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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 11, 1910)
MURDER MYSTERY A bUPLltATM OK FAMOUS NOVEL The Babcock Millions By OLAiuSSA7 ifACKlB ikfl ji repent bf "The 0lld fed Ago;" n novel by Bam K6l h. CleHipni (Mark Twain) nflli dharleh Dud ley Warner; is thb ronl ilf3 ''Myfitory of ddey Bead.'" Fact and rictibil tafeol bn cOmmbn ground, f ho hoVei and tub hoVsbnpor acc&unts of the" strange UblnKs tif lilfa members' of 9m tho bndlld Bbulhorii families bf the WaralaWB and thb Sitoadn suggest thb blight which 6anlQ lipbn Silas iiaw kins and his ehlldroH.thrbugh ihb wild schemes Vrhioh brought them t& bbfar iy and hiim "The dhded Ago" begins wilii tho Knob of f bhhesseSl tho myBldry', of bcoy fjneald lcadr. inlne' same region. -The Story hah Its AttfrphyBb'urg; thd hewa narrative iti MUrfffebsborp. Tho first is in Missouri, tho secdnd in TehncBaeei TheWarUiaws saW before them fo'rturio iH land spcfiuidtlb in liimher schemes and Anally it seemed tb. titan that ih tho offices of thb great insurance bbmpanloB woro they at last to flrid the ago tit gold. Tho fade or Hawkins HVed ahd worked, doflled thehiselv$B and starved, fdr did thoy hot s6e ill thb future thb Woaith Which bhoiild edme tb them frdm their great estate bt uhtliled stiuthern land? Education for the negro ahd fbrjho hobr&r fcta&sefl wan tho last bard bf tho fclaU bt Hawkins boforo thb bill for thd knobs UhlVerfllty inqt lis fltfol thd Wardlawi in the north, A gonoratitiH after "The Gilded Age" Is prlntod, nil peal to Mrs. ltussoll dago nnd othor philanthropists for tho great utilVbr felty which they would call into being, says the Now, York, Hornld. Impenetrable tnystory has Always Veiled tho existence of all who have come Into public notice, through tho death Of tho young woman whose life less .form was fouud in the Ill-omened house at East Orange. About tho characters of "Tho Gilded Ago" tho authors threw an atmosphere of so crecy and intrlguo and battling circum stance. LaBt of all, In both casos falls the tragedy Imprisonment in tho Tomba lu New York city qomes In both instances, although that prison be indeed a far cry from Tenncssoo, and then a sensational murder trial, which fills, the space in ten thousand newspaper's. Point after point, fact crowds upon tho heels' of fiction ns though tho au thors In' 1873 view with prophetic kon what would befall in 1000. Prominent In South; ' Known through all tho southlnnd are tho WnrdlawB and tho Sneads. Thoy woro never woalthy, but In them wns always tho prldo of race. Tho three women who aro now undor. ar rest in connection with tho death of Mrs. Ocey V. Snoad are tho daugh ters of tlev. Dr. John n. Wardlaw, a Methodst minister, who oked out a slender living in tho wlro grass sec tlons of southern Georgia. Silas Haw kins, dreamer of dreams, dwelt In Ton noaseo and spun his Ideas of wealth to be while his numerous children sprawled in and out of their poor abode. Th'e dominating Influence among tho sons and daughters in the clan of Hawkins was Aunt Laura Van Brunt, A beautiful and brilliant young woman had she become, -with aspirations Which could not be pent up within tho confines 'of a small southern town. "Come, Laura," saya 'Squire Haw kins at the family council, "Let's hear from you, my girl."' "I will go to St. Louis, too," Bhe eald. "I will find a way to get there. 1 will make a way, and I will find a way to help myself along, and do what I can to help the rest, too." Had Power of Fascination, In the case of Mlaa Caroline B. Wardlaw,, who later became. Mrs. Mar tin, there, wa the same resolution, tho same defiance o what others would havo called the. impossible. At tho ago bf 10 sho loft the parental roof nnd went to nri uncle Jfi Brobklyri, where; after mrin difficulties, having oncd liobri rbjoctod In examination, shb finally obtained a diploma and iic cahip a teacher lfl thb pub'ijb schools of Now York city, Slid had, A" p8wor of fnsclnntlori, as dill Lnura Vail Bniril of thb novbl, anil nor own family And all whb knew her did her bidding. Shb roiio ,liy Bhoor fbrfco bf will lb thd