The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-02-07
LOVE AND PASSION.
The story Of a wOman's wickcdness
and Folly.

fine income. the result Of long years Of
practice, very successful too. in a med
ical point Of view. and being a bachelor
loves to gather such Of his old cronies as
time has spared about him. unawed by
the presence of petticoats OF the domi-
neering 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 prisoners, those who pur-
sued 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.
as many historians allege, in CONJUNCTION
with his father, concocted the plan of
poisoning four Of the wealthiest cardi-
nails at an evening party in the Villa
Corneto; but by mistake the poison,
which was mixed with wine, was adj
ministered to Alexander VI and Cesare
himself. But Cesare was saved, having
partaken of but little of the drugged
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-
oners, and that every ambitious man or
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 INDUCED 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
-loo-.-k1xr xx-Et1o kha 1of4ar oonktn.ra1 ~
his hit and miss observations. He was
satisfied from his reading that IS a 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
adversely drew friends together with
hooks of steel.
When ambition stepped in the hooks
of steel that bound friends together re-
Taxed their grip. jealousies were TO-
mented and the glitter of gold dried the
dewy eye of friendship. He did not
think, barring insanity. that a 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
to his will.
DR.. 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-
Guiding remarks somehow reminds me
of a strange case that came under my
observation while L was in practice in
one of the largest cities of the United
States. A Waterman was taken sud
denly i'll while pacing his beat at 2:30
| o'clock in the morning, and was carried
home.
THE nearest physician, myself as it
happened to be, was hurriedly called.
and fastening thither found the man
in great distress. Administering pine
thing to alleviate his pains. | came to
the conclusion that it was a case of
poison by strychnine | put up the
proper medicine, and on inquiry found
that DR.. G. was the regular family ply
stefan. The watchman's wife was hand
some English woman, about IS years of
age, who stood at the foot Of the bed
(. during my ministrations to her husband,
with nothing peculiar about her except
a pair of piercing black eyes. l do
not know that l would have remem-
bered the expression Of her eyes
but for the fact that the Waterman, in
an interval of his paroxysms, groaned
out, oh, doctor! | 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 anxieties 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
lily physician next day, and believing
that the Waterman with the necessary
attention was in a fair way of recovery,
/ retired.
.But the Waterman died. / read or
the fact in the newspapers, but found
that no suspicious attached in the case;
poison was not even limited at. | re-
member only entertaining surprise at
the time, but as the time went by the
affair grew upon me to such a degree
tha< vvac constrained nv curioSify.