The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1888-02-22
SELECTED.
THE PHYSICIANS STORY.

| o4L11kIA Il GLlJs
THE PHYSICIANS STORY.
\ TALE FOUNDED ON ACCOMPLISHED ~
PFRIMENTS.
Yes, it is true that physicians, of all
other men. meet with strange expericnc.
Is. In my quartcr-century practice. |
have met with many such, but not one to
compare with the romance, for such it
was, which | propose to re ate
One cold winters night, some five year.
ago, | was aroused from sumbcr by my
Office bell Before | could respond, the
vicious Jingle, telling of an inpatient
waiter, once more smotc ON my ears.
"For Gods sake, doctor, said the mes
senger, yet your instruments and hurry
Mr. Blair has been stabbed and is bleed
| ing to death.
| dressed hastily, seized my emergency
bag and WAS driven speedily TO Mr.. Blair 5
house. Edward Blair was one of my
regular patrons; he was very wealthy,
about thirty-iive years of age and had re-
Gently married a young girl of fine family
They had been married now some three
months and certainly had seemed to be rs
devoted, one to the other, ms any lovers
could be.
! shall never forgot the scene which
| presented itself when | entered Mr.
Blair's room He was living on the bed.
the coverings of which were redeemed by
the blood which flowed from wound in
his right breast He was unconscious,
and Mrs. Blair was lying across his body,
to all appearances dead. She was SO sat
urated with blood that at first thought
She too had been stabbed, but cursory
examination convinced me that the blood
was her husbands.
Leaving her in charge of the house.
/ keeper, | turned my attention to Mr.,
/ blair he had been stabbed, by long
narrow bladed dagger, with such force a.
/ to completely penetrate the lung; one Of
the intcreostal arteries had been severed
| and vessel in the lung of some size had
| evidently been cut, AS after had tied the
/ intcrcostal artery the blood still flo ned
| from the wound.
/ controlled the hcmorragc fairly well
by stIptices and bandagcs, and, by the
use of subcutaneous injections of brandy
succeeded in partially rcViving my patient.
He was unable to speak, and ! saw he
could last but Il few minutes at the best.
asked him if he knew who stabbed
! him? He nodded an assent to my qucs-
ton. Tell me who it was, said. He
did not seem to understand well, but
ga2ed vacantly around. At last he at
tempted 10 speak, but could distinguish
no sound; but by noticing the movement
of his lips, could make out the words,
My wife"
Poor fellow" thought, che thinks
of her even in death" / said, "Shc is
all right but tell me who stabbed You"
He fell once more into an unntelligible
condition., but soon reused himself and
tried to speak | could hear nothing nor
could | understand his meaning from his
| lips. He struggled to make me under
stand, and look of anguish swept over
his face each time shook my head
He seemed to sink again, but some
brandy revived him and he began to trace
on the counterpanc some letters. fol
| lowed his movements with brnathlesS in
terest, for | expected tn obtain the name
of the murderer. With slow and labor
ious effort he traced letter II. | repeat
ed the letter and features; after a rest he
began again aud traced out letter y. III
this manner he also traced out the letters
p and \ and was starting on another
when his strength failed and conscious
ness nickcred away.
| found the dagger with which the
crime had been committed. 1t was. as
had supposed, Il long narrow-bladed i'll
strumcnt evidently of Italian make, lis
handle beautifully chased and inlaid with
gold.
inquired for Mrs. Blair, who had been
removed to another room. and was told
that she WAS sleeping heavily. | looked
in upon her, but, As she seemed quiet,
decided not to disturb her. thought it
strange that she should sleep at such
time, bui attributed it tn exhaustion.
| reported the matter to the proper au
thoritieS and went home Sorely puzzled.
Not to weary You with details | will
say that Mrs. Blair was arrested for the
murder of her husband, for no other rea
>onable WAY could be proved to account
for his DEATH The doors aud windows
bad not been disturbed, and it WAS con
ceded that no one could have entered the
house and committed the deed without
detection.
Tine blood tanned dagger was ack nowl-
edged by Mrs. Blair to he her own, one
she had bought in Italy She knew moth
ng Of the murder and said she wa>
awakened by feeling her husbands blood;
She had neither heard nor felt anything,
though the injured nan must have stru@-
gcd more of less till oNerppwcred by
loss of blood.
puzzled much over the letters II. \.
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az" I.,,i,,i,',rF ,,lgr5
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,ha toiI. ar ,lis my.f.rinrs c,i,nn win
Won t,n,t yonsnlr Ia mo ,vitbnuf reserve.
,ha, I n.y as.i.t vnny
w. d,rtnr sha .,il 81 will. Won
wore m ni6 friend Of rdward.s ana |
,rnst you
"No,y toll mo Mrs Bloir was there
any one who would be particularly inter
csied in your husbands ,I.ath;'
NO one She answered.
WAS there any one who had cause
for animosity against him?"
Mrs. Blair he>itatcd and blushed
There was one person" she said "who