prlhctpalshlp (if sbhbbi N8. if. At tild snrnd tinib silo was managing thb af fairs fit hoi- famiiy. Shb had t6 all appdarnnbbs A htrbng Influohbo over her pister, ilisB Vir ginia 6. WnrdlaWi who") inrgoly through thb spur bf thb bidest driugiitch, went td tyeilesiey cbilegd; Ahothfcr sister; Miss M&ry Wardlaw( marrle'd Capt. Flolchef Snoad, fbrmbriy of thb CoH federato armyj by whom sho had throe sons, bne of whohi(iFlbtcher Wardlaw Sncad, tho husband bf tho victim bf tho bathtub mystery wad arrcstbd lfl Canada, as a fugitive from justice. John tt. WnrdinW, a brbther, wrid an honor mnti dt frlncettin University. Ambitious as a Child. tVom hob ehrllost years ambition nnd mohoy wbro tho ftuldlng stars of thb lifo of (jtttolino Wardlaw. he'ro is a tfhdltititi in the bid town of Ogle thorpe, where1 tho mansion Of the Sneads and tho WnrdlawB still stands as yet another house at myfitory, that as ft child sho praypd not for dally bread, but for cake. Tho pinch of poverty Which Bhe had oxporienccd in her girlhood mado her at first alert tb tho Valuo of motlOy and then thd seeking for Wealth became an obses sion. Sho invested money in later yoars in many schemes and at oho time be lieved, as Squlro Hawkins did, that there wns a Golconda thero for her and all her kin. Sho would sco tho family return to its pristine glory. Her Ideas woro not bo dlfforont In that rospoct from thoso oxpressed in tho creed of Hawkins. Perhaps sho may havo tiad Borao such visions for tho future of hor daughter Ocey us had tho squire for his children when the authors make him say: "Pino forests, wheat land, coal land, copper, coal; wait till tho railroads cornel Wvo got to toll nlong, drag along and cat crusts in toil nnd povor ty all hopeless and forlorn but thoy will rldo in coaches, Nancy. They'll live llko princes of tho earth; their names will bo known from ocean to ocean." Like the Book's Characters. Tho dnughtors of tho houao of Ward law woro much llko thoso of tho fami ly of Hawkins, and much of tho fool Ing of that tlmo Is Bummed up in tho concluding paragraph of "Tho Glldod Ago." "Tho girls," tho authors write, "would not hnvb been permitted to work undor any circumstances what ever, It was n southorn family, and of good blood, and for any porson ex cept Laura, olthor within or without the household, to havo suggested such an Idea would havo brought upon the suggostor tho suspicion of bolng a lunatic." It was nt tho deathbed of Sllus Haw kins, It will bo remomborod, that his children were bo Imprcssod with the family delusion. "I am leaving you In cruel poverty," la his valedictory to earth. "I have been so foolish, so short-sighted. But courago? A better day Is coming. Never lose sight of the Tennessee land. Be wary. There is wealth stored up thero, wealth that is boundless. Tho children Bhall hold up their heads with the best of the land yeU Vhero aro the papers? Have you got the papers safe? SbQw tbem to me!" The money madness which was transmitted to the children follows them, through mystery and tragedy. In the same way the "Wardlaws dedicated themselves to misery and to poverty to all &ppeflrAncbfor tho snko of real izing their Ideals of Wealth. Cbuhterpart In Penury, fhb penury bf tiib clahd of Sellers nfid Qt Hawklnd UaA Its cbuntorpnrt irt thb lives of tho Vard'iawfl nfid ihe ShcaUs. Herb wbro iibuses with 6nfy" A fow Sticks find OrokoH-dowH chnl'rd f&r furnlturd. Thb Houfio of Mystery, Ih EastOrango wherfl Mrs". Ocey W. M, Snoad mot her yet unexplained death had bne broken-dowri fcfmiiv d stool mado from n packing case. & dlnlnrf rbom tnblo composed of a plfink laid across an orange box. Thero was no neat from ,tho furnace In that dwel ling, nnd tho 8t6re of food wo8 very scant, c'bmpnrb tho ifbus'b bf Myotory then with tho nbbdo.fif Ctii. Sellers Warmod liy n cnndlo fl'lckorlnj? bchlrid tho mica panes tif & rickety stbvb: . "A drenry old halrclbth sofd against thb wnil," runs tho Clombns-Wrtrildr uoscrlptlbn; "a few damaged chairs', thb1 small taiilo tho lamp Stood on; thd crippled stove these fcbdstltutcd thb Jtirnlturb tif tile room1. Thero wns nd carpbt 6rl tho flobr, oft