The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1851-12-27


The pretty young wlfe would not taste drop
but tean frequently filled her eyes, and Bit
terne pointed her words as Hbe vAinly im-
plOred her husband 10 leave the place and go
homs with her. 10 all her remonstrances
the lnaudIin drunkard replied only by fooIery,
varied occasionally by an attempt At line or
two Of the song of"Tbe Thorn"
.But you piH plant ihorns, Henry" rejoin-
ed the provoked wife in louder and Angrler
'toas than she ought perhaps 20 have used
"nOt only IN my bosom, bot your own, II you
90 on in this scottish, disgracAfil way"
always quarrelling, always quarrellinR r
'Jrmarked jackson, Fointedly. towards the
bystanders-"aipays quArrellingT
"who II always quArrelllng ?" demanded
tho young wife, sharply, "Do you mean me
and Honry7"
"l was only saying, my dear, that you don't
like your husband 20 be- 40 generous and free
boarted-thars ALL" replied jackson with
confidential wink at the persons near him.
"Free-h6Artcd and generous Fool-heArt-
ed and crazy, you meNu p reioined the wife
who was much excited "And you ought 10
be ashamed ofyourself 10 give him money for
such british purposes"
Always qunrrcllipF, always qunrrellipg !"
reiterated Jackson, but this time unheari by
Mrs Roeers--''Always uarrcllng,pcrpetpally
quarrcling !"
| could not quite comprehend all this II
30 large sum as 1900 was really coming to
the young man, why should jackson vince
as he did NJ dishursne small amounts which
he could repay himself with abundant inter.
est1 II olherwisc--And It was probable he
should not be rcpaid--what meant his eternal
"fnc generous lad - spirited young man"
and 50 on ? What, above all, meant that
look Of diabolical hate which shot out from
his cavcrnous eyes towards Henry Rogers
when he thought himself unobscrvcd, just af
ter satisfying n fresh claim on his purse p
Much practice in reading the faces md de.
pertinent Of such men made i pretty clear TO
me ibat JNekson's course Of action respecting
the Young man and his money was not yet
decided upon in his own mind; that he was
still perplcxcd and irrcsolutc; and hence the
apparent contradiction in his words and acts.
Henry Rogers at longtl, dropped asleep
with his head upon one Of the. seitlc-tablcs
jackson sank into a sullcn silence the mol.
sy room gre" qnieti aud then came a.
was impressed with belief that jackson
entertained some sinister design against his
youthful and inexperienced lodgcts, and
heinrnined 10 acgniAnt them with my su.pic-
ions For this purpose Mr. Morgan, who had
a patient living near .Iackson's house. under
took to invite them to tea on some early eve
ming, on the prctcnce that he had heard Of n
tavern that might suit them when they should
receive their fortune. Let me confess too.
that had another design besides putting the
young people on their guard against jackson.
I thought il very probable that il would not
be difficult TO CLEAN from them some interest
ing and suggestive particulars concerning the
ways, means, practices, outgoings and in
comings Of their worthy landlords house
hold.
-Four. more days passed unproftably away,
and was becoming weary Of the business,
when about five o'clock in the afternoon the
apothecary gallopcd mp to the house on a
borrowed horse, jumped Of with surprising
colerity, and with face as white as his own
magnesa, burst. out ms he hurried into the
room where was sitting: "IIere's a pretty
kettle OF fish Henry Rogers has been pois-
oned, and by his wife !"
"Poisoncd r.
''Yes poisoned; although, thanks TO my
being on the spot, think he will recover
But must instantly to DR.. Edwards will
tell you all when return
The promised "all," was this Morgan was
passing slowly by Jacksou's house, in the hope
of seeing either Mr. or Mrs Rogers, when the
servant woman, Jane Riddet- ran out and
begged him to come in, as their lodger had
been taken suddenly i'll. III, indeed The
surface ofhs body was cold as death, and the
apothecary quickly discovered that he had
been poisoned with sulphuric acid (oil of Wit
rol,) quantity of which he, Morgan, had
sold few days previously to Mrs Rogers, who
when purchasing it, said Mr. jackson wanted
It to apply to some warts that annoyed him.
Morgan fortunately knew the proper remedy,
and desired Jackson who was in the room,
and seemingly very anxious and flurried, to
bring some soap instantly, solution Of which
he proposed to give Immediately to the seem
ingy dying man. The woman-servant was
gone to find Mrs Rogers, who had left about
ten minutes before, having first naadp the tea
in which the poison had been taken. Jack
son hurried out of the apartment, but was
gone so long that Morgan, becoming imps'
tent, scraped quantity of plaster of the wall
and AdminiSteredi il with the best effect Al
last jackson came back, and said there was
unfortunately not a particle of soap in the
house. A few minutes afterwards the young
wife, alarmed at the woman-scrvanfs tidings,
few into the room in an agony Of alarm and
grief, Simulated alarm, crocodile grief Mr.
Morgan said for there could, in his opinion,
be no doubt that she attempted 70 destroy her
husband Mr. jackson, an being Questioned,