A ROMANTIC SUICIDE.

Manawatu Herald, 26 August 1881, Page 4

A ROMANTIC SUICIDE.

A very extraordinary and romantic mystery has been unravelled m San Francisco. The body of a man was found lying on the street, the cause of death being bullet wounds ; and when the clothes were searched letters to the* Chronicle and the coroner were discovered*, stating that the de • * ceased had. killed himself from remorse, because of two murders he p had committed, one being that of a young man named Batqs from Salt Lake City. The police were suspicions that the deceased «vas Bates himself, and on enquiry their surmises were established. The follow- - ing theory to explain his behaviour and attempt to raise a false belief as to his fate has been evolved by the heads' of the police department in San Francisco: On or about the 17th February Bates met and foil in love with Miss Smyser, a young lady of excellent family. \l c courted her, and in order to further his suit pretended to be a man of means. They became engaged. He had an oppor tunity to buy an interest in a busiJI3SS but had not the wherewithal. Dreading to loose fhe object of his ■^m,, affection, but fearing more the dis;||p grace of telling her that he had lied ' to her and had no money, lie defcarmined to kill himself. In order to make it appear that he was robbed and mmdered for his money while seeking' medical advice in San Fran * cisoo, an entire diary was written up ia that city. After -living under '*, several aliases, and writing letters to ' the Chronicle and coroner, he sent " ; - his trunk and deceptive diary to Salt Lake, dated his last letter and killed - , _. himself satisfied- in the belief that hit j^# memory would be respected by th( he loved and was too honesi