thd walL werd ocfiasionni squarc-Bhripod interruptions 6f tho general tlril tif thb plcAtcr whlcll botrnybd that there lisdd t6 bd pld lures in thb hbusd, hut ttlcrfi word fabnb how.'' For many years back ill tho hlsttiry bt tiib WardlawU and tho Sneads as they Uvod in Now Ybrk thoy ilVdd nmld tho mbst dlsmdl uhd liovorty stricken stirroundlngd. Mrs. Martifl, while rccolvlng a salfiry of $2,000 A year frtiin tho blty Wab dlspoSsessbd frbm her roomd tor hot paying seVoil months' rehtj nnd hIio Waft constantly pursded by tradestneh who had bills td colloct. Shb had meanwhile, art did hor sister, married a former of ficer bf tho confederate army, and her daughtor ticoy had cohio Into tho world to HVe a lifo devoid" bf BWeet noss and light and to go to a tragic death. Laura Van Brunt's Creed, Thb crbed of Lnura Van Brunt, ns expressed in "Tho Glldr.d Ago," wns this: "She wanted to bo rich, she wanted luxury,' she wanted men nt hor feet, hor slaves, She was Impa tient! she wished that shb wero a man to tnko hold of the business." Tho cult of "Tho Glided Ago" pur sues the Wardlnws and tho Sneads. Wo find them living in dreary fur nlshed-room houses, busied over atrnngo land schemes. And In tho course of tlmo como tho sons of Mrs. Snead, who lit into the order of things. First cotnes John B. Wnrdlnw Sncad, with his mother, to Now York, en gagod In tho exploitation of wide acres In Virginia, n scheme which came to naught. Ho it was who com mitted sutcldo by Igniting kerosene which ho hnd poured over himself. It Is under tho lnfluonco of Mrs. Martin that another son, Fletcher W. Snead, a dreamer of flnauctal dreams, also comes to tho foro. Ho Is. content to wnlt until fortuno comes a mild mannered, inoffonslvo man, compliant to tho will of his mothor and sisters. Ho had been engaged in tho lumber business in Tonncssoo in an enter prise In which his aunt, Miss Virginia O, Wardlaw, had lnvostod, nlid when tho ruin of their hopes camo ho was Rorlously involved. His counterpart in the novel may bu found In Washington Hawkins, tho son of tho old'Squlre, who la Introduced ns follows: "Ho was the Inventor o? no ono know how many worthless contriv ances and his years had been passed In dreaming and plunnng to no pur-' pose, until ho wns now a man of about thirty, without n profession or a per manent occupation, a tall, brown hatred, dreamy person of tho best In tentions and tho frailest resolutions." Tho description applies fairly well to Flotchor W. Snead, who at tho tlmo of his marrlago to his cousin said that ho had no occupation and who had failed in his employment as a bookkoepor for a Brooklyn lumber company, There has over been more pr loss of a myatcry concerning Mrs. Ocoy Snoad, who as a girl lived as much with her Aunt Virginia as Bhe did with Mrs, Martin. Her possibilities as an Insurance risk developed In 1900, when tho first policy was taken out, and eight pqltclcs in all, amounting to $29, 500, wero obtained upon her life. The reasons for the taking out of this large insuranco lias been given by tho Saeads end tho Wardlaws aa their de- sire to sco her established' comfortably In hor mlddlo ago, when ,her endow ment policies would como duo, or to give iier the opportunity of establish Ing a school for tho better education of tho young women of tho south. Mrfi. Martin nfid Mies Wardlaw are fbf tt tltn6 engaged if! lobklng after a dollego ih MWfrcestiord, Tenn. iti tho noVel Laura seda the retirement of Murphysburg, Missouri. tragedies Alike, The" stbrfes move on to the final tragedy. Lalira Hdwklhs is arrested, accused dt thd murder tif Col. Selby. Mrs. Martitt is taken into custody by tho pollco on the charge of tho wilful murder of her daughter, &s is also Miss Virginia Wardlaw, Mrs. Snead Is detained As A witness. "Is it true that you aro so poor?" asks a reporter 6t Mrs. Martin. "I Am flbt' Is h6r reply, "t hava my pensitin frbrii thb City As A teacher arid i iinvd prflporty Jh Tennessee." "And thia is tho day," sho remarked 6ri her drrlval -iti thb TombsT "that the interest falls dub oil my Tennesson land," Laur'a' shot thb colonel td death In thb S'buthorh