Vandalia Whig and Illinois intelligencer. [volume] (Vandalia, Ill.) 1832-183?, 1834-05-29

MIsCELLANEO US.
LAST ILLNEoo OF MR.. WRIT.

illness of Mr. WRIT, written by gentle
man who attended him through that illness
We proceed to extract the principal part u
Of it.--Chr1S G0z.
son The evening of Saturday, tho Stf
instant, he was in playful spirits, anc
sangune of the success OF an argument
which he was to make in court on The Mon
dav following. He felt better satisfied with
his preparation, he SAID, than with any he
had made for years before. On Sunday,
he walked to the capitol to church-it was
n damp chilly day, and the representatives
hall was crowded and warm. To go i'm
mediatey from it into the cold, damp air,
and walk SLOWLY as he did, a mile to his
lodgings, might have been deemed lmpru-
dent. in one whose health was less precari-
Gus than his then seemed.
That nigh; he complained of slight in
disposition, and in the family worship Of
the evening, prayed with un unusual fer.
vor, and seemingly Il, forebudlng spirit,
which he communicated not, save to his
God. But even this was sufficient to ex
cite vague approximations in a family al
ways ready to note and to dwell upon what
soever might seem to bode danger or safety
to friend SO dear.
On Monday he was confined to his room
no serious approximations were entertained,
but a physl~ian was called int was only
a cold. On Tuesday he was worse, but
we feared not the result. He complained
of stiffness of the muscles of the throat,
and swelling of the gIands-milk poutices
were applied to his face, but gave no relief.
On Wednesday he was much worse, not
SO much so as to excite alarm; on the eve
ming of this day 1t was first discovered
that the disease was Elysipelas, ga new
enemy of which Mr.. Writ then express
ed his fears. sit was not the foe with
which he had been SO long accustomed to
contend.
His constitution was too weak, as the
physician apprehended, to stand the vigor'
Gus treatment which would have been most
efficient in destroy ing the disease. By
Friday, the alarm had become very serious
the door was crowded by anxious inqur.
ing friends, and those who met in the street
asked from each other the latest intelli-
gence. The affection of the family was
extreme, but there was still hope. On
Saturday, his daughter and son-in law ar.
rived from Baltimore, aad were shocked tic
find the ctse so much worse than their
worst fears.
Scarcely GUNNER of hope was left to
us, but this feeble ray was most anXiously
watched and chershed.- When once shad-
owed by so deep gloom, the least of the
twinkling stars in the armament is more
precious TO our sight, than is the sun itself
in the noon-tide of an uncIouded day.
Death, from the first Of his illness, had
continued to approach with steady pace,
and in form more than usually hideous
The fine countenance so bright with intel.
lect, so beaming with beneyolence, was
sadly atered-by the disease partly, and
partly by remedies so iruitessly applied
The eyes had lost their specuIation-he
eloquent voice was hushed-the divinity
had departed from the temple, and its walls
were delaced, but life still fingered, loath
to abandon habilauon which had SO long
given TO thing in itself 50 worthless,
beauty, purity and worth.
The attending physicians were Drs.
Hunt and Hall; none could have been
more an1iousy attentive; the l.ter slaid
with him every night Of the last four or
five.
About noon on Monday, consciousness
returned; and he had power to speak a
few words. Nature had made las; elf,rt
TO permit him to take leave Of his family
and friends. to give them assurance that he
died in christian hope, and to join them in
prayer to his God The Rev. Mr.. Post off
ciated. In 50 much Of ,he prayer as re,
lated to his family and his own acceptance
with heaven, he seemed heartily to iuin-
but when a petition was offered that he
might be restored to health, he audibly
dissented ''no, mol" He had done and sui-
fered enough in this contentious world, and
he was enutled to the release, and the
transfer to a higher existence, which the
just and good are authorized to expect.
1t was now become manifest, even to the
most sanguine that recovery was beyond
the remo.est probability. He was toe
shining mark for death longer to miss
All that was left to us was to smooth his
passage TO the tomb--to hoisten his dry
parched lips and tongue, and perform such
little offices of affection as might soolhe
his last suffering.
During the last eighteen hours, he was
tranquil as child. Breathing and warmth
were the evidences Of lile-no motion, nc
pain, no OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Law The