Alexandria gazette & advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1822-1824, 1822-06-11

No debility was manifest these three
DAYS, no irregular muscular move was
remarked, his ideas continued sound,
and he wrote with his usual facility.
From the 9Th to the 9th, to famish-
ment insensibly succeeded the much
more grevious suffering of thirst, which
became SO acute, that on the 9th land
he had not as yet undergone fourth
part Of the terrible agonies which were
to end in death without ever deviating
from his resolution, he began to mois-
ten his lips and mouth occasionally, and
to gargle with few drops of water to
relieve the burning pain in his throat
but he let nothing pass the organs of
deglutition, being DESTROYS not to asuage
to the most insupportable cravings, but
TO mitigate pain which might have
shaken his resolution. On the 9th, his
physical powers were little weakened,
his voice was, nevertheless, still sono-
rous, pulsation regular, and natural
heat equally extended over his whole
frame. From the Sd tothe 9th, he had
continued to write; at night several
hours of tranquil sleep seemed to sus-
pend the progress of his sufferings; no
change was observable in his mental
faculties, and he complained ofno local
pain.
Until the 10th, the burning anguish
of thirst had become more and more in
supportable Viterbi merely continued
to gargle, without once swallowing a
single drop of water; but in the course
of the day of the 10th, overcome by ex-
cess of pain, he seized the jug ofwater
which was near him, and drank inn
moderately. During the last three
days, debility had made sensible pro-
gress, his voice became feeble, pulsa.
ton had declined, and the extremities
were cold. Viterbi, however, continued
to write and sleep, each night still af-
fording him several hours ease.
From the 10th to the 18th, the symp-
toms made slight progress. The con.
stancy of Viterbi never yielded an in-
slant; he dictated his journal, and af-
forwards approved and signed what had
thus been written agreeably to his dic-
tation During the night of the 18th,
the symptoms assumed more decided
character: debility was extreme, pull
sasion scarcely sensible, his voice extra
| ordinary feeble; the cold had extend
ed itself all over his body: and the
pangs of thirst were more accute than
ever. On the 18th, the unhappy man,
thinking himself at the point of death,
again seized the jug of water, and drank
twice, after which the cold became
more severe; and congratulatipg him.
self that death was nigh, Viserbi
stretched himself on the bed, and said
to the Gensdarmes who were guarding
him, "Eook how we'll have laid my
self outs At the expiration of quar-
| ter of an hour, he asked for some bran-
dy, the keeper not having any, he called
for some wine, of which he took four
spoonfuls. When he had swallowed
these, the cold suddenly ceased, heat
returned and Viterbi enjoyed a sleep Of
four hours.
On awakening, Con the morning of
the 18th, and finding his powers re.
sumed, he fell into rage with the
keeper, protesting that they had de-
ceived him, and then began beating his
head violently against the wall of his
prison and would inevitably killed HIM
self, had he not been prevented by the
Gensdarmes.
During the two following days, he
resisted his inclination to drink, but
continued to gargle occasionally with
water. During the two nights ne suf-
fered little from exhaus alton, but in
the morning found himself relieved
! II was then that he penned number of
stanzas.
On the 10th at S o'clock in the NOR
ming, his powers we're almost annihiia-
ted; pulsation could hardly be felt, his
body benumbed with col and it was
thought that he was on the point of ex-
piring. At ten o'clock, he began to feel
better, pulsation was more sensible, his
voice strengthened, and, finally, heat a.
gain extended over his frame, and in
this state he continued during the whole
of the 18th. From the latter day, un
til the Goth, Viter6i only became more
inexorable in his resolution to die; he
inhexibly refused ell offers of aliment,
and even resisted the torturing pangs of
thirst; not drop of water did he swal-
low, although he still from time to time,
moistened his parched lips, and some
times his burning eye lids, from which