The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1869-10-07

HOW L BECAME A DETECTIVE.

Il IL - Y
TWELVE years ago, was in Boston !
had just graduated, and was endeavOring,
in my effort to establish practice, To see
how near man could come to starvation,
and still keep alive. had got as far away
from home rs possible, because l did not
want any Of my own people to see or
know Of my struggles being content to
fight PATIENTLY on until had made sue
cess, and then let them know how hau
made it,
l had but one relative, may say only
one friend, in al Boston; and that was
Charley Drake. Charley was my cousin,
and clerk in a drugstore-a retail store
where he had plenty Of close work, and
very small pay. For him there was no
such thing as rest He slept in the store,
and was liable to he called at any hour of
the night, to make up n prescription, or
retail dose of castor-oil This may seem
a trifle to some; but, to a man who has
been going through the petty drudgcry
of retail store from six in The morning
until eleven at night, it is no small matter
to be walked from his first sleep to mix, and
pound, and spread, and tie up prescrip-
tion-a task that requires quietness of head
and reposc of body.
One morning, quite early, l stopped in
his store, as it was my almost daily habit
10 do, 10 get some small matter | wanted.
The proprietor came out with look of
anxiety on his face, and greeted me
with
Did you know that Charley is in
trouble?"
"Troublc? No." 1 said, "Vhat
trouble?'
a wrong prescription he put up has
killed woman. l wish he'd killed him.
self before it happened in my shop. 1t
will ruin me-"
looked contemptuously on the fellow,
who only thought Of his shop and his
pocket, and made further inquiries.
"Oh, it happened last night, about shut
ting-up time. The woman died within an
hour; and Charley is under arrest, await
ing the verdict of the coroner's jury"
felt an utter disgust for this fellow but
thought l would give him parting shot
before L left him. So / said:
But why don't they arrest you? They
must look to you as principal"
II was almost amusing to see his express
sion of fright.
ARREST me? What had got TO do with
il Why, wasn't even in the store when
it occurred"
bed, while he put all the work and rcspon
sibility off on poor Charley. However, l
contented myself with asking few ques-
tiOns as to who the person was that had
died, and when Charley had been arrested
and then | started to see him. | found
him, in very little time, in the custody
Of one OF the cOrOners officers, awaiting
the holding of the inquest, which would
come off in . hour. AS n matter of course,
Charley was in intense mental agony, and
it was only with difficulty could get him
to speak to the point. His mind wan
dered, and he was in high fever | got
hold of his hand, and tried to calm him.
Now, my boy l said, this is no
time for despairing. You must pluck up
courage, and look the thing squarely in
the face. All is not lost, as long as life is
left. Tell me the whole story"
Well, it was about one O'clock, this
morning, and / was walked out of sound
sleep to put up a prescription, and put
it up wrong. | was so sleepy, and had
been so tired, when | went TO bed! Oh,
poor Nclliei What will she say to this ?"
NO matter about Nellie now," L an
swered; If she's the little woman think
she is, she'll bear it nobly, and, no matter
what the result, she won't think less of
YOU. Now, then, what was the nature of
your mistake."
oh, dear Cousin Rob, a very bad one
put in three grains Of atrOpia for three
grains of assafoetida, and you know that
one sixth OF grain of atropia is large
dose. / knew it was strange pTescrip-
ton but, as it came from DIR. Barton
brewster, who knows what he's about,
and is a regular customer of our shop,
put it up, and gave it to the messenger.
was so glad to get to bed again, that
didn't think about anything until about
half an hour afferward, when the doctor
himself walked me up, and asked to SCI
the prescription. / hadn't put it in tn
book yet, 80 handed it to him. He tOOi
it to the night-lamp, read it, and handed
it back, saying, very harshly:
80 Young man, just read that prescrip
ton again
IL did as he babe me, thoroughly awak,
by this time, and, to my horror, read three
grains of assaftetida, instead of three grain
of atr0pia.
"Dr. Brewster looked fiercely at me fo
moment, and went of, leaving me witt
the prescription in my hand, and saying
You've killed a woman by your careless
ness you'll have to settle it with the cor
oner in the morning"
well; and they arrested you this morn
ings"
"Yes; about seven o'clock. The office
says it was good in DR.. Brewster not &
give information against me until afte
daylight, since / might have got away il
the meantime, if had been of q mind t
do 80; which, no doubt, was the doctor
idea. But, bless you, Cousin Bob didn
think of running away. | couldn't ru
away, if it was only for Nellic's sake"
Nellie was dear little girl, to whOr
Charley had been engaged for year 0
two, and was likely to be for few year
more, as he was waiting, until he coul
get into business for himself, to MARI
her
/ cast over the whole thing in my minC
and the first idea that struck me was, tina
Charley ought to have a lawyer present {
watch the proceedings, and see that he ha
at least legal rights, where all would b
prcjudiced against him. No sooner though
than / remembered that / had been able t
do considerable professional service in tn
family OF young lawyer by the name {
Sanford; In fact, | had been lortunat
enough to snatch favorite child of hi
almost out of the grippe of death. Sanfor
was, like myself, unable to make both end
meet, and, in telling me his inability
pay me then, hoped that /, or some of m
friends, would endeavor to make profe
sional use of him. This was Just the tim
and, before the inquest opened, / had Sal
ford on the spot, anxious to be of use.
The evidence was very simple: I'll
deceased boarded in the house where 81
died. Was young girl, about ninetee
Had no relatives, and only one or tw
friends, in Boston. Nobody visited la
but her physician. DR. Brewster. She. IA:
not been very well for day orr two, an
before, and sent boy to Msrceln's dr.