The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1908-04-02
CHESTER GILLETTE
PAYS THE PENALTY

promise OF marriage eventually led 10
her undoins. and in the summer OF
1906 she vent to prepare for her
wedding which she felt could not
long be postponed. 1t was during her
stay at her home in South otselic
that she wrote him the remarkable
series of letters which were found
among Gillette's effects after his ar
rest.
In these outpourings of her soul
she breathed the poignancy OF her
sorrow, and her sweetness of girllsh
youth, faith and self sacrifice were
ever apparent. In her misery she
pleaded with her lover to come TO her
saying that she had been brave but
was beginning to feel discouraged.
In spite OF her suffering she thought
first of all of him, and how she might
lessen any burden that he was destin-
ed to bear.
WELCOMED Home"
II am as lonesome for you as-oh.
as thought I'd be. / don't believe
you've even missed me-" she wrote
soon after her arrival home. .I did
not think all the home folks would be
so glad to see me. They ate me up.
and If you have ever thought was
spoiled. dear, i don't know. what you
will think of me when 1 get back.
You or any one else won't be able to
do pnvthinp with ,,,au
A few days later she wrote: "I
have done nothing but cry since /
got here. If you were only here j
would not feel so badly. ] do try to
be brave. dear, but how can / when
everything goes wrong? 1 can't help
thinking you will never come for me.
but then say you can't be so mean
as that, and besides you told me you
would come and you have never dis
appointed me when you said YOU
would not"
"Crazy With Grief"
Chester. there isn't a girl in the
world as miserable as I am tonight"
she wrote in her next letter." and you
have made me feet 80, Chester. /
don't man that dear: you have al
ways been awfully good to me and l
know you will always be. You just
won't be a coward know. You must
write more often, please, and dear,
when you read my letters, If you
think am unreasonable, please do
not mind it but do think am about
crazy with grief and that I don't
know just what to do"
y In her next letter she told of re-
ceiving letter from a girl friend
This girl wrote me-" she said, that
you seemed to lie having an awful
good time, and she guessed that my
coming home had done you good as
you had not seemed 80 cheerful in
weeks. I should have known
Chester. that Won dia not care for
me. But some how have trusted
you more than anyone else. Perhaps
you don't think or you can't help
making me grieve. bus I wish things
were different. You lanv say you do
too. but you can't p"ssibly wish so
more than I. have heen very brave
since l came home. hnr tonight I am
very DISCOURAGED. Chester, IL I could
only die. I know how you feel about
this affair and I wish, for your sake
you need not BIO troubled. If / die
hope You can then be happy"
Cold Replies.
The GOODNESS of Ciillette's replies to
the girls fervent pleadings caused
her to say in her next letter:
II was glad to hear from you and
surprised as we'll. / thought you
would rather have my ietters affec-
tionate, but yours was so business
like that l have come 20 the con-
clusion that you wish mine to be
that way. l may tell you though,
that am not n business woman and
so presume that these letters will not
satisfy you any more than the others
did. / think, pardon me, that I'M
derstand my position and that it is
rather unnecessary. for you to be so
frightfuly frank in making me see
it. I can see my position as keen
as anyone I think. You say you
were surprised, but you thought /
would be discouraged. 1 don't see
why I should not be discouraged.
What words have had from you
since 1 came home to encourage me?
Then further along in the same
letter the girls spirit OF self-sacri-
flee asserted itself and she wrote:
Chester. I don't suppose you will
ever know how regret being all this
trouble to you. ] know you hate me
and I can't blame you one bit. or
course, It's worse for me than for
you, but the world and you, too. may
think am the one to blame, but
somehow can't think that Il am.
Chester.
Fortune Already Told.
my little sister came up Just n
minute ago with her hands full of
daisies and asked me IL didn't want