Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-09-30


wick, set down in narrative form
connected series of extracts from the
documents she left in my care, believ-
ing such publication to be in accord
with her wishes. do this With some
hesitation. not being accustomed TO
write for the public prints. while the
tents of my profession point towards
secrecy with regard to communications
rather than the reverse.
But In what was doubtless the last
note Miss Sedgwick wrote. she lett
these letters in my care. with the IN
junction to use them should a biogra-
rhy OF Professor Wallis Dent ever be
written, so that the record of his final
Gays upon earth might be given from
his own pen. In case no biography ap-
reared, she wished an edited selection
from Professor Dents communications
to be printed in some suitable maya
zine or review, and thus. as it were, the
material should be put in evidence for
future use.
So far as am aware the life of Pro-
fessor Dent has never been written. 1t
is probable that at the time of his Death
be was too young man TO have yet
research, which doubtless would have
been the case had he lived. His one
book, on the legends of Southern Italy,
shows great research in the literary
work of the rast, with patient and in
telligent Investigation of such antiquit-
les as bore uron his subject, but the
volume was rather promise of the fu-
ture than a guarantee of lasting fame
already accomplished. Naturally, to the
woman who loved him, he had already
attained that eminence which would
ultimately have been his, but this flat
terf.. estimate is not shared by the
more coldly critical scientific world.
Miss Sedgwick was Il shy, retiring
girl, who cared little for the social gale
ties of New York. She had paid several
visits to Europe, and her chief delight
was in travel and in reading. the books
she preferred being mainly historical
and geographical. think, but am not
sure. that 1t was on one of her indian
Journeys she first met Professor Wallis
Dent, man some eight or nine years
her senior.
Be that as it may, Professor Dent was
{, guest at her fathers house when ne
came to America about a year before
his death, and it was known to few
intimate friends that they We're be-
trothed,i altho no public announcement
of the engagement was ever made.
Many of the sensational statements put
forth by the daily press OF New York
at the time of the first or second trag-
edy We're either inaccurate or mislead-
ing. 1t is not true that over-study had
impaired her intellect and weakened her
body. 1t is not true that the sudden
ness with which the fact of her lovers
death was announced to her while she
was reading a letter from him sent her
into uncomfortable frenzy, and of
course the detailed account of her sui
eide is only mythical, for the action had
no witnesses. The calamity which had
overtaken Professor Dent might have
been more tactfully broken to her. but
she nevertheless received the blow with
that quiet calm which has habitual to
her.
Her father and herself were seated at
the breakfast table. Half dozen for
eign postal cards from Professor Dent
had come to her, and she had assorted
them in their order, and wa,5 reading
the first when her father. gl@lcing over
his morning paper, with an exclama-
ton of dismay, suddenly and unthink-
ingly blurted cut the gist that Professor
Dent had been killed.
She turned pale to the lips, and sat
there without word. staring at her
father, who now tried to soften a state
ment which could not be mitigated
She asked in a low voice to see the
newspaper, and she read the cablegram
as we'll as she could thru the tears that
| in spite of her marvellous self-control
welled into her eyes; then she rose and
went to her room with no exclamation
that indicated mental arrangement.
That her mind undoubtedly became
clouded do not intend to deny, but my
opinion is this was caused by the ever
recurring arrival of postal cards from
her lover, which, extended for period
of nearly fifteen days after she knew he
was no longer in life. This CHASTITY cor
respondence, the more terribleSbecause
| the writing was in a tone Of jubilanl
confidence, with all the popularity OF
youth, unfolded itself day by day like a
| serial story, the tragic end of which Is
already known. Postal communication
Ibetween Italy and American is tardy
| "a letter sometimes taking from eighteer
to twenty days, coming by way of Eng
Hand and France, or by direct steamer
not much quicker, and thus the series
| was long drawn out, each misslVe
mental stab, not to be warded off.
/ When learned what was going on,
endeavored to have the postal cards In
Intercepted, but she would not have it so
and fearing worse complications, II she
were thwarted, was reluctantly com.
PEELED TO forego my prohibition.
The day was called in her friends
| had become alarmed. The living writ.
ing appeared to have the effect of max
| ing her forget momentarily that tn.
hand which opened it was dead, ye
somewhere in her troubled brain there
always tloated the shadow of impending
i disaster, and pickering thru this shad
CIV like vivid forked lightning athwar
. q thunder cloud, spasmodic futile effor
to avert the threatening danger. Thes'
alternating currents of powerful con
hicting emotions, impinging on sen
2|sitive mind delicately posed, undouhted
lily had the effect of overturning 1t, act
ing on the brain in manner somewha
similar to that of 1000 volt alternat
ing current of electricity upon the body
but less mercifully, because instan
/ death was not the result.
On the day was summoned, a dozei
postal cards had arrived. and Marion!
sat very quietly in her boulder reading
them, lady companion being in tn
4 room with her. the same who few