Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1879-05-28
The Tragedy at SIoau's.

do | understand, Mrs Sloan, said the
magistrate, ''that YOU make charge Of at
tempted iufanticide against yOur husbands y
"Well. not exactly that, replied Mrs.
Sloan. You see, !"
lone minute-permit me to explain,
exclaimed Nr. Sloan. "Your honor, the
situation is this: We have one baby year
and half old. and then we also have twins
Just two months old Little cherubs, both
of them. Their mothers turn-up nose,
perhaps, but my eyes and amiable expires
sion.
Ills hair, too, Your honor, said Mrs
Sloan. '.his hair-red,'
Before we were married: may it please
the court, said Mr.. Sloan, ''she was fond
Of alIuding to il as auburn, But no matter
She went yesterday 10 a woman suffrage
convention. | stayed at home with the
children-three OF them. your honor,
have only two arms. When two of the
little folks cried would set down Il silent
one and carry those that screamed. Then
the one put down would begin, and ID
have to pick him up and lay down another,
and then it would scream. tried to carry
the odd one pig-a-back, but it was no use,
he would slip down and bump his nose On
the floor Imagine the situation. IL was
hard | was nearly wild. Only two uurs-
ing bottles. and the third baby yelling like
"a Crow Indian. while the twins were feed
ing"
Couldn't he suck his thumb" asked
the magistrate.
Mrs Sloan won't let him. She closed
the gate of joy, so to speak against her own
offspring! Absolutely prohibited the child
from sucking its own thumb, Nero, in his
worst days, never went that far, imagine.
"The historians forgot to mention II if
he did, said the justice.
Precisely. Wei, | got along as well
as | could, when in comes boy with a
note from Mrs. Sloan saying that Mrs.
Gibbs, the vice-president of the convention,
wanted her baby out of the way while hes
was conferring with the select committee
on wavs and means, so in comes the ser
reant-at-arms with Mrs. Gibbs baby for me
10 take care of. That made four. Your
honor, if Mrs. Gibbs baby grows up and
becomes a missionary, be can preach to
heathen in Africa without leaving home.
He has voice like fog horn. So he
turned in and cried, and the other babies
cried for sympathy"
at was hard, = said the magistrate.
"Hard, Well, I'm an accommodating
men. so put one twin in one cradle and
rocked it with my right foot, and | put the
other in another cradle and rocked 1t with
nv left foot; then sat Gibbs baby on one
knee and Johnny on the other, and by a
8 lafr- EarAf oil fDfTr
motion at once. You understand! Well,
sir. Just as calmness began to prevail, in
comes the sergeant -at-arms again with the
secretary's baby. Said Mrs. Sloan had
sent it while the secretary wrote up her
minutes. and wouldn't look after it for
awhilel"
''Was it asleep:"
'sWen, no. Now don't want to eXagge-
rate, Your honor. | am under oath, and
shall try to state the fact mildly. But
am sadly mistaken if YOU couldn't blow 8
church organ with the secretary's baby's
| left lungl II whooped and halloved IN
such a manner as TO alarm me. Then
Gibbs baby joined in, and they gave q
duet. Pretty soon our three tuned up for d
chorus, and-well, suppose whole orphan
ASYLUM should suddenly have a spasm Of
stomach ache, and you can form some idea
of the racket"
"Could't you quiet them by singing To
theml"
''No, sir; you couldn't have heard
bass-drum in that room.
''What did you do'"
II gave the family Bible TO one twlr
and put Websier's Unabridged Dictionary
on the lap of the other, merely to play