The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1883-10-10
The Doctors Story.


ious that / should come H. Iht
opportunity was an excellent one
and / embraced il; and whed l had
been there a year | bad a practice iai
better and more extensive than l had
ever before enjoyed. Among those
who became my warm personal
friends were Frederic Lawson and
his wife: and their friendship was
worth having. Mr.. Lawson was
over 20 wears of age, a hale, hearty
old man and his wife was the very
picture of domestic health and com
fort. He was the wealthiest man II
town. being worth over 100000, and
was one OF the most valuable cltl'
zens.
One day in the early part OF sep.
tember l received a request TO attend
at Mr.. Iawson'- without delay. Ii
was in the afternoon, and when !
arrived | found the old gentleman
and his wife both sick. They had
been taken Just before noon with
cramps and chills but they were
much easier when l arrived than
they were when they sent for me.
gave simple emetlcs with some
other medications, and then LETT
them promising to cal again in the
morning.
In the morning | found them no
better than before. They tancled
they were much better because they
suffered no pain; but | could see that
the- were really sick.
The nurse was named Margaret
Allen. She was a peculiar person,
though. on the whole, rather pretty.
She was of medium height, with
light brown hair, greyish blue eyes,
and her face, with IT, finely cut tea
lures, was pale and thin. She had
represented herself as an orphan,
without relatives or friends, seeking
a quiet retreat, where for faithful la
Dor she could have a quiet peaceful
home.
Another week passed, and the sick
ones were surely failing. There was
nothing remarkable about the prog
ress of the disease, for it worked Just
as | might suppose that such a mall
adv would WORK.
1t was Monday morning again,
and Mr.. Lawson asked me If /
thought be would live. | sat down
and told him Just what | thought.
He might live some time-perhaps
for several weeks-but / did not
think he would recover. And then
/ told him thatif hewished to make a
will he had better do so without
delay.
No" said he. Il have no will to
make. | have no children Of my
own, and nv property. if my wife
and | both die. will 90 to my broth
erls family. / had one child-a
daughter. She was precious child
10 me. and vet she stuck me heavy
blow. | had a servan; named Stein
burg, a shrewd, unprincipled fellow,
with an exterior polish and comely.
He won my daughters love, and she
ran awav with him and married
him. | did not disown her; tried
to have her came and live with ne,
hut she would not leave her husband.
/ could not have him beneath my
root. for he was a villain. At the
expiration of few years Steinburg
died. leaving MS wife with one
child, a son. Ithen took my daugh-
ter and her boy home, and ere many
days she died. The boy turned out
worse than his father; SIX years ago
received news Of his death. He
died in Calcutta of fever, and the
captain OF the ship wrote to me that
his body had been decently buried.
/ breathed more freely after that, for
it took away the necessity ofmaking
will just for the purpose of disin-
heriting my heir. which | would
have been forced TO do had William
Steinpurg lived"
IL was three days alter this, on
Friday that my suspicion of some
thing wrong began to oppress me.
On the Friday morning | found the
old man more feeble than he had
been before, and while / was with
him he had a spell of vomiting. The
matter elected from his stomach had
a peculiar look, and | asked him
what he had been taking. He said
he had taken nothing but his resting
powders. took some ofthe matter
away with me, and before noon
had submitted it to a chemical test
which betrayed the presence OF
poison There was arsenic; but the
arenic was not alone. 1t was pre-
pared poison-a compound formed
upon some subtle basis-calculated
TO destroy life without giving token
of its presence. In this case it was
evident that an overdose had been
administered.
AS soon as / had made a careful
analysis of the contents of my phial
| returned to Lawson's house and
made change in his medicine.
There was a boy in the family, lit
tie fellow some II or l3 years of age
a son of the cook. whom / thought
could trust He was bright as q
lark. and / knew that he loved Mr.
Lawson. / called him into the gar.
den and asked him if he would like
to help me serve his master, and
furthermore, if he could keep bis
own council, even from his mother
l was not disappointed. knew
from his manner or reply that
might depend upon him. ! asked
him what he thought of Margare
Allen. He said be didn't like her
And the little fellow shook his head
He felt more than he could explain
i told him that ! wanted him tC
watch Margaret Allen in every pos
sible way. | wanted to know every
thing she did, only she must no
know that he was near her. H,
promised to the best be could, and
then dismissed him.
That evening | was with my pa
tients at 9 o'clock, and with m,
own hands gave the medicine.
told them I was going TO try n new