The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1904-11-07
THE MYSTERIOUS PATIENT
[Original.l

l had just tumbled into bed after a
hard days work among my patients
when there was a sharp ring at the
telephone. keep the instrument with
in reach of my pillow and seized the
receiver.
doctor. my nurse is killing me. II
you DON'T
There was a click, and after that 81
lence. | had been shut of. l rang
and called "Hellor' and Central" at
last getting a reply from Central" Of
whom | asked with whom / had beer
In communication; but the girl at the
office couldn't tell me.
| was too much discomposed to lie in
bed with the thought of one of my pa
TENTS being murdered by a nurse whom
had recommended q recommend all
the nurses employed in my cases., so
got up. lighted the gas and waited.
hoping for another call. The voice was
more like that of a woman thai a man.
but what woman l could not tell. |
have a large practice and so many pa
tients that it would be considerable of
an effort to go over the list with a view
to studying probabilities. gradually
subsided to the opinion that there had
been some mistake in the call and en-
deavored to dismiss the matter from
my mind. After an hours waiting |
turned in again and finally fell asleep.
| aWOke before daylight and lay
thinking over the matter of my strange
telephone message. At that hour, when
one is rested after a nights sleep and
all is yet quiet, the brain is clearer than
at any other time. l reviewed all my
patients, but not one of them was like
ly to have cause to be dissatisfied with
her nurse. Patients sometimes turn
against their nurses for some reason.
usually because the nurse chooses to
become domineering. | was forced to
the opinion that this was one of those
cases and resolved in my round of Wis
its that day to keep my eyes open with
this in view.
| breakfasted and started earlier
than usual, proposing to spend addi-
tional time in discovering who had call
ed me. Nevertheless, though l was ex-
tremely watchful, l failed to detect
the slightest discord between any of
my patients and the nurse in charge.
During the night the telephone bell
rang. | put the receiver to my ear. and
a voice was saying. doctor, doctor.
doctorr pitifully. "WelI," l said.
whereupon the voice continued. my
nurse is killing mel" There was a
click and no more words, nor did | sue
coed in getting the voice again.
l made up my mind the next day to
interview every woman patient of mine
without her nurse being present. Wher-
yer | called | sent the nurse out of the
room and asked the patient if she was
satisfied with her attendant. All IF
them answered in the affirmative eX-
cept one or two, who, though they were
not especially pleased with their at.
tendants. were not disposed to change
them. None of them intimated that her
nurse was i'll treating or killing her. I
went home feeling very much discour-
aged with my investigation. The next
day, of twelve nurses | had asked to
leave the room while | interviewed the
patient they attended. seven asked to
be relieved of their duties. AS every
doctor needs good nurses, I was very
much troubled. l asked them all to re-
main at their posts till | could explain
my action, and l then went to a detec.
tive office, related the circumstance and
asked if they had a man who would
ferret out the case. One of their num-
Der was assigned the duty, and | dis
missed the matter from my mind.
l was not called up again by the
mysterious patient, but l learned aft
erward that the detective left instruc-
tions with the central office whenever
| was called to call him first. If the
call was not unusual | was then called.
Two days after my visit to the de-
~tective Office | received a note that if
the next night l should go to a house
occupied by a gentleman whose fam
lily physician l had once been | would
receive an explanation of my singular
calls. Before going to bed l went to
the house in question, where | met the
detective. He took me upstairs to a
bedroom and there left me, and l heard
him carry something into a room ad-
joining. This done, he came in through
a door which he left open, putting a
finger on his lips to insure silence.
We sat for a time without speaking.
l heard nothing in the other room ex-
cept a grating as of something against
metal. Suddenly there was a click. 1t
was the raising of a telephone receiver.
and a cracked voice said, Il want DR..
Scarborough" Since | am the doctor
referred to l was somewhat astonished.
The call for DR.. Scarborough was re
peated lit occurred to me that Central
was asking for the number) till at last
1 heard a ring and then: Doctor, doc
tor. my nurse is killing me! Ii you
don't take her away shall die" This
in part was repeated several times.
Then there was a click. The detective
went into the adjoining and call
ed on me to follow.
There. hopping about, was a huge
parrot. the only occupant Of the room.
This parrot" said The detective, 'oc-