Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1805-06-05

sorous years sun blessed with The csteenl
aad confidence Of each other
LAY PREACHER.
- US
From the -Neso York DAILY advertiser.
n Dissertation of DR.. Eeymesie upon The
combustion Of woman called Boyer.
There have fallen into my hands seve-
raj numbers Of the paper entitled LIE No
nfeur Unfuersei. This gazette being re-
cognised as the only official one in France,
the. facts which it reports should be consi-
dered as the most authentic possible.
The following. which find in the NUM-
Der for January 10, 1905, appears 10 me
capable of fixing the attention not only Of
your readers but even OF all the people OF
the y. 5. for the two fold reasons of The
interest II inspires, and the relation it has
10 the yellow Jever--a relation in my opi-
mon, more immediate than one could
imagine.
Parts, Nivose, an. 81.
Sir, the public prints of this week
make mention of a burning to which
woman called Boyer was victim but,
from the imperfsct details they give of
this event, they seem to consider il in The
class of ordinary burnings.
Having been near witness Of this af-
feeling scene, conceive myself right in
regarding it as comparable in every thing
to those events of which instances are ex.
cited, and to which they have given, very
improperly, the name of sflonfaneoas CONT
6usfien.s
!" will content myself by stating the
facts such as they appeared 10 my eyes.
On "Wednesday, Sd. Nivose, towards noon,
having heardthat woman had been found
almost entirely reduced TO cinder, al
though she had no FIRE in her chamber,
but what she had kindicd in an earthen pot.
doubted that this woman had been the
victim Of human combustion, and the in
vestigalions afterwards made very soon
confirmed this anticipated opinion. The
woman Boyer was aged 6s years, and
was so tat that she weighed more than 400
pounds, and according to the greatest
numbers ofpersons have questioned, was
very much given 10 drink
$ II IS 10 be remarked that these cir
cumsiances have hitherto characterised
the phenomenon of human combustion.
Wishing 10 be certain of the fact, I
went myself to the house where the wo-
man lived. After making every enquiry
possible, learned that many neighbours
living on the same floor, and who had re-
tired between I ] and 10 o'clock the pre-
ceding night. had heard nothing that ir
was not till towards 8 o'clock in the morn
ing that the porter of the house bad per-
ceived the disaster under consideration.
Having entered with him into the
chamber Of the woman, which contained
two beds, and was incumbered with other
moveables, remarked with surprise that,
with the exception Of little table Ahdta
commode, none of the articles were da-
mayed by the fre--even the commode
was almost entirely preserved the frame
ofthe window, though hurt by the fame,
was not totally destroyed.
!" One part of the chamber was swim
ming with very fetid liquor; all the mo-
veablcs, the door, the glass, &c. were CO.
vered with gross SCOT.
The remains of the body presented
only the pelvis and the right inferior ex-
tremity.
6 saw nothing that could belong to the
head, to the anterior cx,remi,ies, to the
superior part of The trunk, or 10 the left
inferior extremity.
" have said that nothing or the matter
was perceived at midnight, Though the
odour of an animal in combustion must,
as every body knows, be very fetid and Pc
nelrating j and that il was not I'LL 5 o'clock
in the morning that the remains of the
woman were found in the state which I
have just described. Three hours APP
pears, then, TO have suffced to operate the
almost entire destruction CT the body of
this woman. Can this event he attributed
TO the simple action OF fire May not one
presume that it was caused by the circum-
stances which constitute the very remark
able case of human combustion ? ! may
safely say that this phenomenon (upoB
which Legitimate medicine has hitherto
made no very profound rescarches) me-
rits all the attention of medical men aud
II is this which induced me, Sir, 10
ask you To insert this letter in one ofychr
next numbers in order 10 ascertain, in an
authentic manner, a fact more common
than is supposed.
have the honour TO salute you,
A nrcH 49,