Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 34, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 February 1902 — MORE ABOUT BESSIE FOSTER. [ARTICLE]

MORE ABOUT BESSIE FOSTER.

The funeral of Mrs. Bessie Foster Ford was held at the ChrisV tian church, at Remington, FriMay forenoon, after which the body was taken out to Gilboa cemetery, in Benton county, for burial, the family having formerly, for many years, been residents of that vicinity. Fuller details of Bessie’s sad end can now be given. Those first published by us were substantially correot. as far as they went, but the dispatch quoted from the Indianapolis Journal wafe about as inaoourate as the common run of irresponsible telegraphic reports usually are. There was no one at the house when the act was committed except Bessie, her husband, and his brother. Her parents had been there during the evening, but had gone home. So also, had a young lady friend It had been arranged that Bessie, her husband, HKis brother and some others would attend a ball, together. Bessie was not felling well and Mr. Ford said for her not to go. She appears not to have objected to this sugI gestion, and went to her bed-room and prepared for bed. In the meantime Ford and his brother were preparing to go to the ball, and were just putting on their overcoats, when Bessie called Mr. Ford to come to her, and then fired, before he oould reach her. The bullet entered back of thd ear, and lodged in the brain. In falling she out a gash over one eye. She breathed only a few minutes, after the fatal shot was fired. There seems to be no reason for believing that there was a quarrel between her and her husband, or that her married life was unhappy, further than her spells of melancholly, which she was subject to as a girl, still continued, and also her belief, which was doubtless a ___hysterioal delusion, that Some enemy still pursued her, and still was trying to break into her house. She had a finely furnished home, and everything she could ask for in all material things.

Of oonrse her death is especially 1 sad in this way, and it is a dreadfnl blow to her parents, and her mother, especially, whose own health has long been poor, is prostrated to a degree that causes serious fears for her recovery. The parents bad a new home almost ready jko move into, at El wood, but they now declare that under no oiroumstanoe, will they live longer at that plaoe, and in pursuance of this purpose, Mr. Foster has rescinded a oontraot he had nearly completed for disposing of his farm, a few miles south of Rensselaer. Mr. Ford is also about distraoted and deolares hs will not remain at Elwood. Bessie was only 18 years old, last October. She had been married only 6 months, and her marriage was an elopement, and had been greatly opposed by her parents. Young as she was she had already passed through a very tragioal experience, the effeots of whiohi upon her mind, may have been largely responsible for the final act of last Wednesday night On Sept 4, 1898, when she was not qnite 16 years old, Charley Van Pelt, a young man to whom she was then engaged, was killed by a train, at St John’s. Bis death was then given out as an accident, but it was undoubtedly a case of anjoide, as he had previously threatened to end his life. After his death Bessie visited his mother, Mrs. Van Pelt, at Montiosllo, for some time, and the latter attended the fnneral Friday, and was scarcely less grief strioken than the poor girl's own parents. Those who attended the fnneral bom here were Misses Myrtle

Haus and May Paxton and Messrs, Newton Pumphrey and Fred Paroells. 1-