The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1877-04-05
From the Chicago Times,
AsnroX. Illinois. March y.

| ASHTON, Illinois, March -.
The centre of the excitement ia lee
county is this little town OF Ashton, a
pretty villaee Of 20 inhabitants on
The Clinton division Of the Nor;hwes.
tern Railway, about eighty>thrce rules
| from Chicago. Something less than
wear ago there dropped IN upon the quit
! folk Of that burEh the Rev. :. II. McGee
| ar "the elder" rs everybody soon came
| 10 call him. There is quite settlement
| Of so-called Christians heTelbouts and
he came 20 preside over their church.
| Tie brought with him his wife, one year
| his iuni0r. q daughter about fifteen years
/ OF age-whO became a mother at ihlr-
/ teen-and 4 son about lively. years OF
| age. Nrs. McCee WAS IN upretentIuuS,
unassuming, pleasant lady, whom 10
| know was 10 respect.
| Residing near this village Is awealthy
and influential farmer, one the nabobs
| Of this region. named Thomas Paddock.
with grown-up daughters One Of the
! most attractive is LOrella, or "kilia," ~
everybody calls her, who has seen about
| twenty summers. Mr.. Paddock, beir.
one Of the pillars Of the church, cxer;cd
| all lis influence 10 make the stay Of the
! elder among them as pleasant rs possi-
| bic, and the families in n short time
came 10 be on very intimate visiting
terms.
Itwas soon observed that the preach,
| er showed decided preference for the
society Of Rilla, and II was said by many
that the young lady returned his fond
ness.
When this preacher made his adyeu,
| here, Rilla was engaged TO a young man
named Throop He had been here but
few months whenit is reported, Mrs
ThrOop saw the preacher kissing or At
tempting TO kiss her prospective duugh;-
er-in-law at 4 camp meeting. This en-
ragged the old lady. She made a row
about il. She was determined 10 have
n church meeting over the matter, but
the affair was finally hushed up 80
avoid bringing the church Of God into
scandal
Sometime about the 10th Of February
Mrs. McGee became III, and DR.. Brown,
a physician Of excellent reputc in this
section Of country, was called 10 attend
her. The symptoms kept changing, and
about the time he determined il was one
thing, il would appear 10 be something
else. To the doctors mind there were
indications Of poisoning. However. in
the course OF n few days she so far re-
covered that his visiting ceased. About
the 2Jlh lie was again called, and after
leaving four powders, the first Of which
was administered by him elf, he len. |
This was about o O'Clock in the evening
At o'clock the next morning he was
again sent for. The symptoms were
alarming. He found that the powders
had all been given, and the patient was
in spasms Rilla Paddock was i'm the |
house, with several other ladies, in at |
tendance upon the patient. The doctor |
asked her TO 20 10 the drug store, not
more than a hundreds yards removed, |
and tell the druggist 10 give her some |
chloroiorm. The druggist complied with |
the request, but as soon as Rilia was
gone he hurried TO the doctors house |
and asked Mrs. Brown TO run over tothe |
parsonage and call her husband, as he |
wished 70 see him on important busi- |
ness. Mrs. Brown complied. As soon |
as the doctor came into the house the /
the druggist remarked 10 him that he l
Believed that he was dealing with a case 4
Of poisoning, as Elder McGee had called /
there early in the afternoon aud procur- |
ed some strychnine.
This confirmed the doctors worst |
fears. He hurried back to the parson- |
age as fast as his legs could carry him, |
and as soon as he entered the sick room
h gathered from the floor the papers |
which had contained the powders and /
the spoon with which they had been adj |
ministered. He also directly ordered |
coilee as an antidoie. The nurses at the |
bedside instantly surmised what was in |
the doctors mind, and remarked to one
another. This means poision."
At the inquest which followed the de-
cease of Mrs. McGee, Mrs. Freeman
Nettleton, one Of the nurses, testified
that when the patient took the first
powder, administered by the doctor him
self, she made no remark. Two hours
later, when she herself gave the second
Mrs. McGee said, "Oh, how bitter this
IS" The Third powder called for no re-
mark. On taking the fourth, however
she was already in spasms-the patient
again spoke up, saying, "Oh, this Is ter
ribly bitter; this is like the second one"
Mrs. McGee died shortly after six o'clock
in the morning, the last hours Of herIife
being marked by terrible couvulsions.
As she expired her knees were so tight
ly pressed against her chest ~ 10 leave
their impression there.
The physician advised post t-mortem
examination, and the Coroner was SUM
moned. The evidence being ngexceeding-
ly damaging, the stomach was sent TO
Chicago for analysis, the jury in the
adjourning until such annaly-
sis should be made.
On Friday night the report came from
Chicago that the chemist had found one
grain Of fstrychnine in the stomach, On
asst Saturday the CoroneF's Jury held
heir adjourned session. At this time
Dr. Brown gave important testimony adj
liiional to what he had deposed at the
irst meeting Of the jury Then he only
-ecited the facts as presented in Ihe
.bOVe narrative, with some additions, TO
he effect that he had tasted the papers
tao Of the powders and
Ound them bitter also the spoon, with ,
yhich the pow ders were Administered
while the powders he had prescribed be-i !
ng composed of bismuth and calomel, I
we're tasteless. The addendum he gave I