The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1905-11-17

the stress Of passion Is the first Of the
limo Of letters dropping one by one into
the homo. The first Letter bore a Dor
der o; black, and is among those not
yet given cut for publication.
The border Of black is for my frst
love- said tho writer, you robbed
me OF Tho man.
/ wanted-he who Is now In hi.
grave. And now l am determined tt
strike at you. 1t is my purpose first
to break y,ur heart by making yol
ohildless, and then to free your hus-
band That 1T Is my purpose to RIO thi,
you may know"
The mother mi cd and put the let
ter aside. a week wont by and there
came anotf o. letter.
You have taken no heed OF my
warning" sad The writer. II tell you
III striko through those you low,
most'
Ard with each morning there lay on
the breakfast table, in sinister signiti
canoe, the letter with the handWrit-
ing that they knew SO well.
Heavier and heavier grew the hearts
of the parents with each Of those lot.
tors.
But at last there came morning
when the familiar step Of the postm IN
passed by their door. A second and a
third morning came and went, With
still no letter.
And they cried for JOY 1.-THE thought
that the shadow OF death had been
lifted from them. The mere incident
OF the house dog dying in convuIsions
was not sutli oient to attract attention
Never was the thought OF the un
known avcnger less present to their
minds than on that September after
noon when the baby Willie todd!ed
cut to tho doorway and then a few
yards along the road.
Olly half an hour had .ssed when
there appeared in the doorway man
bearing The motionless ii cure OF the
child in his arms.
He had been found lying in tho
roadway near his fathers cottage.
No one at that time took any par.
ticular notice OF the Cdor OF garlic on
the breath Of the Child.
All that the doctors could say was
that the symptoms indicated tho pres
ence Of some foreign substance la the
body. Within twelve hours the boy
was dead.
The heart OF the mother was fuil Of
a foreboding Of that which was yet to
come.
With the coming Of Monday morn.
ipR thore again lay the familiar envel.
ope on the table.
There Is reason in this warming, !"
wrote the sender OF the letter. There
Sill be more reason before am done
with you"
And now the letters came with every
cost, slander was now altcrnated with
commonplace velbiage, and these let
oers, really telling little Of the hide
u truth, are the only communica
lions made public by the police at the
inquest.
Then once more csme a cessation Of
the letters, and the parents, trelnb--
ling, waited.
All through these weeks bad Mrs
Perkins, quietly watching, bent her
eyes ON tie one wonau who OF ali
others, by reason Of Old menores OF
which She even now viii not speak,
she beloved hated her.
There Is woman who Is killing
my children and who may take my
husband, as she wolld have taken the
other, she said.
The world now knows the story Ct
the October afternoon on which tht
ohlld Oc6avla was To meet her death
by the hand Of the prisoner.
She had risen from her mothers
side, and ran lightly TO the house OF
Mrs Mcdowell, ard the next that was
seen Of her was when she reappeared
tn tho doorway OF the Perkins cottage,
and with a sigh and a moan tainted in
her mothers arms.
Again was the characteristic oao
of garlic; again the shivering convuis
ions and hhe sharp RaSps and cries o.
agony, ere eight hOuls later death re,
leased the 81 II rer
Suspicion had in the mind of Mrs
Ptrkins bccc m certainty From tnag
moment the word murder" took Lne
Place OF all Others Ia the Vocabulary
OF the Richmond people. Mrs. Perkins
poke at last and cried out for yengen
ance on tie woman who, she ,cares,
killed her chiidten, and would have
robbed her OF her husband. Nov York
American