The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1907-02-01
WRITES PTlfUl 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 snurnea
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 The
United States.
Grace Brown was murdered by her
sweetheart at Big Moose lake, He had
promised to marry aer and she had even
bought her wedding gown. Just before her
sieath she wrote several pathetic letters 10
her sweetheart saving she hat 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
tonville and her body was brought here
for funeral services and iaterment in odd
Fellows cemetery.
Lillian Melton had been receiving at
teny:ons from a young man and recently
learned that he was in love with and was
to marry another girl. On learning that
the ceremony. was inevitable. Miss Melton.
IN her despair. wrote a final letter to him.
Upon reaching Nortonville 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 I owe you for having paid on my
ticket the Sunday afternoon l went to the
Gap. Thank you. sincerely.
When are you and Berna to be mar
RED? Soon? OF course, l know you are
both very, ve.s happy. but only God
knows the terrible anguish and misery l
feel. o, why did you not leave me alone
when you went away from me before?
Why, in Gods name, did you come back
to open afresh the old hurt in my heart?
Are you going to live at N~ortonville?
want you to be happy. l have always
wanted that, but / cannot look forward to
a life of long, endless misery and unhap-
piness. You told me it is wrong to a
ones own life, but you do not stop to con-
slider that 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 it seems to me that instead
of wishing for me to live on here In the
~anhapp.ness that you know 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
ts1pp1uSSS vi lloW lIlCp cllQ SO1li0
times wonder why. What hawai- ever done
that you should a deliberately set
about, in the way you have, to wreck my
life and.my'happiness?
You nave never asked anything Of me
that I have not willing and lovingly grant,
ed to you. l am not sorry of it, either,
except that human nature will have Its
way, and grief and misery will fill my
heart.
/aReffer Than MeNA
Berna is a dear, sweet girl, and she will
make you happy. She is better than poor
me but she cannot possibly love you any
more than / do.
Sometimes l wonder if you ever told me
exactly what you felt and meant at any
time. 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 me
Your happiness means more to me than
be endured such as 1 will feel when you
are married. What must 1 do? 1 am
afraid of myself, for l know l ought not
to be so cowardly as to want to die.
l am going to be selfish enough to ask
you to give me a little time. now that you
have told me-. l should like to see you,
but not Berna. Don't bring her when you
come. j can't bear that yet. And my
darling, for you are mine, and it 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