Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1870-08-23

l.
in very little time, in the custody of
one of the coroner's officers, awaiting
the holding of the inquest, which would
come off in an hour. AS matter of
course, Charley was in intense mental
agony, and it was only with difficulty
I could get him to speak to the point.
His mind wandered, and he was in
high fever. | got hold Of his hand,
and tried to calm him.
2Now, my boy" I said, "this is no
time for despairing. You must pluck
up courage, and look the thing square
ly 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
a sound sleep to put up prescrip-
tion, and put it up wrong. l was
SO sleepy, and had been SO tired, when
1 went to bed! Oh, poor Nellie =
w uehb w III SLlC W bHlo
"No matter about Nellie now," |
answered; "if she's the little woman
l 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! I put in three grains of atropia
for three grains Of assafGtida, and
you know that one-sixth of a grain of
atropia is a large dose. l knew it
was a strange prescription; but, as
it came from DR.. 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 afterwards, when
the doctor himself walked in, and ask
ed to see the prescription. | hadn't
put it in the book yet, so handed it
back.
Young man, read that prescription
again"
Il did as he bade me, thoroughly
awake by this time, and to my horror,
read three grains Of assai9tida, in
stead Of three grains OF atropia."
DR.. Brewster looked ferceIy at me
for a moment, and went of, leaving
me with tue prescription in my hand,
and saying: You've killed a woman
by your careIessness; you'll have to
settle it with the coroner in the moru-
ing"
"WelI; and they arrested you this
morning p
YES, about seven o'clock. The
officer says it was good in DR.. Brew
ster not to give information against
me until after daylight, since [ might
have got away in the meantime, if |
had been of a mind 20 do so; which,
no doubt, was the doctors idea. But,
bless you, Cousin Rob didn't think
Of running away. 1 couldn't run
away, if it was only for Nellie's sake. .
Nellie was a dear little girl, to
whom Charley had been engaged for
a year or two, and was likely to be
fos q few yaar7 moro. as he was wait
ing until he could get in business for
/ hiucalf md poarrv bar
Il cast over the whole thing in my
mind, and the first idea which struck
me was that Charley ought to have a
lawyer present to watch the proceed
ings, and see that he had at least le
gal rights, where all would be preju
diced against him. No sooner thought
than remembered that | had beer
able to do considerable professional
service in the family Of a young law
yer by the name Of Sanford; in fact
| had been fortunate enough to snatch
a favorite child of his almost out o
the grip Of death. Sanford was, like
myself, unable to make both endi
meet. and telling me his inability tt
pay me then, hoped that |, or some o
my friends, would endeayor to max,
professional use of him. This wa
Just the time, and, before the inques
opened, | nad Sanford on the spo
anxious TO be of use.
"The evidence was very simple
The deceased boarded in the houS
where she died. Was a young cir
about nineteen. Had no relatives
and only one or two friends in Bos
ton. Nobody visited her but he
physician, DR.. Brewster. She ha
T not been very we'll for a day or two
DR.. Brewster had prescribed, lat
the night before, and sent boy t
, Marcelin's drugstore for the prescriE
! tion. Prescription-book produced b
: Marcelin, the proprietor of the drue
, store. Prescription read:
| ar. Hydrag. chloromite,
b Ext. rhei aa 1-2 scruplc,
}, Assaf@t. gr. ii,
Y Pillnles vi"
: at was written with a hard leat
!. pencil on an ordinary bit of white III
;, ruled writing paper.
b "Then came Brewster'S evidenc
e He identified the prescription. Whe
n he found there was something wron
e with Miss Selby, the deceased, /
x went to Marcelin's and saw Drak
a who admitted to having put thrt
s grains Of atropia in the prescriptio
:. instead of the same quantity of ass
d fRtida.
l. "Then came medical evidences
t. to the effect of atropia, and tt
e amount that should be given in
,, dose which made half grain to eat
pill, when one-sixth of a grain shoul
n BE- enough.
"It all looked very bad for po,
vt Charley, and | saw plainly that,
the present state of the case, Sanfol
P could not help him any. There vi
l. only one question he asked DR.. Bre'
y ster, which seemed rather to both
the doctor, and was suggestive to IN
J. "'Doctor,' he said, how was it tha
d when yoususpected something wror
8. with Miss Selby, you left her for nea
1T ly half an hour with the ignorant pc
d pie of this house, and went yourse
II down to Marcelin's, instead of tryil
r something to relieve the decease
and sending messenger to Marc
|. lin's?'