Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1913-08-27
CATIONS
NURSE
BY ELIZABETH WEED

an interior station TO see a young Off.
Ger. Lieutenant Caxton. who was Ill. I
found the lieutenant In the house OF
widow with a very pretty daughter.
He was in bed intermittentiy. for at
times he was qIite able to be up and
about. when he was confined TO his
room the young woman had the care
of him.
The thought entered my head that
perhaps Caxton was sojering In order
10 remain In close proximity to the girl.
but was soon convinced that he was
really III. His symptoms not being IA
miliar to me, l did not know what to do
for him except to give him stimulat.
ing drug Qiiinine-to help him to throw
OF what was troubling him. But be
did not improve, and was puzzled
what next TO do.
bad some experience with Indian
poison cases. though not much, and II
Caxton had not been In the care OF q
girl who treated him with such tender.
ness that l could not doubt she was In
love with him would have believed
that for some reason or other she was
poisoning him.
Talking one day with the widow, I
learned that they were not a family
indigenous to India. but had come
from lava. II then flashed upon me
that l had heard that Javanese girl
who loves a man will either have him
or kill him. This gave me clew to
Cartons case.
From that time forward I watched
his nurses every movement also
told Caxton Of my belief that his nurse
was In love with him He confessed
that he had begun to suspect as much
himself and that he had occasionally
treated her with more consideration
than he should have done asked
him II he had noticed that he was bet
ter at such times. and he said that,
come to think Of 1t. he thought he had.
From this I surmised that when he
gave her hope she lessened or discon-
tnued her poison doses.
Ny problem was TO discover II she
was really poisoning him and II 30 In
what way. In most such cases the
drug is administered In the food. l
succeeded In getting samples OF the
food the patient was taking at times
when he was In a low condition and
analysed them. but could not find the
slightest trace OF anything that should
not have been there. Eastern races
are famous for their methods OF poi
soning. and l had during my service
In India gathered some Information
regarding them. therefore kept my
eyes open with view TO discovering
some other way by which Cations
nurse was working on him, II she was
doing so at all, OF which I was by no
means sure.
suggested to him TO get out of the
house, but he said there was no hos
pital for him to go to and be was re-
ceiving much better nursing than he
would In his quarters. saw that It
would not be easy to make change.
and the only other way for me to do
was 10 solve the puzzle OF his Illness
A common way OF administering poi
son In countries where 1t Is much used
Is by means of finger ring. person
wearing one viii clasp the hand Of an
other. and minute point pricking the
skin VIII inject q poison / noticed
that Cations nurse wore a ring on her
finger and suspected that she gave
him doses in that way. pretended to
admire the ring and asked her to let
me examine 1t. She handed It to me
without hesitation. and / looked 1t
over very carefully. No, poison was
not administered In that way. The
ring was perfectly plain gold. and II
there had been any injecting apparatus,
however minute. I would have discov-
cred It.
Another Indian method Of INJECTING
poison is through the air. II Is often
breathed and sometimes inhaled from
a perfume. There are persons In In
dia who have taken deadly poison In
minute doses, gradually increasing
them till the poison takers have become
immune 10 harm and 80 saturated with
the drug that their very breath is dead
iy to others I shuddered at the idea
OF Cations nurse being one Of these
But after contriving to get 80 near her
for few minutes that I could take
her breath felt no unusual sensation
from II whatever. So I gave up this
clew.
Seeing a plant in Caxton's room,
told his nurse to take 1t out. since the
perfume of flowers Is considered harm
full to the sick She obeyed. and after
that did not see It In the room again
I'LL one morning went in to see Cax-
ton before his nurse had fixed his room
for the day. Then I saw the plant
and asked him how It came to be
there. contrary to my instructions. He
Informed me that his nurse was accus- |
toned to bring It to his room before
leaving him for the night and taking
1t away the first thing in the morning |
l at once pounced upon this as at
fording solution Of the puzzle. had
heard Of the poison plant Of India