The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1904-10-15
YOUNGLOVERS DIE TOGETHER
DOUBLE SUICIDE IN WOODS
NEAR ASHLAND.

DOUBLE SUICIDE IN WOODS
NEAR ASHLAND
Each II Years Old, and Their Love
Affair Had Seen Opposed BY Their
/ Parents Dying Request OF the Girl
That Both Be Buried IN the Same
Grave Granted.
TuesJay night City Sergeant & Chich
ester If thscity received telegram from
/. A. Stone, Of Ashlsnd, requesting him
To arrest his daughter, Miss Bessie stone,
on the arrival here Of the early train.
The statement was made that rhe, In
company with K bert Gill, u T. lephOnr
operator ~ Ashland. WAS EN- route 10
Washington 10 be married. len the
train arrived here four officers a. nearly
one hundred people had collecte ! 10 see
the couple taken from the train They
were not aboard and il WAS supposed
they had gone To Washington by the e.
a q. kilograms were sent to Washing
ton but the young people could not be
found All trace of them was lost until
ties Thursday in the woods about one
mile north of Ashland, "a pistol, lying be
tween them, telling the story of IA double
suicide before the CHASTITY wound behind
her ear and the gaping hole in lis fore
head came 10 view
Tuesday they left Ashland, presum
ably TO evade parental opposition and
eope Co Washington To be married. No
tidings having been received OF the miss
ing pair searching parties started out
with the above result.
The boy aud girl were each ] years
old, and their love affair had been OPP
posed by their parents The boy wae
attending the public school at Ashland
in the daytime and working in the tele
phone office there AT night Tor SO a
month.
There was no bright prospect ahead OF
them, aud they planned 10 die together.
A letter written by the girl To her par
ents was found in Is little satchel by ner
side, and the boy also left one for hi4
father, telling Of their hopeless love and
determination To end their sorrow il
death.
Evidently Just before her death the
girl wrote these words on the back Of thu
letter TO her mother:
Above all things on earth, bury W
side by side Rob, my darling boy, II
'' "B V. $"
They lay side by side with their hands
clasped In preparation 10 sacrifice her
life for her lover che had removed her
hat and he had taken of his coat. The
tragedy oc AIRED Tuesday, and they had
lain for two days exposed TO rain and
sun.
THE GIRL 5 LETTER
The girls letter Addressed 10 "My Oar
ling Mother and Father is "A rcmarka
bic one for a girl Alter begging them
not To- grieve, she writes
"Do not worry and think because
commit this rash act that have done
anything amiss In this world, for | have
never done anything that am ashamed
for the whole wOrli TO know. ! know
there is no one that can say aught agains'
my character truthfully in thi4 world.
The reason for my committing this actir
that my health is not by any means thu
best and don't believe IL will ne real
good again. and there Is really no pleas
ure 10 living; and the other cause, and
the main one At that, il that love, AND
really love. my own dear hoy, Rob, with
all my heart aud my lille Without be
Ing allowed 10 love him life wouli be Ut
terlv q blank. Therefore. do not care
for this life any longer
at isa hard old world fully realize
what AIN doing, and em fully aware OF
my re ward In return for committing this
act. It is not hasty. have considered
it over several days and have decided
that do not care Tor this world or Tor
life any longer, deprived % my own dar.
ling ROb's love | want to be buried r.
white casket | want no dJwcrs, but
want the pistol by which met my death
to lay on my coffin until my funeral or
burial service, and at tine funeral want
it taken in. instead Of flowers. by the
honorary pallbearer, whom | want O.
be Robert lee Gill.
up. S.-Aiter my burial want the pis
toll returned TO it's owner. of whom !
borrowed it, r. l. g., Jr "
The letter ia signed "lOur Darling
Daughter, Bessie Stone
The coroner decided no irquest was
necessary.
ga BE Hu RIED ~ SAME GRAVE,
The broken. hearted parents have de.
cided that the young lovers may be to-
getber in death, 81 requested, and they
will be buried In the same grave. The
extraordina request concerning the pis.
tol will hardly be carried out
The girls letter reads to the conclusion
that she irst contemplated death alone,
and then persuaded him to kill her and
himself
Bessie Stones father ia mechanic in
the car shops Of the Richmond, Freder
icksburg and Potomac Railroad, and the
boys father was until recently tele
graph operator in the employ OF the
Western Union Company. Recently ae
h. been keeping a small store at Ash
land. Both young people were II excel
lent character and were popular among
their associates.