Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-06-11
ALL FOR REVENGE
Series of Incidents Involving
Prominent coifax, H., Peo.
pie Ends in Court.
AvEReER GUILTY OF CRIME
Reputati. ms of Doctor and MoraIist
and Young Lady Are
Tarnished.


dial which tore up the town of Colfax.
u suburb of Bloomington, in Mclean
county, two years ago was aired in
a suite just finished in the United
States district court, in which Byron
Robertson, a carpenter of the town.
was on trial on the charge of taking
from the postoflice a letter written to
Miss Hattie Waldo, the assistant post
mistress at the time, with intent to
pry into the business of another. The
charge i'll itself does not appear so
very damaging, but the use which
Robertson made of the letter was
such that it nearly disrupted the fam
lily of DR.. +. j. Mettan, a prominent
physician and moralist of Colfax. and
caused the resignation of the doctor
from the board of education. and
and greatly damaged the reputation
of both the doctor and Miss Waldo, a
preposseSsing and innocent looking
young lady.
The case was a clear one of revenge
on the part of Robertson. Several
years ago Or. Mettan ascertaincd that
Robertson was writing letters to n
married woman in ColfaX. and being a
rigid stickler of morality at the time
he made things unpleasant by airing
RObertson's frailty before the public
eye. The result was that the husban nd
of the woman sued for divorce. The
case was never tried. in public, the
wife agreeing to the divorce and leav-
ing the city and going east to reside
with her parents. while her husband
married again.
Swore to Get Even.
Then Robertson sworc to get even
with the moralist doctor even if he
had To wait until an extremely warm
place, which is not mentioned before
ears polite, freezes over. He waited
and nc bided his time, and it came
within Il few years.
In August. 1902, according to the
story told by Robertson he went Ia
the postoilice at CoIfaN and was hand
ed letter among other mail. by Miss
Waldo, the assistant postmistrcss
This letter. he says. contained another
letter addressed TO Miss Waldo. and
dttoli DduN my llIt reuter- was al sup vi
paper on which were these words,
This may be of interest 10 YOU
Robertson says he opened this let
ter and found il to be a very warm
in fact. most compromising letter,
written by by DR.. Metten from San
Francisco. Cal, to Miss Waldo. He
went to the office of Il. Il. Taylor. then
a justice of the peace. and now post
master at ColfaN, and had Taylor
make a copy of the letter. which
Robertson took with him, together
with the original. Robertson then
circulated the letter among the in
habitants of ColfaN. The letter caus-
ed a great sensation. Miss Waldo de-
MED ever having received any letters
from DR. Mettan. and the latter. who
was making a tour of California and
Colorado in company with his wife
and Prof. +. {. Proudley. city super
intcndent of schools of ColfaN. wrote
home that the letter was forgery,
and that he had never written to Miss
Waldo.
Proudly Gave 1t Away.
Supt. Proudley. who returned home
III dAiN dlltt vi III anu WI =. wv Aati IL
when informed of the contents of the
letter. stated that il was either writ
ten by DR.. Mettan or himself as il
contained some illusions TO incidents
of their trip of which no one other
than themselves were cognizant.
When DIR. Mettan returned to the city
he acknowledged writing the letter.
and the pressure of public opinion
caused him To resign his position as a
member of the board of education.
Robertson had had his revenge.
He had gotten even with DR.. Mettan
at last. and in doing 50 had dragged
Gown a young woman.
Robertson was found guilty by the
jury before which the case was tried.
and unless he Is successful in an APP
peal. will be imprisoned.