The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1916-07-16
Review of Case.


Last summer, young Orpet, then a
palhd, slender youth of nineteen, of
sharply regular features, somewhat
vain of his college opportunities and
undisciplined az to character, return
ed from the University Of Wisconsin
at Madison, for a vacation at home.
He fell madly in love with Marion,
according TO his letters. She had COM
pleted her junior year at the Deer
field high school and was then seven
tear and known for her gaiety and
laughter The life Of the party as
one witness said.
When OrpeE returned to college ~
the fan a. 1915, frequent letters wefe
exchanged Orpet destroyed hers; she
saved his and they remained after her
eath 70 ak of the great fear Of
exposure tllat came upon her. E,pet
Is T. ssstti THAT be ssla esasssisf
that these fears were grotndless.
Once he mailed her q bottle Of mo-
lasses and water Ito ease her mind,
and he brought similar compound
with him for the same purpose when
he entered Helms woods, near Lake
Forest, with her on the morning of
Wednesday, February 8, last.
Orpet testified that he made the
trip to allay her fears and to explain
a story which had reached Marion
that he was engaged to one Celestial
Youker, but the elaborate efforts
which he made to keep the trip secret
and his subsequent conflicting state
ments of it to officers of the law de-
veloped into the most damaging evil
dence against him. 1t led to the
menacfng question of Mr.. Joslyn, re-
iterated again and again: "Why?
Why? Why? Why did you come? You
brought no relief; you brought no
medicine; you brought no tenderness
no words of Lowell Why did you
come"
On February s, orpet at Madison,
left three letters, post-dated February
9, with his friend Otto Peterson, to
be mailed on the latter date. One was
to his mother, one to Marion, and the
third to Marion's friend, Josephine
Davis. They were worded to make
it appear that the writer was in Mad
ison on February 9, the day he kept
his tryst in the woods with Marion,
and she came to her death.
Orpet explained on the stand that
the abb letters, as they came to be
known, were written so that If, by
accident, he were seen at Lake Forest,
and word of the fact reached Marion's
parents, who objected to him, or his
own parents, who expected him to re-
main faithful to college duties at
Madison, they would accept the let
tiers as conclusive evidence to the con-
trary. The letter to Josephine was
TO corroborate that to Marion. Jose
mime testified that she never received
it.
On the afternoon of the eighth, II
a dark overcoat which he said he haC
borrowed to wear with dress suit K
a party which he expected to attend
on the twelfth, carrying the bottle O
molasses and water in his pocket, anC
leaving behind him the abb Letters
and bed rumpled to deceive his land
lady, the student proceeded by wa!
of Milwaukee, where he spent hal
an hour or so between trains, to LAX
Forest. Arriving there he arrange'
by telephone to meet Marion on he
way to school the next morning, walk
ed about for a while to make certain
that his parents had retired, and en-
tered the Mccormick garage wher
he spent the night on a cot.
In the morning he and Marion me
and walked through the snow into tn
woods. Orpet testified that there wa
little conversation, and he could recol
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