Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1907-05-23
WAS FOUND OUT
BY a Love Letter That Fell Into
the Wrong Hands.
AFTER BEING FREED

The Old Rascal Defends His Illicit
Love Affair. Pretcnds That His
Legal Wife Was Never His Az
finity, and That He Met A Young
Woman and Loved Her on First
Sight.
Whatever the world may think
of my actions. know have done no
wrong in the sight of Heaven.
never loved my wife: and God in
tended Della to be my affinity
with this remarkable statement
the Rev. De Witt Maynarn Carpen-
ter, whose infatuation for a young
woman who was his former assistant
pastor the Apostolic Holiness I'm
| ion church, at Harrington, Del. .ex-
planned the disclosures that came to
the ears of his congregation through
the strange delivery OF a love letter
to the wrong person.
BY mistake Carpenter mailed to
the recorder of deeds of Kent county
a fervent letter to the woman. and
the recorder taking a wide interpre-
tation of his official title, recorded
the matter and notified the trustees
of the churrh.
| Meanwhile the pastor has left
town, presumably for parts unknown.
His heart-broken wife and his two
sons. one of whom Rollins. seventeen
years old. lived with his parents,
have no knowledge of his destination.
| Before his departure, Carpenter
spoke freely of his love for Miss Della
Goodrich. who is now in town in
the western part of Pennsylvania.
! Whom God hath united let no
man put asunder," he said, speaking
of Miss Goodrich. II married Mrs.
Carpenter thirty years ago. She was
Miss Vola Pilling. and lived not far
from Johnston. | thought l loved
her before | welded. but Immediately
ly after the ceremony / realized
had made a mistake. | know that she
was not my affinity. / have always
tried to treat her kindly, but she has
known as well as | that there was
not a perfect oneness between us.
When l met Della six years ago,
knew at once that God had intend
ed us for each other. She was In
perfect accord with me, but as ! was
married | did not permit her to en-
ter my life at that time. Later when
she came down here, the conviction
became stronger that she was really
my VIE ana tnat MIS- carpenter was
not.
1T is hard to explain such things
to persons who do not understand
the ways of heaven, and therefore we
did not mention it to our congrega-
ton. / cannot understand how I
| made the mistake Of the letters. 1
was in hurry to get them mailed
and placed Delia's letter in the wrong
envelope. That is all there Is to 1t.
The recorder OF deeds. however, had
no right to keep the letter.
He should have sent 1T back to
me without making it public and
causing all this trouble and misap-
prehension. have decided to go
away from here, and that 1t Is the
best that / seperate from my wife.
She agrees with me and | have ad-
yised her to try to get divorce soon.
She will probably continue here for
a time, as the congregation has
high regard for her.
| Carpenter declined to say where he
was going or whether he intends TO
see Miss Goodrich. He also refused
to say where she is located at pre-
sent. Mrs. Carpenter, whose grief Is
ltempered somewhat by the fact that
the blow has not been unexpected by
her. said that she thought her hus-
hands mind had been unbalanced
for some time, or ever since MISS
Goodrich had come to Harrington.
She has known Of the almost daily
letters that he has sent to the young
woman since she went away. She
said the pastor would arise In the
morning as early as five O'Clock 10
write them and would hurry TO the
postoffice to get them on on the o:oo
train.
amazed at the revelations. he was
one of the most magnetic men l ever
met declared one OF them. Inc
CONGREGATION idoliZed him.
, At the regular weekly prayer meet
: ing while the pastor and his wire sat
With bowed heads in the library OIL
: their home. across the street from
G tho church. Cyrus n. Grant, presl-
dent of the board OF trustees. lea the
: meeting. ., -,
= remarkable demonstration OF
q grief characterized the gatherins Z
? everv nerson in the church was IN
!, .orS untiI II adjourned, and an out
9 cider would have thought that some
q calamity such as a plague had ainic.
od every household represented
, Eo,lowing the meeting, men, Womei
Il and children flocked to the pastor
y hnuee and offered their sympathles u
d Mrs Carpenter. ,,,
' The pastor, unable to meet MS Ioi
n l,ouers went to the rear yaro an'
% naced up and down under the snau
, traes Two men were detailed I
watch him lest he should try TO to-, a
himself injury. Late In the nlsn'
after the callers had gone, ne PACK -,
two valises and left town oy III
!" first morning train.
HIS MOTHER SHOT HIM. :