Show REVENGE OP A BETRAYERS VICTIM The confession of Delilah Fales of Waverly la of the murder of John Kern is a remarkable and a revolting thing The confessions of murderers are not always to be accepted as truth even where the consequence to themselves them-selves may be death The story the young woman Fales toltc coomc tr hoar thf imnrpss of truth She says that the man she murdered mur-dered had betrayed her when she was but a child that ever afterwards he pursued her both for his own wicked J purposes and to persecute her If she triedto live an honest life her betrayer was there to prevent her if she began to establish a good reputation he was there to pull it down Several times according to her statement she was on the verge of marrying and becoming becom-ing a happy wife and woman but each time her evll genius appeared upon the scene to blast her hopes At last an attachment grew up between the girl I and the son of her alleged betrayer and again were her hopes dashed to pieces The cup of her bitterness had become so full that it overflowed and at last she determined upon his destruction de-struction I killed him with premeditation premedi-tation and deliberation she says I I prayed God to give me strength to do it with all the earnestness that I could command as I have prayed to him for forgiveness I have suffered no pangs of conscience On the contrary a restful rest-ful calm seemed to come into my life from the moment I knew he was dead I never slept so well as I did after the night I fired those fatal shots What must have been the suffering of a soul that its possessor could so talk after having taken a human life I I Assuming that the girls story Is true as it appears to be on its face who will say that her wrongs were not such as to almost justify the terrible revenge she took The law might have afforded her protection had she complained of i i I the persecution to which she was subjected sub-jected but what woman could go and tell the story of her ruin and shame that she might be protected against the persecutions of her betrayer There are some things in this world that even the law cannot protect those who suffer suf-fer from them against The persecution to which this woman was subjected recalls the persecution that Falkland visited upon Caleb Williams Wil-liams because Williams had discovered his terrible secret It parallels it at least it may almost be said to surpass sur-pass it |