Kenosha tribune & telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1856-1859, 1857-06-25
An Hours Struggle with Poison.

L
ago, in beautiful little country village and il
family that had more than common attraction
| to one who loves domestic life as do. Th
| little cottage houseiL which l was stopping con
| tanned bat few inmates, but the little circle ha
| in it the elements of mora interest than l hav
often Sesn developed in the same number Of pei
sons.
The father Of the family--almost too young 4
feel yet he was indeed entitled 70 that henorabl
appellation-was a fine, frank hearted youn,
| mechanic, with world of bounding life in hi
| veins, On energy that, when fsly aroused
drove every thing violently before him, and
warmth Of disposition that won him more friend
ship, than it had then, or has since given him o
the goods of this world.
His wifs-to whom he had been married abou
four years-was siugularly beautiful. They
had two childron-ths one laughing, brown
eyed and brown-haired little fairy of three years
Her name was Eveleen. The second was
growing, laughing, blue-eyed. plump littl'
beauty, of less than year, promising to have
all the charms Of the older at her age And he
name was Lillian. i was sitting ono Afternoon
in the quiet little room, with my feet upon tw,
chairs, reading pleasant book, il a state be
tween asleep and awake-my host away at hi
shop, few hundred yards Of, and my pretty
hostess engaged in her household labors--wheI
was thrown out of my Incidence by scream
that brought nue. to my feet like an elsctri'
shock. 1t vas woman's voice, and had in j
an excess of agony that cannot be indicated il
words, so loud that it rang over that quiet vii
lage like trumpet, and brought every one fortl
to ascertain the cause.
sprang to the door that separated the sitting
room from the dining apartment, and saw tn,
whole at glance. The young mother stood a
the door with her first born-our darling Eve
leen-in her arms, dying A brief and hurri &c
word from the servant told mo the sad story
The little girl had accompanied a child uncle
up stairs, while the mother was busy below, ant
while the attention of the older child was on'
moment turned away, sho seized bottle of cor
rosive sublimate, in alcohol. and drank enough
to take twenty such lives. Tho ittle thing haC
tottered down the stairs and the mother met he
at the lending with the em2tied bottle in hs
hand, and the poison oozing from her mouth
the child all unconscious yet Of the fearful thine
she had done. Was it any wonder that that ter
rible shrek rang out over the quiet village, ant
that already the occupants of every house nea
were rushing toward the spot whsrs the nothe
stoodf
But few moments could possibly have elaps
ed since the poison was taken. and yet the effee
was already fearful, After the first shrek o
horror, the mother had quoted to oalm des
pair for m0nent and stood with the child in ho
arms making no effort fer its relof, aud index
it seemed hopeless, for already the subtle poi
son seemed ditfused throughout the frame the
brown eyes had lost their lustro. the face wa
blackened as if after death, and the teeth were
tight-set in eonvulsive spasm that evidently
would not pass away. examined the little
lost darling for moment, saw that il was hope
less, and turned away, unable to bear that moth
er's agony. The little door-yard was alread,
half full of villagers and Sobs, means, and lam
citations over the fate of tho dying child wer'
heard in every direction mingled with quick ant
hurried questions to the manner ofits occurrence
and vain attempts at answering. which added al
depressing confusion to the sadness of the scene
The play -fellow-uncle, WHO had been up stair:
with the child, had ran instantly to call the faith
er, and but a few moments had 0lspsed, before
he sprung into the middle of the group. de hat
been told all and asked no questions. | haC
time TO mark that his eye was very stern, aRt
that his lips were very firmly compressed-
Others, too, marked it, and / know aftorwarC
that murmur ran around thu circle, of how
strange it was that he betrayed 10 feeling
He reached out his hands and took the chilt
from its mother. Its eyes we're closed now ant
a white ooze coming from between the blaeken
ing lips Was ever death more assured saw
him open the eyeids, and hoard bin give sigh
of relief He told me aftervArd that tho ey'
was not shrunken, and So death had not begun
Then he attempted to open the mouth, but tbs
teeth were tight-sct and they resisted his efforts
But with force that seemed almost brutal, hi
actually wrenehed the teeth apart, and opened
the mouth.
"Shame Z" cried one of the bystandors.
The father did not heed them. but motione(
to n neighbor to take the child in his arms.
he did SO.
Bring me the egg basket" he spoke very
sternly, almost without opening his tseth, to tn,
servant.
"What do you want of it Z" "Wiat can yol
do with it ~ "fIe is crazy !" and many sucl
renlaris followed, but the basket was there in
moment.
He seized one of the eggs. broke it, inserte
| his fingers aga-1 between the teeth, wrenche
them apart by derce though they shut with 8
convulsive molten as to tear the flesh from hi
fngers-and poured the albumen into the throat
There was a slight stransle, but nothing more
azd the spectators were identified at the action
Don't the child is dying" said one.
~Please don't hurt the poor little thing
can't live!' the mother found voice 80 say, lay
ing her hand upon his arm
MARY, be STILL, " he answered sternIy Will
his teeth never relaxed from their cenching an
his face was as hard as if he were entering bal
tie; ''and don't any of you NEEDLE with me-
keep Off 90
The bystanders involuntarily obeyed, wit
many harsh remark upon his eruelty-but h
did net heed them, and went sp. Another an
| another egg was broken. aud still there was n
| sign o. life. Then the whole body of bystander
broke into "a loud murmur, and cries of "brute !
LET the child die i'll peace !" were heard arouu
| him
| lie desisted for moment from his efforts, en-
turned with hercsne5s which had before bee
| altogether ferei gn to his nature-but no one VIII
saw him afterwards forgot it. Fools he hiss
| ed, "mind your own business, and leave me t
mine Take her away, will you Try it an
he went on, emptying egg after egg dow
the apparently h'eless throat.
| The uaOther could bear this 10 longer He
| first born was being tortured before Der eyes il
| its death, and she imploringly flung herself o.
her knees before her husbands father, who ha
the moment before arrived. 80, father do sto;
him - she gasped; che will obey you; do sto
him. He is tOrturing that poor dying child !!
| The grandfather started toward a step to in
terfere, for he, too, thought the proceeding al
outrageous one; but he stopped aud said, MARY
let him alone. The child will die if no does no
go on. would not say word to him for tn
world. The child is his, let him use hi
pleasure"
| There was silence then. In moment NOR
there was culver Of the eyelids convulsiv
movement of the chest, and the teeth ost thei
tension The father seized his child, turned he
face downward and the poison began to fo'
from her mouth. Again and again, as the retci
lug ceased he repeated the experimant-the lif
returning still more and the face losing its blac
color every instant. More than twenty time
! the albumen had been administered, and NOR
Il than half those times followed by the expulsio
y of the poison. when the eyes opened. the fathe
desisted, and the little sufferer lay just alive
his arms exhausted, its little life terribly skai
I tered, but sared
Thsn-when the necessity for exertion an
determination was over-when the physical
had been summoned. and they knew that dariin
little Evleen might live, after many weeks
struggle between life and death, wheE the n
| lieved friends had acknowledged that they ha
wronged him first, when the beautiful and SOL
rowlu wife had blest him through Ger kisse
and tears, and all knew that under God oni
such almost fierce determination could hav
saved the child-then the father sat down, III