The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-05-30

"a &C IOft dIs2Ar LII LIS
IA ~ was bloated with moist banl
notes. besides which Lad,
| Starkie positively refused to have hin
about the hotel that evening 1t wa:
against the rules fer bridegrCons Is
laid down by her ladyship. who dine.
very solemnly with her niece alone
and got TO bed at reasonable hour fol
the first time that week Claire thel
! had their sitting room To herself. anG
she drew out the oiled silk Dacke1
which had fallen into her hands that
afternoon. L was thin and oblong
like the letter it plainly contained I'm
der the lamp Claire's name and the
address of her old home were still
legible beneath the silk. though they
no longer stood out as when the ski,
was wet And on the reverse side was
written very small, For PHYS sake
forward this"
When? After his death? Fate had
forwarded it before. Should she read
or destroy or return this letter to its
writer-to the criminal who had con
fessed to her his crime? Some min
utes after Claire Harding asked her
self this question she turned up the
lamp and cut the oiled silk open with
pair of scissors. She now saw that
the letter had been written some time,
yet it was with 4 strange thrill. q Won
derment beginning at the heart that
she read the heading within. 1t was
Newgate and the date May %. 1887,
the blackes3 day of ell her life, the eve
of that Oh which they would have
hanged him.
Agitated as she was, however, by
the1c dreadful memories and touched
by the mere fsct Of lis having written
to her on that awful Monday, it was
the first sentence of his letter that ran
into her heart like molten lead. He
called himself in innocent man, From
the brink Of the grave came that lie.
that blaspheRy. which he had lived to
confess to her with his crime. She
read OH mechanically, and all at once
her pain ceased. She was lost and
absorbed in the plain. raightforward.
cfrcumstantial story into which he
plunged without preliminary. He told
her everything from the moment they
parted at the garden gate. Nothing
was left out, nothing extenuated, moth
ing enlarged cr even commented upon
by the writer. Her heart was beating
wildly long before size reached the end
of this plain statement. She had for
gotten all about his confession. This
rang true: this rang true
"STeetheaYt" he went on--.-for
must call you SO once more-I cannot
tell you how l feel, for I vary from
hour to hour. Now and then l feel the
murderer they say l am. Row and then
an AFFECT coward without the pluck
to show it,, now and then q sort Of
Christian martyr But with Gods
help / hcre to finish up a man. Do
not grieve for the ugly way of it,
There's no disgrace in that. since it's q
mistake, and ii there is God never
fear but he will make II un to me one
day. Oh. but it is sweet to talk to yca
again! l used to tell you every thing
and so | must until the end.
"The tur1keys are looking throug
my grating now. They are telling eacl
other what l am at and coming bac
and back again to have peep. y.
Christianity isn't proof against that.
say nothing, hut | coald do the thir
| an roirg to de for-God help ne.
may 10 il yet, You see how l chang
There is only enc thing in which l u;
never chanGe-nsy grateful love ~
reverence for tic great girl soul til
forgSye me and would have given IL
another chance if this had not h2ly
Dened. Sweetheart. my love for yo,
has grown in prison: it has been M
only comfort in this vile place and il
will go with me where I 90 tomorrow
lit viii stay with my poor soul
through all eternity. Only do not
yrieve for me, Claire. for ! never was
worthy of your sweet love. l would
lot leave this behind for you. l would
lot have YOU reminded of me for a
single day. but for one selfish thing
sweetheart, it is to make you believe
n me. You have not done SO yet. |
Why should you? Nobody knows what
-ou know and have SO nobiy hidden, |
,ut. for all | said to you. l am inno-
.ent he was alive when I left him |
did give him the receipt, and we |
hook hands at the end That is Gods |
ruth. / tell it you with the last words |
ny hand will ever write I meant to |
write 10 the kind fanatic who paid for |
ny defense and is working still (they |
ell me- for Te7r.evc. but now l cam |
lot. Ii you could ind hin out and |
hank him for lie, l ahould be crate |
ul. but my last verbs in this life /
must be to you. God bless you. dear.
nd give you somebody much better
ilan L ever could have been. Only do |
now that l ncser did this thing. and /
yhen you realize that think no more /
f me. my dear love- but pray tofnor-
ow for the soul of your unworthy
oy''-
His signat tire followed. better viz
an than the rest. : touching effort to
finish up man" All the last pa ges
-ere blurred with the condemned
lan's tears. and now after seventeen
lonths her tears were raining. raining.
n the same paper. on the same words,
hat bore the blots of his.
This postscript remained:
"Reprieyed at the last moment.
hall not send this nov. but / hope
nat it may reach you when 1 am
one
Claire went to the window. and the