Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1907-02-01
WRITES PITIFUL NOTE
And ENDS Her LIFE
Case of Lillian Melton in Ken
lucky Calls to Mind That
of Grace Brown.
SHE ENCLOSED A NICKEL
Wished Lover and the Girl He Spurned
Her For, Much Happiness, Took
Poison and Is Now
Dead.

Madisonville, Ky, Jan. I'm many re-
spects the case Of Lillian Melton, who was
buried here after committing suicide be-
cause her sweetheart married another girl,
suggested that of Grace Brown, OF New
York. whose murder aroused such deep
and sympathetic interest all over ethe
United States,
Grace Brown was murdered by her
sweetheart at Big Moose lake. He had
promised 10 marry ner and she had even
bought her wed,ii.-g gown. Just before her
death she wrote several pathetic letters 10
her sweetheart saving she had an instinc-
tive feeling she was to die. Lillian Mel
tons last letter to her sweetheart contains
a similar statement.
Miss Melton committed suicide in Nor
tonv.ile and her body was brought here
for funeral services and interment In odd
Fellows cemetery.
Lillian Melton had been receiving at
t~ent,ons from a young man and recently
learned that he was in love with and was
10 marry another girl. ON learning that
the ceremony was inevitable. Miss Melton.
In her despair. wrote a final letter to him.
Upon reaching Nortonyille she went TO
the home Of her brother. r Melton, where
she swallowed the poison she had procured
here.
Her Pathetic Letter.
Following Is the farewell letter she wrote
to her sweetheart before she killed her
self:
lotto: Enclosed you will find a nickel
which | owe you for having paid on my
ticket the Sunday afternoon l went 10 the
Gap. Thank you sincerely.
when are you and Berna to be mar
red? soon? OF course, ! know you are
both very, veg happy, but only God
knows the terrible anguish and misery l
feel. Q, why did you not leave me alone
when you went away from me before?
Why, in Gods name, id you come back
TO open afresh the old hurt In my heart?
Are you going to live at Nortonville? I
want YOU TO be happy. l have always
wanted that, but / cannot look forward to
q lfe OF long, endless misery and unhap-
piness. You told me it is wrong to take
ones own life, but you do not stop to con-
slider tina that same life is more than can
be borne with misery and shame. If there
Is a heaven TO be gained by death, there
certainly IS a hell TO be missed.
You say you believe that we are all
saved: then Il seems to me that instead
Of wishing for me to live on here In the
~anhapp.ness that you know i am in you
would not mind my going away to more
perfect happiness and love. AT best or
worst, death will at least give me per-
feet rest. / do not think that there is any
happiness In life now for me, and some
times wonder why. What have / ever done
that you should have deliberately set
about, in the way you have, to wreck my
life and my happiness?
You have never asked anything OF me
that 1 have not willing and lovingly grant
ed to you. l am not sorry of III, either,
except that human nature will W. It's
-. axl rrrtnR an NnfoArty will I'll INV
heart.
("Better Than Me.o
Berna is a dear, sweet girl, and she will
make you happy. She is better than poor
ne, but she cannot possibly love you any
more than / do.
Sometimes wonder If you ever told me
exactly what you felt and meant at any
Zine. 1t Is a terrible thing to win a wom-
ans heart TO deceive her from first to
last.
/ do not ask you to give up your hap
piness, not for one minute. You told mo
was selfish, but / am not that selfish.
Your happiness means more to me than
my own does: but a life Of misery cannot
be endured such as / will feel when you
are married. What must / do? / am
afraid of myself. for I know l ought not
to be so cowardly as to want to die.
| am going to be selfish enough to ask
you to give me a little time, now that you
have told me. / should like to see you
but not Berna. Don't bring her when you
come. | can't bear that yet. And my
darling, for you are mine, and 1t can't be
helped now, my precious love. / hope you
will be happy. You have my forgiveness
for all the pain and sorrow you have
brought into my life.
God bless you and Berna both, and
sometimes think kindly of poor. lost
Il LII