The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1879-03-19


showed me, however, that / was mistaken
With great points of likeness, there was also
manifest unlikeness. at the moment still
felt quite certain that there was some rela-
tionship between them. A sudden thought
occurred to me, and said:
az think you are a relation of Miss Quill
limaine, the nurse, who was lately at Meth
erton?'
'She seemed annoyed and surprised by
the question, and delayed her answer for
few moments, and then said:
eyes sir; Nurse Quillimalne is my sis
ter
az thought saw likeness between you
What is your name? Is it Quiliimalne ALSO?
"'My name is Sarah Mount, SIR
"sNow, Sarah Mount, want to speak with
you privately before leave the house.
"'She followed me into the little parlor,
positively pale and trembling. / felt con-
inced that was on the right track of sus
pecting her, and yet, In the absence of any
definite reason for suspicion, 1t was not at
all clear how 1 could act for the best.
II resolved that would adopt exactly the
same line of conduct as I had done in Miss
Brinckman's case.
"'Sarah Mount said, my patient has
not improved as 1 hoped to find him i'm
proved. / have q strong idea that this is
quite as much case for the police as for the
DOCTOR
"'She was terror stricken.
GO shall bring a policeman with me to-
morrow morning, and shall, most probably,
think it nv duty to give you in charge
Il watched the effect of my words narrow
ly. OF course an honest woman would have
resented them bitterly, and have demanded
that should explain fully this extraordi-
nary language. But no attempt of the sort
was made. She covered before me as l was
speaking.
81 added mercilessly-
"And when 1 find my patient better, 1
shall expect that you will give weeks no.
tice and go away. You are not to go away
before a week, however, that may see how
Mr.. Wilson progresses; but you are not to
stay a moment longer than a week unless /
give you permission. Do you hear, woman?
/ exclaimed angrily, raising my voice and
stamping my foot.
al will do exactly as you say, SIR she
said humbly.
"Then rose to go. First of all went up
stairs and saw that my patient took his
medicines under my own eye. Part of them
had been disposed of, but felt no conf
dence that they had been duly administered.
l made a careful examination OF everything
in the bedroom, and, indeed, as far as
could, all about the place, but, l am bound
10 say, without finding any corroboration of
my malign suspicion.
81 went to Mr.. Wilson's house next morn
ing and found him very much shaken, IN
deed, but considerably better. He contin-
ued to improve, and in about a week he was
quite well.
"At the end OF the week the nurse or the
housekeeper, whichever she chose to call
herself, went away quietly
1.-THE carear of the medical man is not I'M
eventful; but 1 have always looked upon
this as the most singular combination OF cir
Gums sauces that has ever happened to me-"
And have you no explanation to give?"
None whatever. The facts are facts
which can not explain, and beyond which
I am unable to GO / call 1T simp.v a medi-
n m W. uncOlvp6 marianne mile
problem
But suppose you have an hypothesis, a
guess of some sort, to account for the cir
cumstancss?"
well, to say the truth, have: but the
hypothesis is so strange and far-fetched that
/ hardly like to mention it."
but let me hear it all the same"
81 have had occasion to notice several times
that there are some sorts of medical secrets
preserved in families. Probably 1t may be
a simple, useful, innocent concoction, the
secret of which may not be known to the
local medical man, although he may hazard
shrewd guess az to Its composition. For
instance I have known medical men to
look, not only without displeasure. but
with pleasure and approval, on a plaster
inherited from their own grandmothers
Within my own experience l
have known such recipes to
make cures which the faculty have
not been able to make. But sometimes
these old fashioned secrets have darker
history. People have left off believing in
witchcraft and the evil eye, although there
may still be some out of the way places
| where this is the clse to this very day.
Occasionally, however, there is a belief, now
| very rarely found in any part of the coun-
| try, but not totally extinct, that in such or
such family there may be the art of caus-
ing death by certain undiscoverable means.
Most probably in the present state of science
the so-thought undiscoverable means are
coarse and very easy of detection. 1t might
happen that the secret OF a poison may be IN
q family-a poison subtle and safe, or II
coarse and common, there are people who
have it, and are intrepidly WICKED enough
| to use 1t. We know that in the middle ages
| the knowledge of certain poisons was con
fined to the members of some Italian fami-
| lies-a knowledge which was regarded as
rare, precious and profitable, and was turned
to most lucrative account in what might be
almost called professional practice.
Human <nature is very much the
same everywhere; it is the hardest
thing in the world to kill out any spe-
| cial form of evil. 1t is my impression there
are still few families in whom fingers a
special knowledge of poisons, and in the
| case OF some depraved people disposition
to use them. Now, If this hypothesis, mon
strous as grant it to be, is true, we shall
have the circumstance accounted for that
here are two sisters apparently in possession
of the dark art of slow poisoning, and actu-
ally using it,.
s'But what would be their object? Who
| would know of such wretched people and
! want to employ them?"
You will observe that in these two cases
| we have an old woman and an old man,
each chiidless, each evidently with consider
able property. Somewhere there would be
people who would profit largely by their
deaths. Now go a step farther. Imagine
the following mbination OF circumstances
First, that there Is family with a knowl
edge of secret-or at least what they sup
pose to be secret way of poisoning, with
members wicked enough to use it. Secondly
that there are wicked people, in two differen
parts of the country who are at the same
time calling in the aid OF two members o.
this family for a murderous purpose
Thirdly, that by a marvellous combination
of circumstances, / was called into both o.
these cases Such q combination Of circum