with him, saying that Burnside would not
dare to tamper with the mall even. If he
were so inclined. And then he told him
Burnside knew that Mary did not care for
him, and that he was not McGann's rival
in any sense. He explained that he was go
ing into the country. and would be absent