h6tol In NeW York, the papers Ard represented. &a setting fbrtii in, flaming headlines, Just AS they dd iibW when tho Authorities are en deavoring tb Ascertain how It was life loft thb body whlcll Was found In the bathtub in tho desolate housd at Cast Orangd. "Thb morning papers," to quote frbm "Tho Glided, Ago," "blnaed with big type And overflowed with details, of thd murder. Accounts in tho ovon Ing papers were only tho premonitory drdps In the mighty shower, The scene wns dramatically worked up In col umn nfler column. Thero were sketches biographical and historical. Onb journal had a long dispatch from Hnwkoye reporting tho excitement In that quiet village nnd the reception of tho Awful Intelligence. "During the night subtle electricity had carried tho tale over all the wires of tho continent nnd under the sea; nnd in All villages And towns of the union from tho Atlantic to the territo ries, and awny up and down tho Pa cific 8topo, nnd as far as London and Perls and Berlin, that morning the name of Laura Hawkins was spoken by millions and millions of people, whilo tho owner of it, -the sweet child of years Ago, tho beautiful queen ot Washington drawing rooms, sat shiv ering on her cot bed in tho darknesi of a damp cell In tho Tombs." Events follow swiftly in the pages of tho novel. The heroine Is calm and collected, she denies all knowl edge of tho crime, Bhe devotes the months that Interveno before her trial to the study of the law of the state and is acquitted, Tho groat university, Bcheme was defeated in the national legislature through tho exposuro of a bribery scheme, and nt the last the children of Silas Hawkins shako thcmselvei loose from tho entanglomonts by pen mlttlng the acres to bo Bold for taxos and so they oocapo tho curse which hung over them from their earliest years. Thus ended the dreams ot wealth of the, family which went from tho Knobs of Tennessee. The close of tho book In which Is written the destiny of the Wardlaws nnd tho Sneads In "The Gilded Age" of to-day may not come for months to como, and many a tale o( southern prldo and of tho pursuit of tho unattainable Is yet to bo told. Increase of Crime In India. One of the most striking features of tho India of to-day is tho remarkable Increase In crime, especially violent crime, directed both against the per son nnd property. In many Instances tho crimes have been marked by a, lust for blood which could only have been dictated by tho utmost barbarity. For oxample, In one case la the Mont gomery district no fewer than nine persons were done to death simply be cause a low caste woman who bad married into the "proprietary body" insisted on claiming the pocltioa la the village that sho considered her duo, Five other cases are cited in which more than, three persons were on each occasion done to death at one and the samo time. Dacolties and burglaries Increased at an alarming rate, notwithstanding the exertions of the police to cope with this state of affairs, (Copyright, 1500 by AocIatea lraf? jvtii.j "So you want to marry my secre tary?" asked John Babcock with smol dering firo In his little eyos. ''Yes, Blr," replied his son, qulotly. "Are you aware that you aro depriv ing mo of the services of a most ca pable fdung woman?" snapped the elder mfifl. "i had itot thought of that, dad," ad mitted Allan with an amused smile. "I fbfgot that Grace was" "Whor interrupted Mr. Babcock, fiercely. "Grace Mios Itlchmond, sir. Aa I Was saying, I have forgotten that GfacowaB your secretary and neces sary (a youf comfort. 