Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1874-05-28
THE CHEMISTS STORY.
A THRILLING SKETCH

SOulll emu VI Iilc ColieSe DullullS.
Good night Professor" said Tom
1--WE are going to have fall Of hydro
gen, oxygen and trace of saline
Hydrogen and Oxygen-in our
nomenclature, III. O.-is water.
Il hope" said, in answer to Toms
playful words, "that it will not rain
before l can get home"
ooh, no, it won't for an hour yet, y
said Tom.
"Then," l said, with sigh, motto
ing that the mercury in my barometer
was rapidly falling-a sign ofa violent
storm, 81 shall certainly get wet
Tom was very anxious to know
what would keep me up after twelve
o'clock, so l told him was about to
commence analyzing the stomach of a
Mrs Johnson, whose husband now
lay in Pail Gust across the road
from the college, on suspicion that he
was the murderer. Tom said 1 had
worked hard enough that day and de-
served the night to myself. He spoke
the truth. Still, l had delayed exam-
ining the woman's stomach 50 long,
and the trial was so close at hand,
that | could not in conscience put off
the examination further.
AS Tom was passing out the col
lege yard, through the gate, his head
turned, bidding me goodnight, he
brushed against man standing with
his back to the college and his face
towards the prison. The street lamp
showed me that the man was clad in
the police uniform.
Re-entering my laboratory, / took
down a glass jar from a shelf, and sat
down before my sink to examine it.
This jar, which contained Mrs. John
sons stomach, was covered by cloth,
duly tied with strings, and properly
sealed with my official seal in red
wax. Breaking through the cloth and
seal, lifted the stomach out with a
dissecting hook, and laid it on a white
platter before me, then became busily
engaged in applying those tests to its
contents by which we detect the pres
ence of injurious substance.
An hour had passed since the de-
parture of young Richards. I had
carefully emptied the contents of the
stomach into q number Of bowls and
basins. ! had hbored hard to discov-
er traces ofpoison in all this, but had
been unsuccessful. Joe Johnson,
the suspected man, had been a student
of mine few years before. !
thought him a good hearted, intelli-
gent fellow, only little wild, and I
really began to hope that he might
prove innocent, when, among the
masticated food came upon small,
infnitesimal white grain. BY careful
manipulation and the use of my mag
nifying glass, managed to get this
upon piece of smoked glass, and ex-
amined it.
was certain I had discovered ar
senic, but to make assurance doubly
sure, | determined to apply well
known test for that poison.
Accordingly, placed in the wo-
mans stomach the usual acids, and
then turned on the blow-pipe flame,
and presently, upon white and beau
tiful porcelain ground, there appeared
that brilliant, metallic mark, worthy
Of Gains brow, which is the sign and
signet Of the Poison Fiend.
eyes" | exclaimed as | saw the fa-
tai blazon "Joe Johnson Is the murder
er of his wife! With the evidence of
that mark to back me, no power can
save him from the rope"
'Do you really think so ?" said a
calm, squeaking voice behind me.
| turned quickly and discovered a
tall, thin policeman, with red, weak
and watery eyes, standing in my office
door and staring in.--His body looked
as if it had been rolled out long be-
tween his hands, like a stick of mo.
lasses candy. His nose was merely
an elongated tleshy plug, and his fore
head was decorated with two red
streaks, instead of eyebrows. He had
no expression at all in his face, and
his policeman's hat was so large that
it threatened to settle down on his
shoulders.
His uniform reassured me, and | ad-
dressed him thus, with some impa-
tience
"My friend, l suppose l am Wanted
to attend an inquest, Or what is your
Ipurpose?"