The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-09-07
POISON.


with great misery to me. The period be
gan with tragedy. but l am glad to say
1t ends with comedy.
/ was a drug clerk. but am now free
man. was apprenticed ut the age of IL,
passing several years. in the mental duties
of boy of all work. Ey gradual stages
rose to be clerk in the pharmacy and
was intrusted with the compromising of
prescriptions. l never had diploma in
pharmacy, but | know my business.
During the spring season we were tax.
ing stock, and many of the drugs in bot
ties, packages and boxes were removed
from places they had occupied for many
years You will understand that the drug
gist is 80 familiar with the location Of GER
tain drugs that he can take down the right
bottle or open the proper drawer with per-
feet confidence that he is not laundering.
Heavens, how well / remember the
night 1t was raaing outside, and the
customers were few, when young WON
an entered. She was poorly attired, as
remember her-tIua knows | never can
forget her-aprurently governess or a
lady's maid. She asked me for one Of the
email samples bottles of u popular inedi-
cine given for headaches, and | went at
once to the proper draw er, opened it, reach.
ed therein, took ont Il bottle of the specific,
wrapped it in paper, handed it to the girl,
received her money and resumed the work
of posting up the ledger for the day.
may as well confess that my thoughts
were somewhat distracted BY letter
had received from Enuly. ! had been en-
gagged to Emily for three years, and moth
Ing hut the failure Of my employer to in
creilse my wages--as he had often promis-
ell TO do-prsvented our union. Young as
was. | had seen enough of life to reallz'
the necessity of money about house, and
although Emily was quite anxious 4
mako the mad plunge into matrimony
was averse o taking her from u couforta
Die home and setting W. an esta blishmeut
of my own on the small salary OF $40 4
week
Only that afternoon had received let
ter from the dear creature that appeared
to me cold and spiteful, and in the post
script detected real sting. 1t contain
ed only the words: Don't come tonight
! am going OUT Oh, ii she could have
known the misery for mo in those wretch
ed little sentences If she had not writer
them, am quite sure l never would hav,
suffered the agony Of mind that has mad
me so miserable.
As sat writing. there suddenly CAM
into my head n feeling of indeinabl,
dread. felt that something terrible hal
occurred or WAS about TO happen. l knew
itIstnctivcly that it was associated witt
1 my solitary customer and tho drug hat
! given her. | sprang to the drawer, opened
it, to find, ~ | hid surmised, that its con
tents had been changed and that hat
| given the girl bottle of arsenic insteat
of tho simple and harmless salt of bromide
and magnesia as l had supposed.
Every fiber of my body thrilled will
horror. realized that might be respon
sible for hundred tragedies The WON
an might be cook in hotel or child
nurse aud give the deadly salt to an limo
cent infant She might be II desponden
wife, angered by harsh treatment, ant
burning with thoughts OF revenge towart
a vicious husband; she might be n dis
carded sweetheart, bent only on ending he
own sad life; she might be a heartles
daughter goaded to desperation by a''crue
stepmother' = uinstices-indeed she nigh
be all these characters in one so far as tn
uses to which she could put the deadl.
poison were concerned.
| rushed cut upon the street. | forge
whether / locked up the drug store or no
had left it open. llatless, dashed alonl
the thoroughfare, seeking woman who's
face and form We're only vaguely know
to me, hoping to detect among the hun
. dreGs who tironged the street Oh that bus.
Saturday night the possessor of the ounc
Of arsenic.
Uncertain IA to the identity of the won
an, scrutlnized every female who hat
a package in her hands as hurried madl
In the direction OF the nearest police sta
tion. stopped each officer I encountered
told him In hurried, broken sentences m,
dreadful mistake and put him on hi
guard, encouraging him to expect ut leas
one tragedy within few hours.
/ reached the station house just befor
tho O'Clock relief was sent out The mel
wers drawn up in line by their sergean
and instructed regarding their conduct il
the terrible emergency. This Is what h
said.
1t will be your duty, men, to leave n
means untried to find the present possess
osery apartment, house and tenement
knock at every door and nequaint the resi-
dents Of their danger. You will ring tn
bell ut every private house and insist upol
seeing the responsible member of the fam
, lily, in order that the information you i'm
part shall reach the ears of people VIII
will appreciate its gravity and act upon |
at once have Just wired the informa
ton to ,,r1irn - it5uartprs and Snperin