Vermont Phœnix

Thrilling Incident.—As Dr S. A. Main, Dentist, of Woodbury, was riding through the town of Grafton, Mass., on Friday last, he heard the terrific screams of two females upon a stone wall, opposite a good looking house.

They appeared exhausted with terror, and making an effort to give an alarm to some person or persons in a distant lot. Dr M. and his friend left their carriage, and approached the ladies. They bid him go into the house, but without making any explanation. He was accompanied by one of them who ejaculated continually "I've killed it," "I've killed it," "I've killed it." He followed her into the parlor, and there discovered an infant whose age was about four months, lying upon its back, quite black in the face and apparently near the end of life. After much effort he learned that the mother had intended to give the child a teaspoonful of paregoric, but the sister, who went for it, took by mistake a laudanum bottle, and the mother gave the poisonous dose to the child.

She however discovered her error in ten or fifteen minutes after the drug had been given.

While Dr M. was examining the child, the father, Mr Roswell Clark, alarmed by the screams of the women, entered the house in breathless haste, and seeing their agony and getting no explanation, seized Dr M. with violence. He was able to state in a word the cause of the agitation, and then asked for an emetic, but was told there was none in the house. He next asked for vinegar, as he recollected reading in the papers that vinegar was sometimes an antidote for laudanum—but to all his inquiries he was met by the sobs of one and the cry of the mother, "I've killed it."

The father had mounted his horse for a physician, but was assured that no help could come from any one in season to be available, when he abandoned the attempt.

Dr M. in the mean time, was obliged himself to search the house for vinegar, which he found, and at once administered a table spoonful. In less than three minutes after, the child exhibited signs of life, by a twitching of the muscles, and soon it began to vomit and cry, and in less than half an hour it was out of danger.

The manifestations of gratitude towards Dr M. on the part of the family, was beyond all bounds and quite embarrassing. When refusing the money offered him, the mother insisted upon his taking a gold necklace which she unclasped from her neck, and it was with great difficulty that he could escape without it. He gave us permission, for the benefit of others, to state the remedy which he applied, though he may be surprised that we have gone so far into the particulars: but the account may interest others as it certainly did us. Parents will do well to remember the virtues of vinegar in such cases, though they had better not give their children laudanum for paregoric. When Dr M. returned through Grafton, he found the child well, except a slight bowel complaint, probably the effect of its severe dosing.

New Haven Palladium.