Year: 1879

BELLAIRE, ONO, Feb. 26, 1879.


To the Editor of the CORVALLIS GAZETTE:
MIR. w. B. CAETEE-Dear Sir: Permit
me to write you few lines in regard to the
sad death of my young and esteemed friend,
Charles A. Bradley, for it is with deep and
painful regret I ask your permission to do
so. Having on my table a copy of the Cor
wallis GAZETTE, forwarded by His Honor
Judge McFadden, of your place, to Mr.,
Phil. Brailly, the father of the deceased
and handed by him to me therein I find
yor article headed ''Tired Of Life Suicide. .
That is bad-it hardly could be worse But
is it possible he was tired of life b? No,
think not for he was like unto the rose just
bursting forth to bloom, but faded and died.
What. then, was the cause of his rash act :?
Was he sane or insane If he had been a
sane man he never could have performed the
act of self-destruction. But you say there
must be some cause at the bottom of it.
Yes, sir, l will give you the cause, and facts
in the case as near as / can. But first per-
NIT me to say that I have been acquainted
with the family for the last ten years, and
intimately acquainted with Charley for the
last three years so that there is not one
act of his life that could bring blush to his
parents cheek or tear to their eyes until
he performed the sad act of his death. We
have here in this city, Mr.. Editor, from
eight to ten thousand souls, and not one
among them that knew Charley but regrets
his death at SO early an age ; as he was only
% years and months old at the time of his
death. He was practical workman at his
trade, being taught by his father, who is a
practical workman and craftsman in the
stair building and cabinet line, and has a
large factory here for manufacturing coffins,
on which he has patent right But depres-
sion in trade during the last four years, set
his father to thinking that the best thing he
could do for his sons was to get them to take
hold of the land and for that purpose sent
his son Charley to Oregon, so that he could
report to him what prospect there was in
that State for emigrating. It is true, also
that he did not want his son to marry GER
tain young lady of this township ON account
of hereditary consumption in her fathers
family. Charley did not insist on mar
riage with her, for if he had, he need not
have gone to Oregon /; nor did his father in
sist ON him doing so; he went voluntarily by
the consent of his parents. But Charley
was of a sensitive nature, and his perception
must be great, indeed, at the time he COM
L ~
soul had time to reflect and call on his Ma
ker for forgiveness, before it departed from
the body, is the prayer of all who knew him.
But, Mr.. Editor, you say ON the the fatal
day of his death, he mailed letter to his
father; if SO, his father never got it. The
only intimation his father had of his leaving
Corvallis. was a postal card dated January
7th, stating that he had made up his mind
to leave there, and that he had just enough
of money to take him where he was going.
but would need some more So his father
sent him five dollars in a letter, which must
have got there on or about the fatal day of
his death. The next letter his father got
was dated January 25th, post marked Janu-
udFy ZIGu, lOi IiChct W COHlC HOiHc
That letter got here six days after his death.
If he had only waited for the answer of that
letter, he would have received all he asked
for. His elder brother is now preparing to
leave here for Oregon, to fulfill the mission
that Charley failed to fulfill. The parents
and friends of the deceased return their
thanks to the citizens of Corvallis, for the
respect paid to their SON, particularly to Mr..
August knight, undertaken, Judge McFad-
den, and Timothy Donohue..


mus now close this, bidding my deceased
young friend,


Farewell, my dear young friend, farewell.
| No more shall we meet on earth,


But in that land where angels dwell,


| Our greeting will be next.


M. w. JORDAN.