Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1845-09-12
HASTY BURIALS.
AN EXTRAORDINARY CASE.
From her Second Series Of Letters from
New York"
BY LYDIA MARIA CHILD.

By ia MANIA Nhibb
From her Second Series of "Letters from
New York."
The yellow fever ragged f~earfully in Boston,
the last part of the eighteenth century. The
panic was so universal, that wives forsook
their dying husbands, in some cases, and
mothers their children, to escape the conta-
gious atmosphere of the town. Funeral rites
were generally omitted. The Death carts"
sent into every part of the town, were 50 ar
ranged as to pass each street every half hour.
At each house known to contain IA victim of
the fever, they rang a bell, and called "bring
out your dead" When the lifeless forms
were brought out they were wrapped in tlrr-
ed sheets, put into the cart, and carried to
the burial place, u~naccompanied by relatives.
In most instances, in fact, relatives had fed
before the first approach of the fatll disease.
One of nay fathers brothers, residing in
Boston at that time, became a victim to the
pestilence.-When the first symptoms APP
peared, his wife sent the children into the
country, and herself remained to attend upon
him.. Her friends warned her against such
rashness. They told her it would be death
to her, and no benefit to him, for he would
soon be too i'll to know who attended him.
These arguments made no impression on her
alfectionate heart. She felt that it would be
a lifelong satisfaction to her to know who at
tended upon him, if he did not. She accord
ingly stayed and watched him with unremit-
ting care. This, however, did not avail to
save him. He grew worse and worse, and
finally died. Those who Went round with
the ''death %carts,'' had visited the chamber,
and seen that his end was near. They now
came to tlke the body. His wife refused to
let it go. She told me that she never knew
| how IN amount for IL hut tbo,rrh bn "a, ~ y
fectly cold and rigid, and to every appear
ance quite dead, there WAS a powerful i'm
preston on her mind that life was not ex-
tinct. The men were overborne by the
strength Of her conviction, though their w
reason was opposed to it. The half hour a
gain returned, and again was heard the SOL
emn words, "Bring forth your dead"
The wife again resisted their importuni-
ties, but this time the men were reSolute.-
They said the duty assigned them was a
painful one; but the health of the town re-
CURED punctual obedience 10 the order they
bud received; if they ever expected tue pes
thence to abate, 1t must be by a prompt re-
moval of the dead, and immediate fumiga-
ton Of the apartments. She pleaded and
pleaded, and even knelt to them in an agony
of tears, continually saying, 81 am sure he
Is not dead" The men represented the ut
W doSuluilJ Vi suCH dl tued, nut finally o.
vcrcome by her tears again departed. With
trembling haste she renewed her efforts to
restore life. She raised his head, rolled his
limbs in hot flannel, and placed hot onions
on his feet. The dreaded half hour again
came round and found him cold and riuid as
ever. She renewed her entreaties so despe-
rately, that the messengers began to think a
little more gentle force would be necessary.
They accordingly attempted to remove the
body against her will; but she threw herself
upon 1t, and chung TO it with such frantic
strength, that they could not easily loosen
her grasp. Impressed by the remarkable
strength of her will, they relaxed their eff
forts. TO all their circumstances, she an
swered, sit you bury him, you must bury
me with him." At last, by dint of reason
ing on the necessity of the case, they obtain
ed from her a promise that, if he showed no
signs of life before they again came round,
she would make no further opposition to the
removal.
Having gained this respite, she hung the
watch upon the bedpost, and renewed her eff
forts with redoubled zeal. She placed kegs of
hot water upon him, forced brandy between his
teeth, breathed into his n~ostrils, held harts-
horn to his nose; but still the body lay mo
~tionless and cold. She looked anXiously at
the watch; in five minutes the promised half
hour would expire, and those dreadful voices
would be heard passing through the street.
Hopelessness came over her; she dropped the
head she had been sustaining; her hand trem-
bled violently; and the hartshorn she had