Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1872-03-09
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that Mrs. Spencer daily swollowod
arsenic In small quantities, aud the
deadly drug was telling feArfully On
= constitution never robust.
She said, answering my questions,
that she had no physician except
her husband. He had thought him
self better acquainted with her case,
and therefore better qualified to
treat it. BE never left the medicine
with her to take; he always brought
II fresh from his Office, and admins
tered 1t promptly.
| A charge, Of course, / could not
make against DIR. Spencer without
the amplest proof. If limited a sus-
picion, every one would at once set
il down TO my professional preju-
dice; and, If i could not substantiate
my statement, the doctor could
make me pay dearly for such 9 SLAM
der uttered against him
The only dependence seemed to
be In Mrs. Hurd. To her unbosom-
ed myself freely. l told her without
reserve that believed DIR. Spencer
was killing his wife by slow poisen,
and besought her to be constantly
on the watch to save the victim,
and 10 discover proof by which we
1 GQulA A11ACh NAN AAAN pun
She smiled grimly and promised
obedience. 1 gave her q powerful
antidote for the poison l suspected,
and went home perturbed and anx-
| ious in mind. 1 did not sleep that
night, and all the next day was in
a high fever Of excitement.
DIR. Spencer returned home the
morning after my visit to the Cliff
ton House. He looked wretchedly,
the nurse said-appeared depressed
and gloomy. Miss Melrose came
with him, and was decOrOusly sad
over the death of her sister. Wo-
men of her stamp always do mourn
TO perfection. They neither overdo
nor underdo the thing, as women Of
feeling are likely to do.
1 DIR. Spencer came at once to his
| wife's chamber. He thought she
| looked i'll, and prescribed cordial
at once, saying that he would 90
and fetch It.
y oa are always ordering cerlli-
7 ais for her, s&id Mrs. Hufd musiua-
ily. aWhy not talSe something your
self You look like a ghost"
lie eyed her keenly, but replied
composedly:
'I think l will take some of the
cordial myself, for do not feel
quite well. Alica dear, shall bring
il here and drink your healthg"
Mrs. Spencer smiled sadly in as
sent-she never disputed her hus-
band-and he went out. Presently
I he returned with the two glasses
Both contained liquid, colorless
and fnodorous. Mrs. Hurd was
watching him with her heart In her
throat, for, as she told me, she felt
that the decisive moment had come.
There was something in the gray
palIor in the doctors rigid face that
told her ofa desperate purpose in
the mans soul.
he lifted the glass on the right Of
the tray and gave IL TO his wife.
'sDrink IL, dear,n he said; sit is
panacea for all Ills. am also going
to take a glass of It'll" And he point
ed 20 q glass still on the tray.
Mrs. Spencer accepted IL, and was
putting il 70 her lips, when Mrs.
Hnrd interrupted:
G'If you viii bring her a tumbler
Of water, doctor; Mrs. Spencer COM
plains that the cordial leaves bad
/ taste in her mouth, and my old
bones are so full OF rheumatism that
IL nearly kills me to godOwn stairs
The doctor turned and bent on
her look as If he would read her
through. But she, kept her face pas
sive. IL he had any suspicious, ler
manner quieted them, aad putting
dow the glass, be left the ROOM
Then Mrs. Hurd changed the posi-
ton OF the glasses.
When he came back-and he was
gone but mOment--the nurse stood
tust exactly where he had LETT her,
and Mrs. Spencer was lying back in
/ her chair with her eyes closed.
Again he lifted the glasB-this
time it was the one intended for
himself-and placed it to the lips OF
i his wife. She drank the contents,
swallowed little OF the water he
had brought her, and thanked him
in her own sad, sweet way.
''NOw for my own cordial, said
/ he, with affected gayety. 81 indulge
myself in something a little stron-
ger" and as he spoke he tossed on
the mixture.
4sIt made me stone cold 10 my fin
gers ends to see him do it," said
Mrs. Hurd relating the Circumstances
20 me; "but as Heaven Is my wit
ness, felt not a single twinge of
conscience. argued like this; Ifit
was simple cordial as he said, il
/ would do him no harm. II IL was
poison, his blood would be on his
own sinful headp'
He went to bed half an hour after
| ward, complaining of fatigue. In
the morning they found him deadl
1 was called TO the post-morten
! examination, and we discovered in
| the stomach of the deceased a sufh-
| cient auan. y of the deadliest poison
/ known to modern science 20 kill
! half dozen men.
Ny brother physiciaA agreed that
the man was insane, and had prOba-
! blv taken the dose in one of his un-
settled fits of mind. / did not dis
pute them, but even before Mrs.
Hurd told her story l had my own
theory in regard TO his death.
There was no public exposure,
! however. Mrs. Hurd and l agreed
| that il would profit no one to make
the wretched affair public, and so
| we kept sur own counsel.
Miss Melrose, in spite of my con-
/ vietion that she had been an active
lrparty in the conspil acy agaisnt Mrs.
I Spencer's life, could not help pity
I ing Sucl q ullscraDlcS WofA- anu
haggard face as hers have never
seen; and when they buried Dr.
Spencer she was confined to her
I chamber with brain fever
attended her in her illness, but
although she recovered her health
she never was herself again. She
was a harmless maniac, whose de-
Z. light was in gathering flowers and
I decorating the doctors grave with
them.
She is living, and she still gathers
flowers and lays them on that grave,
singing to herself, meanwhile, q sort
: of low incantation, which no one
pretends TO understand.
Not until Mrs. Spencer had been
many days my wife, and the faithful
Mrs. Hurd slept under the violets,
did Alicia ever know the perhdy OF
her former husband.
The true art Of being agreeable is
to appear well pleased with all the
company, and rather 10 seem well
I r.~f%f than han n hrfnar