Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-12-24

the Only Witness 20 Her sons me,
gttfmacy.
One OF the strangest crimes on record form.
an episode In the history OF the old bor,Ie,
thSmidly OF GIssmes, of Gremes Dyke, in Cum.
On June 1, 1905, at about midnight. DIR. Ross
physician OF Carlisle, was found dead in his
surgery. He lay on the floor, with his RICH,
discharged. Blood flowed from a wound in
the right side of the head, Just under the ear
ana examination showed that the bali had
causing instant a dsatB into the
De clear case of suicide, and a ceroner,s
jury decided accordingly, although there was
no evidence to show that DIR. Ross had ever
dlsplaytd any symptoms Of insanity or de-
preston OF spirits. He was a remarkably
maze, robust man OF 65, OF q cheerful dispo-
slton, and, moreover, very rigid Presby-
viously, and his only son ard child, after
Leading very wild and dissipated life, sud.
denly disappeared, and, 1t was believed, died
In q foreign country.
tune, and had. moreover, within the last ten
years OF his life succeeded to large fortune
lett by an elder brother, who had been a sue
cessful East India merchant. Within a
month Of DR.. Ross death his son, then a man
OF over thirty, unexpectedly appeared, and,
having clearly esta olished his identity, sue
ceeded TO his fathers wealth, and, among
other property, to the house in which the
Doctor died. Mr.. Ross sold all his father s
real estate in Carlisle, and then quilted the
neighborhood. to return TO ermany, where
be had some time before married lady of
title. Dr. Ross late residence was bought
Dy a Mr.. Allen, who renovated 1t and offered
empty, but at the end of that period it was
leased by Mr. Reamer, who was interested
In coal fields in the neighborhood.
The new tenant knew nothing of the FORM
er occupant of the dwelling and he and his
family were In happy ignorance of the trag-
edy which had been enacted there. Mr..
Reamer's family consisted of himself and
wife, a son aged fourteen, two daughters aged
respectively twelve and eight, and another
son aged eleven. On one side of the main
entrance, or hall, were situated the dining
room, breakfast. parlOr and library, and on
the other side the drawing-Toom and sitting
room, the latter being the apartment form
erly used by DIR. Ross as surgery. AS is
generally the case in England, the house had
been sold with the mirrors and curtains cor
nices as fixtures.
In the sitting room, conseq uently, the
Reamers found a fine, old fashioned French
mirror above the mantel-piece, and they al
lowed 1t to remain there. After they had Oc-
cupied II for about q month, Mrs. Reamer
said to her youngest daughter, Agnes, as they
sat at dinner, about O'Clock on an autumn
evening:
"Agnes, go to the sitting room and bring
my handkerchief out of my work-basket"
Agnes departed on her errand, and was a
said:
"what kept you so long. Agnes?"
talking to such a nice old gentleman, who
was standing right by the mantel piece when
i went in
The parents exchanged chances, and the IA
"Who can it be? and how can any one en-
ter the house without knocking"
"I'n co. said the wife, sand see who 1t
Thereupon Mrs. Reamer left the table and
crossed the hall. In moment or two she re-
turned. and said:
"Agnes, my love, you must be mistaken.
There Is nobody there"
"Oh, mammal" the child said, al saw him
with my own eyes, and he smiled at me and
said: What is your name, my dear?' told
him, and then he asked me whether papa and
mamma were ct home. / said you were at
dinner, and he said, Run away, love; I'll see
you again."
Nothing more was said of this occurrence
at the time, but Mr.. Ross and his wife talked
itOver and agreed that 1t was somewhat re-
markable.
Two or three days passed away, and Sum-
day came. Being rainy day. the two girls
remained at home while their parents and
brothers were at church. As soon as they
returned, Agnes ran to meet them.
'Oh, papa!' she said, "1ve seen the old
gentleman again, and he has got something
for you, he says; Come with me, and III
The father, wondering and amazed, fol-
lowed his child to the sitting room. Point
ing TO the mirror over the mantel, Agnes
said: ole brought 1T out and showed 1t to
me, and then put 10 back and said, Tell papa
TO look at it, There it is, just between the
glass and the thin wood at the back"
mirror, and about midway saw something
slightly protruding from it. He put up his
hand, and with little difficulty drew forth q
thin volume. A hasty glance at 1t showed
more careful scrutiny that 1t was a diary.
He carried the book to the library, utterly
That night Mr.. and Mrs. Reamer examined
the book together. 1t was two thirds filled,
and the writing was neat and legible. 1t
evidently contained the entries of a medical
until within three or four leaves of the end of
the entries. There the following very re-
markable words appeared:
May 13-Immediately after my patient left
me yesterday, was taken very ill. The
symptoms were such as are produced by
opium. i took powerful emetic, and the
l had imbibed a large quantity of the drug.
L am puzzled to think how I could have
swallowed the opium. / am still weak from
May 11-My patient was waiting for me
when / came home at noon to-day. She is a
mystery to me. l cannot fathOm her. She
again complained of faintness, and offered
her a glass of wine. She insisted family that
1 should take glass myself. / emptied out
about three -fOurths of glass. AS put the
6 bottle down, she gasPed out st, %Oh, doctor,
brought the strongest essence / had. She
took an affected snuff, aid then said she was
better. she is either slngularly nervous or
preposterously affected.
May ga week since my last entry, and l
am still alive. / have managed to keep the
dreadful secret, and not even domestic sus-
poets it. Another attempt has been made to
poison me, for it is clear TO me now that the
opium was never administered by my own
hand. What this last poison is is q mystery
to me. The symptoms were those of tetanus,
and but for the fact that had just rescued q
patient from hydrophobia and took the REM
edies for that malady, imagining that had
acquired it in some unknown way, should
hot be alive.
May 81 am now thoroughly restored,
but no nearer solving the mystery. Does
any one seek my life? Can it be possible
that / am sOmnambulist, and administer
deadly compounds to myself IN sleep?
June 1.-Have discovered the poisOner at
last? A strange and horrible thing happened
to-day. i came home at noon and found the
front door open. i walked into the parlor
and took up a letter addressed TO me. While
/ read IL i heard a noise in the surgery.
saw that the door leading into 1t was open.
went toward 1t and looked in. My patient
was standing by the bouffet in which keep
wine and brandy. i saw her with bottle in
her hand, holding 1t between her and the
light. She shook it and replaced 1t in the
bOuffet. AS she was in the act of closing the
Ind coughed, and Immediately entered the
room. My patient gave q shrek and dropped
the lid. She was greatly perturbed, and eX-