Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1842-11-19
George w. Dixon.


We see it is stated that NJ. Dixon has been con-
verting TO the Doctrines of Mesmer sn, many physi.
clans in f ,st jersey.
Dixon is a great IN IN, however viewed. He is
not nrSe man, hut certainly great man. Some
yelrs ago, Mr.. SIoman commenced singing buifo
songs after his wife's excellent tragica perorman-
ces. and i, vas difficult to tell which of them drew
the full house-perhaps both. Slonan's success
struck spark into The bosom of Dixon, and he
commenced singing buifo, and the people went to
he ,r. and laugh at him. He cminently sue
cessfu.-Shortlv afterwards ChauJert, the French
chemist, came to cjty, built an oven in the Ma
sonic Hall, heated almost as hot as Nchuchadnez>
zars and rher shut himself up in the atmosphere OF
c.loric and came out unhaked. He next took dose
of Prussc acid, enough to kill a whole wilderness
of elephants, and escaped without injury, to the as
tonshmcnt Of all lraned prof s.ors and dnctors Of
our city VIII, thou .h he might publish his preven-
tivr or remedy.
Those hngs fired Dixon, ard he obtained Pc
mission 10 get into the heated oven. He came out
Wi kln.dricd hut not burnt He took tn ison
hut he only TO k it into his hand it did not kill
him. Shortly afterwards or before, forget which,
the cholera broke out in our city, and every body
became husv. The citizens scampered oH-those
that could-the physicians stuck by the sick. and
the Councils erected hospitals. One would suppose
that Dixon would have nothing to do in the mat
ter. He was too little given to quiet, to become
nurse-scarcely (at thar time,) sufficiently advan-
ced to set up as a physician. What had he to do
Enough. The enterprising man always finds a
channel for cxeron. Diogenes, it will he recol-
IectcJ roed his tub, when every body else was to
busy 10 see him sit within the slaves. So Mr. Dix
on forthwith published a Cholera G zctte, giving
day by day or from period to period, as he could
issue il, the exact state Of the cty's health. Just
at midday, when the hand Of time was Oh the
mark Of twelve, each day there assembled in front
of the Health Office, a crowd dense enough to Need
! cholera, to listen TO the report Of the Board OF
/ Health on the cases and deaths Of the previous
ty-four hours. And ~ true as the hell struck
twelve, 50 true would George w. Dixon come forth
Of the Health Office and from the elevated step, he
himself, supported by the dgnitaries Of the station
would announce The calamitleS of the time, or give
/ hope of future health. How he obtained the place
Of porsrIirdn of Health Office, We never knew, hut
there he was in the midst, with face hesminG
smiles and satisfaction the discharge ofduty, aud
evincng importance in proportion to the number of
deaths or new announced.
But the cholera left US, and so did Dixon, with
the exception of an occasional visit OF both.
Some persons set upa paper in New York, that
dealt in personal abuse. Dixon determined 10 do
Dhst also, and be was thought worthy besides. Of
prosecution, and for while, he was incareerated.
He walked out of prison just at The time when eer-
tain persons IN England were walking for living
or for bets, Dixon being once on his legs de-
ermined to keep them, and ii the English walked
fifty miles in fifty successive hours, DIXON would
walk seventy miles in seventy successive hours,
sing hall dozen songs, and then walk from Phla'