FOREWORD.
Reading edition
On Sept. 28th, 1913, Mr. B. Russell Herts, of “The International,” received the following letter:
New York, Sept. 27, 1913.
Mr. B. Russell Herts,
c/o International Magazine,
New York City.
Dear Mr. Herts:—Under separate cover I am sending you a record of a young man who is about to commit suicide. My only object is that it may help, if published in part or whole, to ease the way for some who come after.
If you will kindly read it through, especially the latter part, you will be able to judge whether you care to make any use of it. If not, kindly mail same to Mr. ——, Toronto, Ont.
I have cut out references to places and people here and there for their sake, because naturally I cannot be worried about myself after death.
Thanking you for giving this matter your attention, I remain,
I do not sign this, but you may verify my death by communicating with Mr. ——, whom I am writing to-day, so that he may look after my effects in New York.
The body of a well-dressed young man was found off Manhattan Beach, Sept. 28th. In his pockets a torn photograph of Strindberg and receipts for three registered letters were found. These receipts were traced to Mr. Herts and to friends in Toronto, one of whom identified the body on Oct. 2d as that of Wallace E. Baker. He was buried on Oct. 3d in Evergreen Cemetery, Brooklyn.
A. K.
Note: In cutting out his references to places and people, Baker marred some of the text. These excisions are indicated by dots, dashes or stars.
THE GLEBE is indebted to Mr. Herts and “The International” for the permission to publish the diary.