Rock Island Argus., 1911-04-22

certain features OF tue case tndI i
should like to inquire about from the
nurse" Then. turning TO her. he add
ed, Mrs. Webster. desire to confer
with you in another room"
i glanced at the nurse. and her ex-
preston spoke volumes. She could
not refuse to go with him. yet her
face told me that she dreaded to do
so. She looked a sort Of appeal TO me.
as though to communicate without
speaking that there was reason why
she should not leave the patient But
Jernegan's face indicated that the IN
terview in another room must take
place. and the woman led him out
He shut the door behind them and left
me with the patient.
The moment we were alone together
an agonized expression came over the
invalid's face.
"Have you called me by telephoneT
asked.
Twice
''Ten me in a few words what is the
trouble"
"She's trying TO poison me-
The expression on her face was so
full of horror that 1 stopped her. I
went to the telephone and called for
another nurse. then back to the pa
tent, told her what I had done and
that I would remain until the arrival
Of the substitute. This done. I went
about the room collecting what medi-
cines I could find.
Meanwhile Jernegan remained IN the
other room with the nurse. In ten
minutes the one had called for ar
rived, and. placing my patient under
her care, / went TO the room where
Jernegan and Mrs. Webster were.
Jernegan was looking at book. Mrs.
Webster wars standing looking out OF
q window. She appeared very much
troubled.
There's your quarry" said Jerne-
gan, for the first time dropping all as
sumption Of being a doctor.
II know it." replied. ''The patient
has told me all Mrs. Webster, win
you please come downstairs?
We all went to the floor below,
where we would not disturb the pa
tfent with a scene. and 1 told Mrs.
Webster to prepare to leave the house.
She said she must go to the patients
room, but 1 did not permit this. OF
course.
did not like simply TO turn the wo-
man of because 1 suspected she had
some maugn intention toward her pa
tient, and l did not like to have her
arrested. for l hardly knew what to
charge her with. Notwithsta nding the
fnvalids condition, went to her, leav-
ing Mrs. Webster in charge Of Jerne-
gan, and asked her If she felt strong
enough to tell me what had occurred
between her and her nurse Miss Ed
wards told me that she had seen Mrs.
Webster on one occasion dropping a
powder in some fluid medicine before
giving it. After that Miss Edwards
held in her mouth all the medicine Civ
en- her till her nurses back was turn
ed, then got rid of 1t.
A sick person is so liable TO see what
does not actually occur that l would
not act upon this information without
the discovery Of some poison on the
premises. This could not be done with
out an analysis, and l felt obliged TO
discharge Mrs. Webster. though I told
JerneCan to have her shadowed for n
few days. None. OF the drugs found
turned out TO be poison. This did not
prove that the nurse did not have some
poison which we could not find. l
could get nothing very satisfactory out
of the patient and was forced to be-
lieve that her fears We're the result OF
her physical condition. 1 therefore
paid no further attention to the mat
ter so far as concerned the nurse.
After Miss Edwards recovery, TAX
ing up a newspaper one day. l noticed
that Mrs Webster had been arrested
for attempting to poison Miss Ed
wards while the latter was ill and IN
der her care. It was charged that the
nurses name was not Webster, but
Coates; that she was a distant relative
of her patient Miss Edwards had fall
en- heir 10 a large estate, and Mrs.
Coates was next of kin and in case of
Miss Edwards death would inherit the
property. It was charged that ths
nurse had purposely secured the case
to get rid OF her patient.
The case was tried. ard everything
had seen stated in the newspaper
was proved except the poisoning.
think II probable that it was the
nurses intention TO get her charge out
OF the way either by poison Or mali
cious domination. But since no poison
was found the nurse was acquitted.