Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 93, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 July 1904 — Young John Thornton. [ARTICLE]

Young John Thornton.

Makes a Grand-Stand Play With Carbolic Acid Youug -John Tnorntou, the same wfbo a month or two ago, was the’ hero of a sboo'ing sensation, his leg being tbe stopping place of a bullet fired by Mrs.. Wm McOlintock, has again oreating a large excitement, from a real or supposed attempt at suioide, by that extra hard roed to Jordan, the carbolic acid route. Between 4 and 5 o’clock Tuesday John returned to his father j Squire John Thornton’s place near the depot, and sat down on the walk, evidently suffering frcm the effects of several over-doses of a different and more familiar kind of poison. He soon went into the housa and asked his step-mother where the carbolic aoid was, he having been in the habit of putting i few drops in the % water, when he washed Mrs. Thornton told him it wa9 where he left it, and he went and got tbe bottle whioh contained several teaspoonsfull of the poison, He took the bottle and walked out saying to Mrs. Thornton that he was going to take the stuff. She went at once and told Mr. Thornton Sr, but by that time John had walked west on the railroad, and was out of sight. The Squire at onoe started to look for his sou, and others started 10 help him in the searoh. In a few mi lutes Fred Bird found him in a boxcar, partly filled with crushed jxck. He was unoonsoious, or seemingly so, aud with the empty bottle by his side, and oarbolio aoid on his clothe 3 aud ou the rook near him, His lips were covered with froth. Tbe white of an egg and some milk were hastily prooured and forced down his throat. These two ingredients with what he had taken before he got the poison, being the requisites for. a good quality of “egg nog.” Physicians were hurriedly sent for, and John was lifted out of the oar and taken to his father’s plaoe. There the physicians removed all the egg nog and considerably besides by a byperdermio emetic. An attempt was made to get the tnbe of a stomach pnmp down his throat, but he kicked and struggled so mightly for a supposed dying man, that the pumping act had to to be dispensed with. It WBB not long before John revived enough to eat a good supper. He claims that he swallowed abont half a teaspoonful of the poison, but his physioiaus do not think he swallowed any, or a very little at most, while his father thinks it was all a fake on tho yonng fellow’s part, and that he did not swallow any at all. There is certainly no evidence of acid barns on his lips or inside his mouth-