The Rhode Island Republican

Precocious Depravity.—An uncommon instance of malicious depravity occurred in this city on Monday. A lad who was an apprentice to a respectable apothecary, had been detected in some dishonest practices, and his master had determined on sending him home to his parents. In order to prevent an exposure of his fault, the boy attempted to poison the whole family.

On Monday forenoon, he went to the house and inquired of the cook what was in preparation for dinner; and having ascertained, he sprinkled arsenic on the meat, batter, &c.; put a portion of the same poison in the tea-kettle, and mixed another portion with sugar in the sugar bowl. He then put a cracker in his pocket and said he should not come home to dinner. Immediately after dinner the whole family of six persons, including a domestic, were seized with vomiting and violent irritations, the effect of the arsenic. Medical aid was forthwith called and the proper antidotes administered. Last evening, we understand, that four of them were convalescent, but two were still dangerously, and it was feared fatally, ill. So determined was the young delinquent to leave no blotches in his work of destruction, that he threw arsenic into a pitcher of water, in order to poison a boy who was a boarder in the family, and who, he knew, drank no tea. The arsenic sank to the bottom before imparting its deadly quality to the water, and the intended victim escaped the poison although he drank of the contents of the pitcher. The culprit confessed the crime, and stated the particulars as we have given them above.

Bos. Cour.