Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-05-17
THE BREAKING POINT
BY MARY ROBERTS .RINEHART

TT i sat down and produced bundle of pa
ii pers. I'm going to read you some
u thing" he said "And when Pm
through you're going to put your clothes on
and We'll go to the Biltmore. The Biltmore!
Do you get it?'
Then he began to read:
81, the undersigned being of sound mind,
do hereby make the following statement. l
make the statement of my own free will, and
swear before Almighty God that it is the
truth. | am an illegitimate son of Elihu
Clark. My mother, Harriet Burgess, has since
married and is now known as Hattie Thor
wald. She will confirm the statements herein
contained.
Il was adopted by woman named Hines
of the city of Omaha, whose name l took
Some years later this woman married and had
daughter, of whom | shall speak later.
Il attended preparatory school in the east,
and was sent during vacations to a tutoring
school, owned by Mr. Henry Livingstone.
When I went to college Mr.. Livingstone.
bought ranch at Dry River, Wyoming, and
I spent some time there now and then.
Il learned that I was being supported and
sent to college from funds furnished by
firm of New York lawyers and that aroused
my suspicion. I knew that Mrs. Hines was
not my mother. I finally learned that was
the son of Elihu Clark and Harriet Burgess.
II felt that I should have some part of the
estate, and [ developed hatred of Judson
Clark, whom knew I made one attempt to
get money from him by mail. threatening to
expose his fathers story, but I did not sue
ceed
81 visited my mother Hattie Thorwald
and threatened Clark in her presence I also
threatened Henry Livingstone, and his death
came during dispute over the matter but
did not kill him. He fell down and hit his
head. He had a weak heart.
"My foster sister had gone on the stage,
and Clark was infatuated with her I saw
her number of times. but he did not connect
me with the letters I had sent My foster
sisters stage name is Beverly Car1ysle.
"She married Howard Lucas and they Wis
tied the Clark ranch at Norada, Wyoming, in
the fall of 1910. I saw my sister there several
times. and as she knew the way I felt she
was frightened. My mother Hattie Thor
valid, was sort of maid to her. and together
they tried to get me to go away
Bassett looked up.
CUP to that point he said, 81 wrote it my
self before I saw him" There was note of
triumph in his voice. 1.-THE rest is his"
con the night Lucas was killed was to go
away. Bev had agreed to give me some mon
ey for the piece had quit in June, and I was
hard up. She was going to borrow it from
Jud Clark, and that set me crazy. I felt it
ought to be mine, or a part of it, anyhow.
II was to meet my mother in the grounds,
but I missed her. and I went to the house.
wasn't responsible for what I did. I was
crazy, I guess. I saw Donaldson the side
porch, and beyond him were Lucas and Clark,
playing roulette. 1t made me wild. couldn't
have played roulette that night for pennies.
II went around the house and in the front
door. What I meant to do was to walk into
that room and tell Clark who I was. He
knew me, and all I meant to do was to call
Bev down, and mother, and make him sit up
and take notice. I hadn't a gun on me-
81 swear I wasn't thinking of killing him
then. I hated him like poison but that was
all. But I went INFO the living room. and
heard Clark say he'd lost thousand dollars
Maybe you don't get that. A thousand dollars
thrown around like that and me living on
what Bev could borrow from him.
"That sent me wild. Lucas took a gun
from him, just after that, and said he was
going to put it in the other room. He did it,
too. He put it on table and started back.
| I got it and pointed it at Clark I'd have
shot him, too. but Bev came into the room.
"I want to eXonerate Bev. She has been
better than most sisters to me, and she has
lied to try to save me. She came UP behind