1 Just fell In love with hor and sow 1 find that she Is necessary to tny happiness I" Ho smiled affectionately at the father who had nevor yet defiled him any reason able wish. "Stuff and nonsense! You can fait out of lovo Just as fast as you fell in, young man! Don't pester me with any hiore fol-de-rdl about marrying Miss Itlchmond. I can't spare her. Allan Babcock flushed redly and dropped h3 tone of respectful atten tion. A look very much like that of his father settled about his firm mouth and hardened it. "Do you really mean, father, that you will estrango yourself from me If I marry Graco Richmond?" "it has always been my belief," evaded John Babcock, sternly, "that tho possession of monoy begets a cer tain wisdom in tho care of it. A per son who has been poor All his life, suddenly becomes rich beyond his wildest dreams what Ts tho result? Ignorant of tho truo value of money, he becomes a spendthrift and the se quel Is ruin. Miss Richmond always has been poor sho will squander ev ery cent you earn on frills and furbe lows! Marry a girl In your own sot one who has been accustomed to lux ury, even if she Is a pauper now and I'll warrant" "Then you refuso to sanction my en gagement?" Interrupted Allan, coldly. John Babcock's eyes glistened like points of flame. "Marry hor," he crle.d wrathfully, "and, you will nver receive a penny of my money I" "It isn't a, question of money be tween Grace and me,' returned Allan, prbudlr. "perhaps It's a question ot money on her side, young man," retorted his father, as ho whirled about in his chair and turned, his back on, his ion. When the door had closed behind Allan, Mr. Babcock pressed a button on, his desk,, ,t Mt H presently tho door opened to admit his private secretary. Shq was tall. nnd slender, with grave gray eyes and and a crown of softly plaited brown hair abp.YO the, white, brow. John Babcock had always liked the quiet dignity of her dress and manner and her unquestioned refinement had al ways commanded the respect of her irascible employer. But now ho glared at her defiantly and it inwardly pleased him to note that sho returned tho glare with her customary glanco of level indifference. "I will dictate," he said briefly. She sat down on the other side ot tho great oaken desk and drew pencil and notebook toward her. Mr. Bab cock wheeled about In his chair as If to avoid her eyes, then he ns quickly spun around and faced her, belliger ently, Every separato hair of his snowy white whiskers seemed to bristle with aggressiveness. Under his hard stare her gaze fell to tho book In her hand. "Take this letter, please," ho said, harshly: "Miss Grace Richmond, "Care John Babcock & Co., "81a. Wall Street. New York. "Dear Madam My son Informs mo. that you have honored him by con senting to become his wife. It Is only fair you should know that in case you do becomo my son's wife, I will leave every penny I possess to the Homo for Imbecllo Young Men! "Yours respectfully," "When you havo transcribed tho letter, Miss Richmond, you may affix my signature and mail It at onco. That's all," "Very well, sir," sho said with her usual pleasant nod of understanding, and then without betraying recogni tion of tho insulting letter he had dic tated, she closed tbe door softly be hind her and went, straight to the llttlo ofllco set aside for her use. There, with very bright eyes and a pink flush in her cheeks, she wrote the words John Babcock had dictated and when sho had finished tho letter and signed his name with a wicked flourish on the final "k," she wrote another letter. , Sho read this one carefully beforo Incloslpg It In a dainty white enyclopo bearing her own initial. "Mr. John Babcock. "My Dear Sir: Replying to your es teemed favor of this date, I bog to say that the disposal of your millions does not interest me at all. I am marrying your sou, not, your money, and I am sorry that you should have mado the mistake of supposing that I, as well as yourself, must place the highest value on the latter, ""yours respectfully, "GRACE RICHMOND." At (he noon hour she lunched In a small restaurant near the office and on the, other side of the table sat Al lan Babcock. He waa looking at her with wistful tenderness, ''ltd you care eaougb for m to marry mo uisinnenicu hb Grace?" he asked almost lncedulously. "If you do, of course you do you are mo piucKicsi uariiiiK uw vu , mako It up to you?" Graco smiled. "By forgetting all about those horrlblo Babcock millions, Allan! What Is yourrhap"plneMancI mine bcsldo your father's money? Look at him so unhappy and 'so rich! If you get that position In San Francisco and we and' we are" She paused, flushing under his ardent gaze. ; "And wo are' married padded Al