The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1906-11-07
itiI! smell smoke. R2n upstairs, J.en
ME, aod sec what you can find.

I
7 ;an up and she fo1lswed me. Whe
size saw the bedclothes burning IN th
wsshroom, Mrs. Winship screamed ap
there was q rcsh upstairs. Mr.. Wtnshi
and Harry and the hired man an
Roscoe ran up and got b,snksts fror
the bed snd smothered the fire. Mrs
Winship leaned against the door
nearly fsinting. She ts]ked in Lex
voice to her husband, and heard th
word "ircendiary." Nobody locke
at OF paid Any sttention to me excsp
Wilbur. I put him to bed in the rooD
around which the smell Of smoke still
hung and kneeled beside his bed, an
with my hand on his ourles prayet
God that the next tins tried to tax
Wilbur away with me I should no
fsil.
The next day I walked around q
though was in dream. MS. Win
ship looked at me in queer way ant
telksd in q low voice with her husband
good deal. When neighbors came
In they would say. Have you snl
idea who set fire to the barn?' snt
Mrs. Winshtp would answer. "Not
yet, but we think we will.
I was terribly frightened, not be
cause they might punish me but be-
cause they might take me away from
WILBUR. AL Of that Thursday night
I lay awake and thought what coulc
do to keep the baby with me. At least
I formed my plans.
The next morning; Friday, about
o'clock ! went to the south front
ICON, downstairs, got up on 8 chair
and took the bottle OF s'rychnine from
the top shelf In the closet. I slipped II
under the 9ingham apron [ always
wear and carried i5 to the back stoop,
where 7 hid 1t under the washer, OF
stationary washstan6. Then I went
upstairs into the south front room sno
get the bottle Of iodine from the clos
ct and wet g piece Of cotton with the
iodine, leaving the bottle where /
found 1t, and went downstairs. Hsy.
iDg done this I went back for the pan
under which I had hid the bottle o.
strychnine, put the bottle into it, and
dropped some leaves over 1t IN csse
some one should see me with it. Car.
rying these went out to the garden
to pick some beans. At this time and
nearly all morning ] wss sll alone. I
had noticed that Mrs. Wtnship and
the others seemed too busy to talk to
me, and that every one either stared
at me- in strange way OF kept out ct
my way. It seemed to me that every
one was pointing at me or saying,
You burned the bsrn. You set fire
to the house" It made me Wild. /
picked 2 painful Of bcans, and went to
the orchard to get some peaches. /
picked a few ci the ground. One big
peach I picked from the tree.
Then I carried out my plan. I pour
sd some strychnine from the bottle
upon the cotton. The bottle threw
upon the ground, covering 1t with
some grass snd dead lesVes With the
cotton in my hand started for the
house. On the way there Wilbur ran
out to msst ne. BE pointed to the
big red peach in my hand, and Walked
with ne to the house. trying with his
little hand to pry the peach out OF my
ssrcrg one. We went into the house
snd l 1. u1d Mrs. Winship sitting at 3
table, reading. She looked at me cold.
lg ard dropped her eyes upon her book
without word.
Wilbur wants some OF the peach.
May I give him some OF it?" l asked
~ g." she ssid, If 1t is ripe"
NJ chance had come. wilbur fol-
lowed me to the table, and ! went and
sat down directly opposite his mother
peeled the peach in plain sight OF
Mrs Winship. She didn't notice US,
I stopped for : minute after I had
peeled the peach and looked at her. I
quickly lifted up the tablecloth. The
cotton was damp and dark with the
iodine. I, was afraid Mrs. Win3hip
aould smell it, but she bsnt her mead
lower over her book. Holding the
sablscloth up little, so that Mrs
Winshtp could not see if che trtned
around suddenly, rubbed tie iodine
and ssrychnine sprinkled ccston on
the peach. I handed Wilbur 3 piecs
Of it and ate the rest myself.
I watched him est every morsel CT
it. Then I put him into bis little
rocking chair and lett the room. Going
to the kitchen stove I threw the cot
ton into it and watched it ourn. l
hurried out on the porch and threw
the peach pit into the high grass IN
the yard.
Almost Is soon as I went back the
baby vas then sick. He twisted bis
poor little body and cried as though
be was in terrible pain. I almost cried,
TOO, but at that Winship telephoneo
for the doctor sno put US both to bed.
I lay their and waited and waited. ]
wanted to hesr that the bsby hso
gone. l. q little while heard bis
screams and 7 twisted the be6clothes
End cried because be was 10 agony
The screams stopped, and the doctor,
coming to my door, said. "Wilber is
dead" :.
I did not CRY. Why should I? Would
T not sac him In heaven in few min
utes or hours? 7 was very sick, bu1
after swhile the doctor sstd: "Sht
has an overdose, ana will live. " Ther
I cried. The neighbors, who had coms
in, put their hands over their CARS t.
shut out the sound.
The next day asked them to le
me see Wilbur, and when they showed
ne the bsby in his little white dress
his bands crossed on his breast an
his sweet face smiling, I threw: n:
self across the f6a and cried l
killed him but we are seperatsd afss
all. o, God. LIST me die, 700.
They brought me to the whit
Platns jail, and here I wait and wal
and wonder why Wilbur should haV
s;os ,oS Tvss 1eSt behind. [ love