Miami Union

WALTERS, JOSEPH - "One More Unfortunate" - There died at the Miami County Infirmary on Thursday of last week a young man who had undoubtedly had a checkered career, and about whom was shrouded a mystery. He came to the Infirmary about six months ago, and was suffering from valvular elesion of the heart as was ascertained upon an examination by Dr. J. A. Sterrett, the physician. He gave his name as Joseph Walters and was twenty-eight years old, of hardly medium height and sparely built, his features bearing the marks of dissipation to a ruinous degree, also indicated that they were once the index of an educated, refined young man. Indeed Walters showed himself to have been educated. He spoke fluently the English, German and Hebrew languages, at painting exhibited a real genius. A few days prior to his death, upon being informed that his end was rapidly approaching, he sent for Father Menke and to him made a full confession. The exact nature of this we have not learned, but understand he gave the Rev. Father a pretty full history of his career, stating that his name was not Walters, and recounting how that belonging to a wealthy and influential Pennsylvania family, having been brought up well, educated and given all the advantages of refinement, he had run away from home, forsaken friends and chosen to live the life of a wandering vagabond. He plunged into every sorted dissipation and soon broke down in health, and was overcome with remorse only when dying a total wreck in a County poor house. For the sake of his mother however, he had gone for several years under an assumed name, lest the blow she would receive on learning of his degradation should kill her. After death Dr. Sterrett made an examination. On opening the thoracic cavity and removing the heart and lungs, the heart was found covered with water, and its valves were almost entirely destroyed, and Syphilitic deposits found. The unfortunate man was decently buried in Riverside Cemetery. The day before his death he wrote a letter directed to some part of Pennsylvania, which he left with Supt. Foster, to be mailed. It probably bore to loving parents an account of the sad history and end of their wayward son.