SAD CONCLUSION TO A LOVE STORY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 30, 19 December 1861, Page 3

SAD CONCLUSION TO A LOVE STORY.

We copy the following from a Scotch paper : —Chas. Ross, a young man who has for some time been keeper of a salt store in Perth, was to have been married on Friday week. He had been bred a gardener, and was above a year ago employed as such at a gentleman's place in the north of England, where he contracted an intimacy with the laundress, who is daughter to a gamekeeper near Wooler. After a lengthened and seemingly affectionate correspondence, they mutually agreed upon being married forthwith, and accordingly were proclaimed with that view in Perth on the Ist inst. They met by arrangement in Edinburgh on Friday week, when. Charles' father, who usually resides in Preston, Pans, and his sister, who is at service in Fife, and was to act as bridesmaid, were requested to be present. It would appear that the bride elect, being dissatisfied with the proposal that she and Charles shouid content themselves with, temporary quarters until they could find, or jusfiably rent, a house for themselves upbraided her betrothed with bringing her away from her friends to a land of strangers, and somewhat passionately refused to take him for better for worse—tearing at the same time the proclamation lines from his hands, that he might have no further claim, as she said upon her. They however afterwards appear to have so made up matters, and left for Perth in the course of the evening, with a view, as was thought, to be married there, if the lodgings that had been provided, and other circumconnected with the young man's. employment^ met with his betrofched's satisfaction. Such wouid seom not to have been the case, as Charles wrote to his father who is at present employed as a joiner in Edinburgh, that he was in. a very miserable state of mind, and all because of his own dear Anne, who would not listen to reason. He added, that he did not know what to do, or what was to become of him ; but that wherever his body was found there would be a note in his pocket containing his address in Perth. On Wednesday, he appears to hare so far changed his mind, and, taking the traia from Perth to Edinburgh, wrote another brief note, while crossing from Burntisland, to his father, saying his body would most likely be found near Preston Pans, as he was still in a most miserable state of mind, all because of his dearest Annie, whom he still very heartily forgave, and hoped that all his family would do so too. Both notes were posted together to his father's address in Edinburgh. Meanwhile the young man took the afternoon train to Preston Pans, and on arriving at his father's residence there, threw himself on the bed, making some inherent explanations expressive of his extreme grief at what had befallen him. Although a medical man was sent for, who administered something, in th" hope of securing relief, poor Charles died within less than an hour, under strong suspicion of having taken opium or laudanam to excess—begging, with almost his last intelligible utterance, that his sister would wear the ringl that was meant for his Anne.