Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1857-09-24

and saw the whole at 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 little girl had
accompanied child uncle up stairs, and
while the attention of the older child, was
for moment turned away, she seized a bot
tie of corrosive sublimate in alcohol, and had
taken enough to take away twenty such
lives. The little thing had tottered down
stairs, and the mother had met her at the
landingawitl1 the empty bottle in her hand,
and the poison oozing from her mouth, and
the child all unconscious Of the fearful thing
she had done. Was it any wonder that a
terrible shrek rang out over the quiet village,
and that already the occupants of every house
near were rushing toward the spot where the
mother stood. 9
But few moments could possibly have
elapsed since the poison was taken, and yet
the effect was already fearful. After the
first shrek of terror, the mother had quieted
to calm despair for the moment, and stood
with the child in her arms making no effort
for its relief, and indeed it seemed hopeless,
for already the subtle poison seemed diffus-
ed through the frame; the brown eyes had
lost their lustre, the face was blackened as
in after death, and the teeth were tight set
in a convulsive spasm that evidently would
not pass away. [ examined the little lost
darling for moment, saw that it was hope
less, and then turned away, unable to bear
that mothers agony. The little door was
already half filled with villagers, and sobs,
and means and lamentations over the fate of
the dying child were heard in every direc-
ton, mingled with quick and hurried ques-
tions. as to the manner of it's occurrence,
and vain attempts at answering, which add
ed an depressing confusion to the sadness
of the scene.
The little play fellows uncle, who had
been up stairs with the child, had run in
stantly to call the father, and but few mo-
ments elapsed before he sprang into the
middle of the group. He had been told all
and asked no questions. [ had time to re-
mark that his eye was very stern and that
his lips was very firmly compressed. 0tlsers,
too, remarked it, and knew afterwafJ that
! q murmur ran round the circle of a8f9
fsrrange It was tr1ar he betrayed no feeling.
He reached out his hands and took the
child from its mother Its eyes were now
closed, and white ooze coming from be-
tween the blackened lips. Was ever death
more assured saw him open the eyelids,
and heard him give a sign of relief He
told me afterwards that the eye was not
shrunken, and so death had not begun He
then attempted to open the mouth, but the
teeth we're tight set, and they resisted his
efforts. But with force that seemed al
most brutal he wrenched the teeth apart,
and opened the mouth.
s'Shame," cried one of the bystanders.
The father did not heed them, but motion
ed to neighbor to take the child in his
arms. He did so.
Bring me the egg basket" !" he spoke very
sternly, almost without opening his teeth, to
the servant
ssWhat do you want of it? ?" s'What can
you do with it?' "He's crazy:" and many
such remarks followed, but the basket was
there in moment.
He seized one of the eggs, broke it, in
serted his fingers again between the teeth
and wrenched them open by force, though
they shut with SO convulsive a motion as to
tear the flesh from his fingers, and poured
the albumen into the throat. There was a
slight struggle, nothing more, and the spec
tators were Mortified at the action
Don't; the child is dying" said one
please don't hurt the little thing-it
can't live!'' the mother found voice to say,
laying her hand upon his arm
s'Mary, be stillp he answered sternly,
while his teeth were relaxing from their
clenching, and his face as hard as if he was
entering battle; ''and don't any of you
meddle with me, keep offp'
The bystanders involuntarily obeyed, with
many harsh remarks upon his cruelty-but
he did not heed them, and went on Anoth-
er and another egg was broken, and still
there was no sign Of life. Then the whole
body Of bystanders broke out into loud
mumur, and cries of ''brutep' s'Let the
child die in peacep' s'He's crazy-take the
child away from himv' were heard around
him.
| He desisted for a moment from his efforts
and turned with ferceness which had be-
fore been altogether foreign to his nature
but no one who saw him afterwards forgot
it. "Fools," he Kissed, ''mind your busi-
ness, and leave me to mine! Take her a.
way, will you! Try t!'' and he went on,
emptying egg after egg down the apparently
lifeless throat.
The mother could stand this no longer.
Her first born was being tortured to death
bofore her eyes in its death, and she implor-
ingly flung herself on her knees before her
husbands father, who had that moment ar
rived.
80, father, do stop him p' she gasped j;