St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1914-03-28
Letters Show Him ia
Have Been a Man Of
Means and Good
Connections.

i-le uncertainty Of life; the myster
ie, that creep into the untalliel
events that mark the existence of the
unknown wayfarer; the secrets thai
are locked by the hand of death in the
breast of the unfortunate victim o1
dest!ny-these are the things that
weave about reality the remarkab BILE
occurrences that make truth strang-
er than fiction"
The finding of the body of w. ].
Stubblefield alongside the track of
the motor line, near Abita Springs,
last Saturday, the Investigations OF
Coroner Heintz, the gathering togeth-
er of the effects that the deceased N
In box, containing letters and re-
ceipts back as far as 1904, furnish
material for story that M ght un-
cover nc dents of human | fe Of
more than passing interest.
Stubblefield was not young. Prob
ably he was SIS years of~age. Yet
judging by the letters found he must
rp&N had friends among women and
must also have had considerable
money at one time. But for his un-
kempt condition he might have been
man Of commanding appearance.
weighing perhaps $50 pounds, gray
hair and mustache that had once
been sandy or light brown in color.
His general appearance spoke of bet
ter prospects than the cleaning of
bare subsistence by odd jobs and
charitable donations, which seemed
to be his only means of livlihOod
here. He was not communicative
and little can be learned of him be-
yond the information gwen by the
few letters and papers in his posses
sion.
Several of these letters were from
a woman who signs herself "Sophie
Brown" and dates them from 1920
Cont street, New Orleans. They ap-
pear to be In response to an appeal
fer, money. One of them is dated
December, 1913. and is addressed to
Mr.. Stubblefield, Dear Papa" 1t
q signed, from your mama to papa,
Sophie Brown" This letter enclos-
es ten dollars. with the statement I
that she had borrowed it and didn't /
have e cent herself; that she sent 1t l
to keep him from starving. She tells
+ m to take some TO this money and !
Wire home for a ticket. because it
Is as much as can do to take care
Of myself. don't owe you any
thing. You has just simply paid me
|or my time, so don't~want you to
think owe you one cent"
Another letter from her says: Il
have the blues since you left, my
'elf. don't feel very good because
am lonely for YOU" In this let
Ter she pleads that she cannot send
him money because she has none. and
asks him not to get mad and to write
often. The letter is not dated and
may have been written just previous
y to the letter in which she sends
him two dollars and tells him: "Re-
telegraph home for ticket
md go back there, as tbs IS the last.
am not going to send you any more.
This is the last $500 have.
A letter from the Equitable Life
ssurance Soc ETY.. dated at New Or
cans June 20, 1918, and addressed
% Mr.. VIM. j. Stubblefield, 1872 N.
Basin street New Orleans, enclOses
a check for $468.65, payable to the
order of William Jasper Stubblefield,
which sum appears to have been
borrowed on a policy he held in the
society. Letters from his sister Lot
lie and his wife, Mrs. Annie M. Stub
blefleld, of Bloomington, H., would
Indicate that he had considerable
property and was in very good cir
An agreement of sep
Rration of property between he and
his wife, reciting that they were liv- !
Ing apart. shows that he possessed
real estate in Illinois,
and that his wife possessed mort
gage note for $4,000, to which he
all claim. 1t is also
agreed that an insurance policy on
he life of Mr.. Stubblef1eld In the
Bankers Life Association in favor OF ] /
Mrs. Stubblefield, for $4,000 shall