The Natchitoches enterprise. (Natchitoches, La.) 1888-1965, 1898-12-01
NOS.
THE DOCTORS STORY
TRAGIC HlsT oRY OFJoE, HIS MOTHER
AND TIE eA3Y.

sfcfAn's Mind by the Story of a Murder
In a Bowery Saloon.
"lt's q queer world, " said New
York physician as be laid the morning
paper aside.
"What prompted that original re,
mark?" asked visitor
"Well, / was just reading an nccouns
Of stubbing affair and it suGd&aiy oc.
curred 10 me that l had known the man
who did. the killing" The doctor set
tied hack Ia his cilair, eba tie vieitoF
waited for the story. After d few mo-
ments 1t came.
"When first began TO practice did
an immense amount Of charity work.
Every fellow does that at the start for
experience, and later lie keeps it up for
hum &ity's sake l had pretty good sue
cess with children and made quite n
name down In the tenement districts
and incidentally spent most of my pocket
money on my patients That was before
the day Of free sterilized milk for sick
babies and dozens of institutions for the
relief of the poor.
Zone summer woman began bring
ing sick baby to me. A small boy,
about years old, always came with
them and seemed TO be fairly strong and
well, but The baby was pitiful little
thing, with thin, white face and big
blue eyes with look of pain in them.
The woman seemed all ignorant honest
soul and generally wore thick, dark
veil to hide black eye or great blCo
bruise. It's easy enough to figure ont \
thing like that, you know, but she never
spoke Of her husband or complained, SO
| didn't ask any questions She brought
the baby often, and each time it looked
more waxen and scrawny, but l coulGn't
find out that the child had any disease
and all the symptoms pointed to lack
of nourishmeut
"At last one morning said to tho
mother that l believed the baby was
starving, and that / Gida't intend to
allow her to leave the Office until sho
had told me the truth abOgt the affair
She locked stubborn for moment and
wouldn't answer, bat then the tears bo-
gan to roll down her bruised, discoloT-
cd ci Is, and she con-, --ed that sb3
didn't nave enough food to give The bn-
by. Sac worked hard, bu5 nar husband
drank md took every cent she mado
and beat her every day into the bar
:" 1rssin nNch9 was fond Of the brute in
srite Of q1,ey--,,,t ~ t and told ire long sto-
~ ahsut the naaviAl ~ nature tho ftI-
-low had before he beg5f f'ITo"'
FINALLY tcld her 4-,.ou4a- ,,-r - 6er
@ quart of milk every day | wouldn't
give her the money because | didu t
covet the privilege of buying bad whis-
Ky for tie husband but | would pny
the nearest milk depot TO supply her
with quart day. That would feed
the baby and leave some Tor little
Joe, who didn't look quite SO we'll as
he did when the two first began calling
on me. After that | dian hear any
more about the case for week or two.
Then my friends turned up again. The
baby looked worse than ever, AID tho
woman's face was a patchwork i'll bme
and green, but little Joe was Qnite rosy.
/ didn't understand. The baby was in a
bad condition, and did what | could
for it. After / left my office / went
down to the milk depot The man said
my woman had had her quart OF milk
every day.
81 puzzled over the thing that night.
The next morning the trio were at my
office. The bGby's blue Gyal ds wero
closed, and l thought at ftra5 thac Il
was not breathing, but found f&Int
futter l couldn't see any reason for
such a state of things, SO once more l
led the woman into my private Office
and shut the door. Then | said:
"Now, look here There's mystery
about this, and you've got TO tell me
what's the matter. That baby's starv-
ing to death, and want TO know what
you've done with the milk.
1.-The woman looked scared and turn
ed pale between bruises Then she gave
sort of wall and jumped up, still
holding the baby
No, tho baby didn't have the
milki' she said in frantic sort Of way.
i gave it to little Joe. There wasn't t
enough to feed them both, and Joe be-
gan to get sick, and loved him better
than did the baby | amt had a crust
to eat myself, but couldn t let Joe die
The baby's only girl, and if she does
live she'll be unhappy like me, and
don't love her like do Joe, thought
both Of them were going to die, and
couldn't live without Joe, so | gave
him the milk and just let the baby have
little. Maybe you think amt suffer
cd watching the baby, but i couldn' Z
spare Joe. | couldn't. Some day he'll
be man, and I'll be proud Of him. A
man can do anything, bat girl would
just do what I've done Joe shan't die. :
"She was screaming the words ort
and seemed almost crazy. The thing
was awful. 1t made me feel heartsick.
why, you idiot, / said, why
didn't you tell me? I'd hare looked out
for Joe too.
".Iust then tho baby opened its eyes
great, uncanny, weird eyes in the tiny
face. 1t stared at me in miserable way
that made my heart come into my
throat. Then all the light died out or
the eyes, hut they still stared
"There was no use saying anything
more to the mother She sat down and
looked at the Eaby in quiet stunned
way. Then she reached out and put an
arm around little Joe and held him
tight told her would keep on pay
ing for the milk as long as she wanted
it, and she and Joe and the baby went
home
II never saw them again When /
went to the house, they iat moved. and
no one seemed to know * Eere they had
gone. Joe's the fellow vino has just