lan, triumphantly. "Why, 1 can take a position until tic fiCb uu Ulll .LXli nuu nuuno uu. wc shall some day be rich enough to endow a home for Imbecllo Young. Women, Allan!" "Who knows?" echoed Allan, hap pily. "But you shall not work, sweet heart, not unless I am sick or -Something comes up in tho way of trouble. Blako promised to, let mo know about the Job to-morrow and it I have -a favorablo answer will you marry m Wednesday noon and go away with me at once?" Grace hesitated and the corners of her mouth drooped. "There Is no rea son why I cannot, Allan I am all alone In the world now and there is not a friend .in New York to. come to my wedding." "Two are nough at any wedding," said Allan, stoutly. , "I will sco you again you will be at tho ofTlce?" he asked as he loft her at the entrance to the Babcock building. "I Bhall leavo your father's employ to-night," sho Bald, calmly. It lacked 10 minutes of the noo hour on tho following Wednesday, when Allan Babcock and Grace Rich mond entered the quiet brownstone church to bo married. The rector stood waiting in his whlto robes and scattered among tho pows wore two or three persons drawn thither by the indications of. a wedding. - Drawn up at tho curb outside was a taxlcab piled with luggage andxlose behind it was another one from which a very excited old gentleman' emerged and, hurriedly entered tho churchr When, the ceremony waspvef'asd Allan pabcock ' and his wlfor k4 - M At -I t . Tf puasuu oown mo bibio ana entered' vestibule they were confrontedWith the astonishing vision of Mr. Joan Babcock- ' "Best thing you over, did, my boy," hn nntil. huakllr. nn" tin wriin'A1tanK . 'hand , and" then kissed-rtbb reluctant, bride;. ''Don' beWdedA&y'.dear Grace the act is, we've he'en with out women folks so many years that I forgot what splendid creatures they were! I positively envy you, Alias, I was la the restaurant that, nooq, sat right behind your table and you were so abserbed that you, didn't see tha old man. I heard what you said about, 'hortrlblo millions,; my dear and ,1 guoss you're right Go west and hays a good time but como homo to mq both of you" Somehow the three found them selves In a trlagular crabraco that onded In a sudden descent upon tha taxlcabs and a wedding breakfast at a nenrby hotel, with Mr, John Ban-" cock as the host "I wish I wero going along, too," said the old man, wistfully, as they stood in the station three hours later. "I'd almost forgotten, hpw to. ,ba, happy." "Pnmn nloncf with its" cnM Allan heartily. ' "Do," urged Grace; iy "I believe I will." said John 'Bab cock. -; .What Ho WasAfte'r. 'ft George Washington Henry. Clay Lin coln Carter, ono of 'Georgians; younger dusky citizens, was suddenly called upon not long ago to explain his pres ence at 1 a. m. in the1 henhouse ot a white neighbor. "Stoallng. my chickens, are, ypu you, black rascal?" the owner demanded. George W. H, C. L. C. rolled his oyes until they wero all whites. "Now, now.lookyeh, Mars George," he protested; "dat ain't no way ter ac an' please don' pint dat gun at mo dat or way. Cunnel, sah!" he hastily added, hnldlntr un hln hntterail hat a, shield, "Ah 'clar Ah warn't gwlna steal no chickens; no, sahl JUi's wrltln', or dlaleo' Btory an..Ah des' como moseyln roun' byah ter git Jocal color yas, sab, dat's all Ah was after Ah 'clar to do Lawd hit was!" Mottl'a Opinion of Strauss. Felix Mottl, recently asked his opin ion, of Johann Strauss, wrote: "I find his rhythms delightful, his melodies enchanting. I prefer a thousand times a single Strauss waltz to the heavy, pedaurlc works ot our modern classic composers, since music is to me aa art that speaks to my emotions and has no relation td my intellect or to any mathematical calculations. Great contrapuntal sun cannot -supply; tat place ot ideas. Aad Strauss has idoas; and in the poverty-stricken pe riod that followed Wagner's death thta stamps him aa a master touched by tho magic wand of genius." '" " " Hurt on the Gridiron. "What's the matter with younf Blngley?" "His throat was badly Tft Jured at a football game." "I didn't know, he was a player." 'He, Ua't He's a rooter." s .