1809.} 
them to his daughter, and immediately desired 
Mr. Sharp to discontinue his visits’ at the 
park, as he would no longer be received 
there. Miss Shuckburgh also wrote to him 
to the same effect, and desired him to return 
her letters. From that moment he seems to 
have conceived the dreadful idea of destroying 
her and himself, for his answer to her was 
** You shall have your lefters andI will have 
revenge—revenge is sweet, and revenge arising 
from disappointed love is most inveterate.” 
Defeated in his hopes of obtaining the object 
of his wishes, he by excessive drinking work- 
ed himself up to the highest pitch of frenzy, 
during which he meditated the horrid deed 
which he afterwards perpetrated. As an in- 
terchange of letters was to take place, it was 
agreed between them that they should be left 
in a summer-house a short distance from the 
mansion. About half past seven o’clock in 
the morning, Miss Shuckburgh was observed 
by the butler to go out of the house with a 
parcel of letters in her hand, which excited 
his curiosity and induced him to watch her. 
She went towards the summer-house, and he 
took a circuitous way tothe sams spot. As 
soon as he got to the door he ligard two 
voices, and the first words which he distinctly 
heard were those of Miss Shuckburgh saying 
No—no—no, in answer as he supposed to a 
proposal of ebopement. A pistol was imme- 
diately fired and one fell—the butler was 
about to open the door, when in the space of 
two seconds another pistol was fired and the ~ 
other fell; the butler then alarmed the 
family, and on opening the door, Miss Shuck~- 
burgh and Mr. Sharp were found lifeless on 
the floar. The two letters of the 24th and 
26th of March, addressed by Mr. Sharp to 
Miss: Shuckburgh, found: un-opened in the 
Summer: house aiter the shocking event, prove 
beyond all doubt that the interview which 
ended in this sad catastrophe was on Miss 
Shuckburgh’s part fortuitous; that she had 
not the least expectation of seeing Mr. Sharp, 
but went solely for the purpose of leaving the 
letters she had received from him, and of 
carrying away those she had written. They 
were as follow: 
‘¢ Friday, March 24, 1809. 
** Caroline} O my beloved Caroline! Lcan 
but a short-time longer endure your cruel 
scorn; prepare to hear the worst of me, and 
take care of yourself. O} my heavens! how 
loth ] am to die, bat you compel me to leave 
you; for, wasever the time to come when 
you would have no parents to oppose your 
will, I dare not, cannot think you would make 
me happy. 1 wish once more to read your 
dear letters, and then, on my honour, I will 
bring them to the cave to-morrow night, and 
shall expect to find mine in the same place 
on Sunday night. If you love me, tell me 
whete you are going on Monday with Frank 
and your dear father. Your professions of love 
are as ardent as ] could possibly wish 3 would 
to God thay your actions were as convincing ; 
Warwickshire. AA 
then, indeed, I should-be happy. Caroline, 
my fate is certain, Lam sorry you will not 
let me live; I am no child in my determi- 
nation; when once fixed, it is immoyeable5 
I have no earthly things to live for, for you 
will never be mine, so I will seek another 
anda better world. I can now again scarcely 
believe you love me, aa you will not trust me 
with your sweet letters, but I shall soon be 
insensible to every thing; and, on my word 
you may depend on my putting them at the 
cave some time to-morrow night. When I 
am dead, read them over, and judge of my 
delight when I received them; and of my 
anguish to be obliged to give them up. My 
preparations to quit this world take up so 
much of my time, that I cannot say more, 
than God bless you! and may he for ever 
protect you from the miserable awful end of 
your truly faithful and affectionate, though 
wretched, Puirtie A. S. 
**{ implore and supplicate your prayers 5 
and most fervently and sincerely will I pray, 
in my last moments, that you may never feel 
the least remorse of conscience, as the cause 
of my suicide, for it wes in your power, and 
your’s only, to save me, but you treat with 
disdain all my arguments. Adieu, for ever 
adieu. Pp. A; S. 
«* I came so fully assured of seeing you 
jast night, that I was not prepared to die, or 
indeed I should. I acknowledge you have 
good grovinds to treat my threats so slightly, 
but the cime will come when you may sce 
my resolution is not to be shaken. What 
would have been your feelings (if you have 
any feelings}, had you found me with my 
brains blown out at the cave this morning, 
which certainly would have been the case, 
had I not put such confidence in your coming 
to meet me? O! for shame, Caroline ;.so 
Jong as the gentlemen were over their wine, 
not to spare me one short moment, to make 
my -death easy 5 but I forgive you, nor will [ 
repine at my unhappy lot.. Had you seen my 
brains scattered on the earth, you could have 
taken my letter from my cold hand, and 
yead it with composure, without shedding a 
pitying tear, Pa Anan 
Extracts from the letter, dated Sunday morne 
ing, two o’clock, March 26, 1809. 
‘Now that I have settled, as well as my 
agitated mind will allow me, all my earthly 
affairs, I will devote my last sad moments to 
my ever and for ever belaved Caroline, pro- 
vided the contents of your letter, I expect to 
find at the cave, does not compel me to kill 
you, as well as myself, which’I hope.in hea- 
ven it will not. 1 came firmly resolved to 
die; I have exerted all my energy to lives 
but without you it cannot be; all my reli- 
gion and fortitude I had used to possess, has 
now lett me; and: indeed ] am a wretched 
mortal ; and yet 1 feel not the least fear of 
death, but can with pleasure and composure 
quit this life, for it is impossible I can suffer 
more 3 and if you dowbt me still, which 
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