The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1891-03-02
LOVE AND POISON.

! Old DR.. Sylvester Baird does not prac-
tice now. He is retired upon very
tine income. the result of long years of
practice, very successful too. in a med
zeal point of view, and being a bachelor
loves to gather such of his old cronies as
time has spared about him. unawed by
fhe presence of petticoats or the doni-
Aeering Of grown up children, whose
rapid modern views are intolerant of old
fashioned ways, and who, although they
do not express it in so many words, show
that they are weary waiting the indie
Pendence and power that money brings.
and which they know must be their por-
ton when hand and brain that patiently
gathered it are hidden away in the earth.
with their lying griefs cut in the cold
and repulsive graveyard marble.
One night the doctor and a few of his
gray cronies were gathered around the
blaze of his fireplace, in his solidly COM
portable sitting room, comparing notes
On a case of strychnine poisoning that
had startled the town. From this special
theme they drifted away to a general
discussion of the peculiarities of poisons
and then to poisoners. those who pur-
sned the dreadful trade of poisoning
others for lucrative gain or place or
power, in ages gone by. The doctor of
divinity was especially well versed in all
of the horrible cases of poisoning by the
Borgias of olden days, especially that
far famed prelate, Cesare Borgia, who
rs many historians allege, in CONJUNCTION
with his father, concocted the plan of
~ l,a
mails at an evening party in the Villa
7Corneto. but by mistake the poison,
which was mixed with wine, was ad
ministered to Alexander vi and Cesare
himself But Cesare was saved, having
.partaken of but little of the dragged
wine. All the rest died Then Cesare
seized upon the papal treasures, but was
Afterwar1 overthrown and banished.
1t would seem from what the reverend
gentleman advanced that be believed
that everybody connected with the noble
classes in those far back days were pois-
woman made his or her way to power
through the medium of the poison cup
And then, a natural sequence to the
process of reasoning indulged in by the
cloth, he laid all the blame upon the
theological tenets entertained by the
people in those days, drawing from one
OF the retired merchants present the
cynical observation, "How strangely
like a woman the average clergyman
reasonsI'
Whereat all present, inclusive of the
good natured clergyman himself, laughed
pleasantly, while the latter continued IN
his hit and miss observations. He was
satisfied from his reading that as rule
poisoning was originally confined among
the higher classes of society, and from
this he drew the homily that as a rule
adversely drew families closer together
than prosperity; he was positive that
adversity drew friends together with
hooks of steel.
When ambition stepped in the hooks
of steel that bound friends together re-
4axed their grip, jealousies were 70
nented and the glitter of gold dried the
dewy eye of friendship. He did not
think, barring insanity, that case of
poisoning ever occurred among people
IN humble life. He had yet to hear of
such an instance. Talk as you will, he
asserted, the humber classes are the
closest to God and are the most obedient
60 his will
DIR. Baird, who had his eye bent upon
the fire while the not unpleasantly vol
uble clergyman was talking, looked up
as he closed and said: Zone of your con-
cluding remarks somehow reminds me
of q strange case that came under my
observation while / was in practice in
one of the largest cities of the United
States. A watchman was taken sud-
denly i'll while pacing his beat at 2:S0
O'Clock in the morning, and was carried
home.
1.-The nearest physician, myself as it
happened to be, was hurriedly called.
and fastening thither found the man
in great distress. Administering some
thing to alleviate his pains. came to
the conclusion that it was a case of
poison by sxychnine. l put up the
proper medicine, and ON inquiry found
that DR.. G. was the regular family ply
ssician. The watchman's wife was a hand
some English woman, about as years of
age, who stood at the foot of the bed
during my ministrations to her husband.
with nothing peculiar about her except
n pair of piercing black eyes. / do
not know that l would have remem-
bered the expression of her eyes
but for the fact that the watchman, in
an interval of his paroxysms, groaned
out, oh, doctorl l was all right until
ate that little piece of pork
Il happened to look up at the time and
found the wife's eyes bent upon my face
with a sharp scrutiny of suspicious in
spection. But there was trouble written
in her face, and attributed the look at
the time to the natural an6eties of a
wife. had a more important case on
hand for that morning, and giving the
necessary directions to the woman, to-
gether with instructions to call the fam
ily physician next day, and believing
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