Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1829-09-12
F,on, The caua;iosdyi. IN ~ Telegraph.

ne perusai OF INC io"o""5 MISUNDERSTANDING
from our oblging correspondent, will serve to
correct the many vague and untounded reports,
respec,ine.the melancholy fa'e Of this family
An unusual state Of excitement has lately
been produced, in our neighborbood, by the
appearance of an anomalous and destructive
disease in the family Of Mr.. Flanders, OF the
town of Root, in this county. We have re-
Trained I'LL now from giving a statement OF 1t
to the public, with the hope Of being. able 10
throw more light upon he cause OF ihis direiui
visitation, by some new developments OF tac'si
which in the hour of sorrow and mourning,
were either unknown or forgotten But we
have hoped and waited in vain. Every thing
concerning the cause of this disease lies buried
in the same mystery that clouded the hour OF
its birth,
7, only remains for US, at tAe present, merely
10 state its appearance, progress, and lrrmlna'
tion. and refer the reader to his own medical
knowledge for solution Of the proximate eause
On Sunday evening, Aug. 9Th, George Flanders,
aped 26 wears, was suddenly attscked with in
| distinct vision, single obj cts appearing dou-
Bile. vertigo, Utilization Of the pupils, and pain
| in tb- bowels. Abou. the middle OF Sunday
NIGHT cholera morbus succeeded, accompa'
MED with spasmodic ffnc'ion Of the throat,
deplu,ition becoming di Al, ul, and on the noon
Of Monday both the power Of swallowing and
Of sperch were amos, entirely lost. This day
{ Monday old Mr.. Flanders, aged 70 John.
s. BENJAMIN, 81, Margaret. q. BeNey, 40,
Mrs. Cramer, also a child Of old Mr.. Flanders,
40, and her daughter Margaret, aged 10 years,
all we're attacked with precisely the same symp'
toms as George.
Thus, within he term of forty eight hours,
eight Of the most muscular and healthy people
in this town were struggling under the same
dangerous ard mysterious malady. AS the
symptoms were alike in all the cases, differing
only in .he degree and duration, history nj
one will be Observation-Disclosures We shall conti-
nue. tina, of George, as being the most marked
and rapid Medical assistance was hrst called
on Monday evening. The means resorted TO
for his relief seemed TO have a momfn'ary good
effect Tuesday, the smallest quantity OF fluid
almost produced strangula'ion: whea not in the
art of swallowing. brea'hed perfectly natural,
complaining Of no pain. and rational Wed
nesday forenoon, continuedshe same O'Clock
P NJ. died. Thursday, p. M, Margaret Ora
mer died.
! On The Sunday following. 6 p VI. John Elan
ders died; and at IL o'clock same night, the old
man. his father Thus the father, his two sons,
and grand daughter, in the short space Of ONE
week, were swept inro the bourne OF eer nifty
~ the same mvs,iied instrument OF dea'h, and
four other children on the very point Of travel-
ling the same fearful path. The hurials were,
indeed indescribable scenes of ,ffliclion The
bed.ridden, aged mother, who's sckened soul
was held out by the merest ihread of existence,
was carried from corpse to corpse, to weep her
las, farewell over her earthly hopes-over the
ofi5agn me vicissraurs 'v&rs FL and cherished
we beheld so much sympathy, or so many tears
shed, as when The vasf congregation Of people
carried, by pairs, the dead 10 the last and only
peaceful freehold of man.
The bodies, immediately after death, became
covered with dark purple spots. and their sto.
uachs were found to be in a high sac of in,
Aamma,ion-the internal coats nearly deetroy
ed and the interior part Of each putting on in
many places. a gangrenous appeara There
was not the slightest in dicatio of his innam-
nation while living. The contents Of tn, s'o-
mach were carefully put upin bottles, and sent
to Professor Hadley in Foirfeld, who, after de-
liberate examination. could detect no deleteri-
Gus substance in them whatever
The opinion Of the attending physicians, De.
| Ianeey WINE, and Shuler, Is, and most proba-
bly, it is the true one. tina, some vegetable mar.
cotic poison taken in the food, has been lhe
cause of this lamenrabIe catastrophe: and that
, the poison must have been taken the day pre-
vlous to the general attack, as one Of the YOUNG
men did not reside with his father, Blu, merely
came on visi, that day, Sunday and return
ed TO his usual residence the same e,ening.-
VT he, through the food that he used at his "a.
theirs that day, had the disease in all us malie-
nancy. The general rumor. as 10 its original
i"g from the use of pickles made in copper
vess'I cannotbe true, as some Of these that died
used, at no time, any pickles whatever.
Whether the actual and specific cause will
ever be known, we cannot tell The disease,
we are confident, will extend no farther But
this we do know, that the symptoms attending
most vegetable poisons have been present in all
their virulency in every case, and that no COM
mon MALIGNANT rount,y caya,.