A NOVELIST'S SATISFACTION.

Evening Post, Volume L, Issue 54, 31 August 1895, Page 1 (Supplement)

A NOVELIST'S SATISFACTION.

Speakingatacomplimentary dinner tendered to him in London recently, Mr. Hall Oaine, the well-known novelist, narrated the following story : " I wrote a book, whioh some of you will remember — ' The Deemster,' dramatised as ' Ben-Myohree ' by Wilson Barrett and myself, and played in London. Soon after it was produced England was startled by the news of a murder in Canada known as the Woodstock murder. In ' The Deemster' a young man of most noble character gradually sinks until he murders his dearest friend, and afterwards works out his atonement. In the Woodstock case a man of hitherto blameless life had murdered his friend. One day I received a letter from Ottawa, enclosing two letters, one from theyoung mana week before his exeoution. 'I saw the play in which the poor fellow, Dan Mylrea, killed his friend and then worked out an atonement. I think it was founded on a book by Hall Oaina. Will you send the book as soon as possible ?' The second letter was written late at night on the day before his execution, and, as nearly as I can remember, it ran something like this: 'I have just finished the story of that poor lad. I feel stronger for the end. Good-bye. God bless you !' No one can ever tell the effect these letters had on me. I seemed to hear the ring on the scaffold of feet made stronger by a work of mine. I value such things higher than any reputation or money."