UNFINISHED LETTER

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 September 1923, Page 8

UNFINISHED LETTER

A TRAGIC MISSIVE. The story of an unfinished letter addressed to “My Darling One,” a hired boat, a woman’s fall into the Thames, and her rescue, was unfolded at Chertsey police court. Surrey, when a fashionably dressed young woman. Margaret Winifred Elliott, was charged with attempted suicide. After being interviewed in a private room the woman was certified for removal to a mental institution. 'l’llo woman hired a skiff early one. evening, and as she had not returned by 11 o’clock, a man went out in search of her. Later, when asked by the boatman if she were not going ashore, the woman replied in the affirmative, and suddenly turned the head of her skiff up-stream. When nearing the landing stage, after being pursued and escorted towards the boat house by two mon in a punt, the woman drooped the oars, stood nt) in the boat and toppled into the river. One of the boatmen, Frederick Nicholas, of Eghani. on seeing the woman fall, dived into tlm river and rescued her in an unconscious condit ion. A constable said that when he reached a bungalow witli tlm girl she turned Io him and said: “It seems a groat, deal of fuss Io make over an accident.” Concluding his evidence, the officer added that lie found in tlm won handbag a letter which rcad:“My Darling One, —This is to say good-bye to yon. I have failed in everything. Try if you can to forgive me. Yon are my las! thought and my only regret. Sweetheart, believe me xvheii 1 tell you ” J lint ing deeply of tragedy tlm letter abruptly terminated at. this point as if the writer could Find no adequate terms in which to conclude. lliijliiihiiijjiii J .j. W