Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-08-21
THE CHEMISTS STORY.

|
in the medical college of p.
1t was about l o'clock on q stormy
evening that babe good night to my
student, Tom Richards, at the door Of
my laboratory, at the south end of the
college buildings.
Tom was very anxious to know what
would keep me up after 12 o'clock, 80
told him l was about to commence an
alyzing the stomach of Mrs. johnson,
whose husband lay in P jail, just
across the road from the college, on sus-
picion that he was the murderer.
AS Tom was passing out of the college
yard through the gate, his head turned,
and bidding me good night, he brushed
against a man standing with his back to
the college and his face to the prison.
The street lamp showed me that the
man was in police uniform.
Re-entering my laboratory l took
down glass jar from the shelf and sat
down behind my sink to examine it. An
hour had passed since the departure OF
young Richards had labored hard to
discover traces of the poison i'll all this,
| but had been unsuccessful. ice John
son, the suspected man, had been a stu
| dent of mine few years before
| thought him good hearted, intelligent
! fellow, only little wild, and really be-
| gan 10 hope that he might prove limo
| cent, when, among the macerated food,
came upon a small, infnitesimal white
! grain. By careful manipulation and the
use of my nagnifying glass l managed
to get this upon piece of smoked glass
and examined it.
was then certain | had discovered ar
se!lic, but to make assurance doubly sure
determined 10 apply well known test
for that poison.
Yes" | exclaimed, as saw the fatal
LlazoH, 200 Johnson is the murderer of
his wife! With the evidence Of that
.-!.;i'; to back me no power can save
IA.
% You really think so:" said 4 calm
yo.ce behind me.
| turned quickly and discovered tall,
laH,l policeman, having red, watery eyes,
standing at my Office door and staring
in. His body looked as if it had been
rolled ont long before his hands like a
molasses candy stick He had no ex-
preston at all in his face, and his police
mans hat was SO large that it threatened
to settle down on his shoulders His uni
form treasured me and 1 addressed him
with some Impotence.
My friend, suppose l am wanted to
attend an inquest, or what is your pur-
pose:"
Twas police surgeon rs well as coroner.
Don't bother, professor; the man amt
dead yet, but they say he will be before
morning"
What's the matter with him."
Brain disorder, | mean something
wrong here"
touched my forehead, and so did he
as he said: cay, as thought I'd drop in
and tell you if you were going to the
station tomorrow to take look and
see if it is post mortem or not. Besides
wanted to see where | could always
find you in case of need"
bowed, and attributed his visit to a
feeling of curiosity. He sat on the sink,
and while his eyes wandered about like
one who felt himself called upon to say
something, he said:
Professor, there has been an accident
this afternOon-terriGle, too
"What was it?'
Nitro glycerine explosion up in the
iron mills-a hundred fellow mortals
busted"
"Sad!"
Affecting, very" Here he rubbed
his mouth with the back of his hand.
Professor, what is that nitro glycerine"
Its very dangerous article" | an
swered, happy to display ny knowledge.
1T has nearly twice the destructiveness
of gunpowder, but, unlike it, does not
explode on the application of 'heat. A
red hot coal dropped into it will not ex-
plode it. 1t will freeze. 1t is yellow and
greasy"
"You don't mean to say So" said the
officer, interrupting me in disagreeable
tones in the middle of a choice extract
from one of my lectures. "Why, but
you haven't told me how it goes off. If
the fire won't burst it, what in-(hem)-
will?"
told him if it were pressed, or any
thing fell on it, it would explode.
"Place it under the crusher of cider
mill, strike it with a hammer, let
weight fall on it from height
YES" said the man, "and that rouses
its volcaner, does it,
81 suppose, professor, that ere can
would make a mighty big noise if al
lowed to explode here all at once?"
at would blow the entiee building to
atoms" said 1, resuming tbs analysis of
Mrs Johnson's stomach.
Mo- 1 heard the policeman remark
in deliberate Yankee tones, "you don't
say so:''
The next moment lay on my back, a
gag N my mouth, terribly frightened
and sick at heart. Over me stood tho
policeman and the first thing that func-
tionary did was-loohng me straight in
the face-to take off his nose. He then
nd himself of his eyebrows, hair and
cap, and became a determined looking
fellow, with the eyes Of fAnd and ths
nose of Roman
80 you think" said the metamor-
phosed, in the tones Of a gentleman,
''that nothing can save Joe johnson
from the rope? Poor fellow! Il does
look like it! But my dear professor, Joe
johnson is fortunate enough to have in