Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1857-10-17
AN HOURS STRUGGLE WITH POISON
Sighing so nearly,
LiUing so drearily!

tA4N
! was spending some days, not many years ago,
in a beautiful little country village and in Il fami.
ly that had more than common attractions to one
who loves domestic life as well as myself. The
little circle had in it more Of real interest than |
have often seen developed in the same number Of
persons.
The father of the family-almost too young to
t feel yet that he was entitled to the honorable APP
pellation-was q fine, frank hearted young me-
! chanic, with a world Of bounding life in his veins,
! an energy that, when fully aroused, drove every
thing violently before him, and u warmth of dis
, position that won him more friendship than it had
; given him of the goods of this world.
fl His wife, to whom he had been married some
e four years, was singularly beautiful. They had
+ two children-the one a laughing 5rown-eyed and
q brown haired little fairy Of three years. Her
4 name was Eveleen. The second was q growing,
+ laughing blue-eyed, plump little beauty of less
e than a year, promising to have all the charms of
o the older at her age.
+ was sitting one afternoon in q quiet little
+ room with my feet upon two chairs, reading a
u pleasant book, in a state between asleep and awake
my host away at his shop, a hundred yards off,
9 and my pretty hostess engaged in her household
labor-when | was thrown out of my Incidence
by a scream that brought me to my feet like an
electric shock. 1t was II woman's voice, and had
in 1t an excess of agony that cannot be indicated
in words, so loud that it rang over that quiet lit.
VIZ image II piOuHub cNCIJ Oue lOTln u aScer-
tain the cause.
1 sprang to the door that separated the sitting
room from the dining apartments, and saw the
whole at a glance. The young mother stood at
the door with her first born-our darling Eveleen
in her arms, dying A brief and hurried word
from the servant told me the sad story. The lit
tic girl had accompanied a child uncle up stairs,
and while the attention Of the older child was for
a L moment turned away, she seized a bottle of cor.
rosive sublimato in alcohol, and had taken enough
- 4 H. -I H. M r.-t 1t -.
had tottered down stairs and the mother had met
her at the landing with the emptied bottle in her
hand, and the poison oozing from her mouth, the
G child all unconscious of the fearful thing she had
done, Was it any wonder that terrible shrek
, rang out over the quiet little village, and that al
a ready the occupants Of every house near were
f rushing towards the spot where the mother stood ?
e But a few moments could possibly have elaps.
1t ed since the poison was taken, and yet the effect
n was already fearful. Alter the first shrek of
terror, the mother had guieted to a calm despair for
10 the moment, and stood with the child in her arms
making no effort for its relief, and indeed it seem.
ID ed hopeless, for already the subtle poison seemed
difused through the frame the brown eyes had
lost their lustre, the face was BACKED rs in after
l., death, and TIE teeth were tight set in a conclusive
spasm, that evidently would not pass away. | ex-
amined the little lost darling for a moment saw
!, that it was hopeless, and turned away, unable to
bear that mothers agony. The little door yard
4 was already halfflled with villagers, and sobs
= means ana lumentatlUnS over inc late OF the DYING
~ child were heard in every direction, mingled will
" quick and hurried questions as to the manner O
. its occurance, and vain attempts at answering
which added an expressing confusion to the sad
s. ness of the scene.
nc The little play fellow uncle, who had been W
= stairs with the child, had run instantly to call thu
father and but a few moments had elapsed before
:" he spraug into the middle Of the group. lie haC
- been told all, and asked no questions. had tim,
- to remark THAT his eye was very stern, and tina
his lip was very firmly compressed. Others, too
marked it, and | knew afterwards that q murmu
ran round the circle, of how strange it was that h
res betrayed no feeling.
a. He reached out his hands and took the chill
~ u from its mother. Its eyes were closed now, and
''n white ooze coming from between the blackene,
-, lips. Was ever death more assured -? | saw hin
~ open the eyelids and give a sigh of relief. III
~ told me afterwards that the eye was not shrunken
and so death had not begun. lie then alternate,
III to open the mouth, but the teeth were tight set
an and they resisted his efforts. But with a fore
'od that seemed almost brutal he wrenched the teetI
me apart, and opened the mouth.
"Shame," criod one of the bystanders.
Ter The father did not heed them, but mentioned {
elF a ~neighbor to take the child in his arms. lie di
tly so.
me Bring me the egg basket" he spoke very stern
Wv ly, almost without opening his teeth, to the sci
Ie want.
"What do you want of it ?" What can YOU d
,re with It ?" "IIe is crazy I" and MANY such re
ZEN marks followed, but the basket was there in a me
ment.
eg. lie seized one of the eggs, broke il. inserte
I've his fingers again between the teeth and wrenche
nj them open by force, though they shut with SO cor
vulsiVe a motion as to tear the flesh from his fin
gers, and poured the albumen into the throat
There was q slight stranglo, nothing mora, an,
og- spectators were Mortified at the action,
ner Don't, the child is dying !' said.one.
agDlNa. l1-yA -. II ,.,
an live p the mother found voice to say, LAYING he
exc hand upon his arm.
tSa MARY, be still !" lie answered s.ernlv. Will
his teeth were relaxing from their c~lenching. an,
his lace was rs hard as if he were entering a hat
tie "and don't any Of you meddlo with mckee
W ofP'
out The bystanders involuntarily obeyeG, with man,
of harsh remarks upon his cruelty-but he did no
it heed them, and went OF. Another and anotLe
an egg was broken, and still there was no sipn of life
Of Then the whole body Of bystanders broke into
ity loud murmer, and cries of brute !" "Let tn
at chiid die IN peace J.. "Ile is crazy-take Tia
ar. child away from him !" were heard around him
an He desisted for q moment from his efforts. an,
KY turned with a ierceness which had before heo
altogether foreign to his nature-but no one VIII
the saw him afterwards forgot it. Fools % he Kissed
mind your own business, and leave me to mine
I'm, TAKE her away, will you! Try it !" and he wen
a on, emptying egg after egg down the apparentl
is lifeiess throat.
The mother could bear this no longer. Her frs
'or- born was being tortured before her ewes in il
ays death, and imploringly flung herself on her knee
Jul O before her husbands father, who had the momen
mes before arrived.
md so, father, do stop him !" she gasped .'bo wi
yer obey you do stop him. lie is t%orturing that noe
tier dying child" p'
eat The grandfather started forward n step to inte
to fere,io he, too, thought the proceeding an outrag,
ich GUS one but he stopped and said. "Marv Iet h2,
ent alone. The child will die If he docs not 90 or
1T cannot do more than die if he does, / woui