The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-05-23

Clarke and Kellogg sitting on a bench in
Morningside park kissing.
| Barely two weeks had passed since the
brilliant ceremonials which made pub
lie the marriage of Esther Bartlett and
the son of the Pittsburg millionaire At
the end of them the bride awoke to the
fact that she had been suspected and de-
serted. Two weeks after her marriage.
in the very heyday OF her honeymoon,
she found herself alone at the ST Charles
hotel in Atlantic city.
| 1t took her some time to realize the
situation During that time she wrote
letters pleading for forgiveness; she beg
ged her husband to return: she sent for
her father; she tried to see her hus-
bands brother, John. at Bryn Mawr.
| Finally she wrote a letter that, when
produced in court, was read amid a duet
| of sobs. They came audibly from the
groom and more audibly from the bride.
Listeners wiped their eyes in sympathy,
| the jury coughed and looked uncomfor-
table. Lawyers on both sides realized
that they had presented an unprecedented
scene. The letter, written less than a
month after marriage was as follows:
| Jim Deary: Won't you come back? 1
beg you to come or let me come to you.
No matter where you are I'll be happy
| because 1 swear to God I love you. 1t
has all come back, the old love I had at
first in the days at Old Point. Those
were happy days, and we can make these
just as happy. I have tried my best to
see your family and ask for your address
and begged like an outcast But I can
J 1, IL
and take me away from it all. I am as
pure as the day you married me.
The way I acted in New York was
| heartless, unkind, and it IS wonder you
did not kill me. but don't think 1 real
! lied how terribly was acting. 1 look
| back now and don't see how 1 could have
done it.
Today went away out to Bryn Mawr
| to see John, and there, after telling me
he was in, the maid came and returned
and said he had gone to Pittsburg. Do
| you think I can stand to be treated like
| that? Can you stand by and see it done?
| No. my God, don't believe you can and
! after all 1 am a woman and your wife.
Your brother told Fred that your love for
me was dead Let me try to win it back,
and, God, how curse myself for not go
! ing with you, but I trusted you and be-
! lieved you would return.
| 1 believe you have been told some fresh
| lie about A. c., but my flirting ended in
| New York, and my father is almost crazy.
L am near there and wandering around,
afraid and ashamed to go home. You are
| my husband and you should protect me.
! Don't drive to desperation or you may be
sorry some day treated you damn
ably, but I ask you to forgive me this
once, and, by God, I'll make you good
wife. 1 swear it by all that is holy.
Let me come to you am wild for
you. I kissed your picture today when
1 saw it in John house. I love you, yes,
ten thousand times more than 1 ever did
before 1 know all the little things you
have said and told to make my case
out bad one, but swear if we went to
law, Jim. we would WIN as the only
point you have is immortality, and 1 can
prove that lie. 1 am as innocent of that
as your own sister, and 1 viii defy the
world to say otherwise.
| The two stories 1 told were vulgar and
unwise, but why tell your folks that
had ever told you any before we were
married, and that to hear such a story
from my lips was a shock to you? Is
that true, Jim? No. it is not, and you
know you laughed and thought them
good fun, and told me some in return. 1
don't excuse myself, but I do say you
were the first man l ever told or who
| told me a vulgar story.
But let that all go. 1t was small of
you TO try and damn my character with
these, but 1 believe you were angry and
did not mean to ruin for life the charac-
| ter of the woman yeu promised to cher
ish.
woman has hard enough time in
| the world, anyway, Jim, and you might
have helped me as much as possible in
| stead of trying to kick me down. But
no doubt 1 deserved it all, and I have
been taught a severe lesson, and one I'll
never forget.
| Do you remember you swore once that
| if the time ever came when I could
write and tell you 1 loved you and ask
YOU to come back you would come no
matter where you were? I tell you that
now and l ask you to come back and
protect and love me. Think it over, Jim,
and if you'll only say the word I'll come
10 the ranch and Wen bum together
God keep you free from harm.
ESTHER.
Husband and wife, separated by coun-
| sci and in full view of a room full Of
strangers. wept in unison at the mem
DRY Of their marital tragedy. 1t was pre-
dicted then that the principals in the suit
| would some day kiss and make up. The
glances that James King Clarke now shot
upon the lovely face of his wife seemed
TO declare that he was still in love and
would give a round sum out of his
twelfth to have her back again
Talk Of reconciliation followed immedi-
! ately upon the disagreement Of the Jury.
and it has been reiterated ever since. In
| New York club circles and in Pittsburg
society, where Jim Clarke has always
been more or less conspicuous figure,
| he has the reputation of being a good
| sort of fellow, with strong impulses that
often lead him TO DO things which after
ward he regrets. It is said that even be-
/ fore the trial had reached the famous
letter scene he was sorry that ne had en-
| tered proceedings. The failure to pro-
N"SS SN4HS"Se comm A4lllS any OF MS Sus-
picions that his wife had been unfaith-
ful added 10 his remorse
Since the trial Mr.. Clarke has been
with his lawyer, resting from the strain
Of 1t in Atlantic City. Mrs Clarke has
been close by in Philadelphia Have
/ they metz the gossips ask and on the
strength Of the possibility they have be-
/ gun to make romance. One chapter OF
! 1. is calculated to make a Bit Of unique
and delightful literature The only legal