Butte record. (Bidwell, Butte County, Cal.) 1853-1858, 1857-04-11
From the New YORK Dispatch.
An Hours Struggle with poison
BY JOHN OF BURtEY.

tlon Win singular coincidence.
There was poem published in the
Dispatch last week, under the title of
Little Sister Evelyn the sad catas-
trophe of which is brought about in the
taking ofa deadly draught of poison by
a sweet little girl. The name of Eve
lyme Evelyn or Eveleen.' is far from
being common one, except in ro-
nance; and it will not be thought
strange that | trace a singular coinci-
dence, when | remark that | have seen
circumstane of the same kind. in
which an Eveleen was poisoned, and
in family, too, in which there was
and is 'Lillian'-a name so very like
the 'Lelian' of the poem referred to.
Had the author Of that poem an ac-
quaintance with the actual facts, chan
ing the catastrophe in some degree for
effect' | should be glad to know :;
but, waiting the answer to the question,
will tell my own story, briefly.
1 was spending some days, not many
years ago, in beautiful little country
village, and in family that had more
than common attractions TO one who
loves domestic life as much as myself
The little cottage house in which | was
staying contained but few inmates, but
the little circle had in it elements of
more interest than | have often seen
developed in the same number of per-
sons
The father Of the family, almost too
young to feel yet that he was entitled
to that honorable appelation, was fine,
frank hearted young mechanic, with a
world of bounding life in his veins, and
energy that when fully aroused drove
everything violently before him, and a
warmth OF disposition that won him
more friends than it had then, or has
since given him of the goods of this
world.
His wife, to whom he had been mar
ried some four years, was singnlarly
beautiful, possessed of the pure Greel-
an outline of face so fare amoug our
beautiful women, wealh of dark curl
ing hair, black in the shadow, ana gold
in the sum- and form Of light and
supple elegance that excited the admir-
alton of every beholder. She contin-
ued to be, married though she was,
that dangerous thing for women to be,
the beauty of the country; but pure
and spotless in heart as the white roses
that clambcred over her chamber WIN
dow, or the snowy cambria that sup
Piled the place of costly lace within it.
The blossoms of their young love
had early sprung to gladden. their
union. They had two children, the
one a laughing, brown eyed and brown
haired little fairy of three years, with
face tull of the rosy dimples that
pro missed to enchant the world with its
lovelness in older years, and that
disposition of mingled love and mischief
which makes up. to me, the charm of a
chid's character. The whole country
round was proud of the grace and beau
ty Of the little sprite, and scarcely a
day passed that she was not stolen
away from the little cottage home to
make music in the houses of friends
who loved her as ii she had been their
own. OF course she was 'everybody's
child,' and blow to her could not fail
to be blow to every heart in the viii
lage. And her name was Eveleen.
The second vas a growing, laugh
ing, blue-eyed plump litale beauty of
less than year, promising to have all
the charms of the older at her age
and her name was Lillian.
was sitting one afternoon in the
quiet little sittlng-room, with my feet
upon two chairs, Ga thing | commonly
manage when | can find them, read
ing pleasant book, in state between
asleep and awake, my host away at
his shop, few hundred yards off, and
my pretty hostess engaged in her
household labors, when | was sudden
ly thrown out of my incidence by a
scream, that brought we to my feet like
an electric shock. 1t was a woman s
voice and had III it an excess of agony
that cannot be indicated by words, SO
loud that it rang over the quiet little
village like a trumpet. and brought
every one forth to ascertain the cause.
I sprang to the door that separated
the sitting room from the dining apart>
ment, and saw the whole at a glance.
The young mother stood at the door
with her first born, our darling Eve
leen, in her arms dying! A brief and
hurried word flom the servant told the
sad story. The little girl had accom-
panied child uncle up stairs. white
the mother was busy below, and bile
the attention OF the older child was one
moment turned away. she had seized a
bottle of corrosive sublimate, in alco-
hol, and drank enough to take twenty
such little lives. The little thing had
tottered down the stairs, and the moth.
er met her at the landing, with the emp
tied bottle in her hand. and the Poi
son oozing from her mouth, .he child
all unconscious yet of the fearful thing
she had done. Was it any wonder
that that terrible shrek rang out over
the quiet village, and that already the
occupants of every house near were