The Ohio organ, of the temperance reform. (Cincinnati, [Ohio]) 1853-1854, 1853-11-25
THE STRANGE VIsITANT.
rEARFuI CASE oT pELIRIUM FREMGNs
f9f 20 ny bs.. J. \. sSoDdRAss.

"a
village, a new suburb, were surprised,
one morning, at rather unreasonable
hour, by a "call" Of a very extrior.
dinary nature, which would unques-
tionably have created deal of terror,
in the absenceI of the gentleman OF
the house at the moment, but for my
accidental presence as guest Of the
house. It was made in the person Of
a man who had evidently come forth
from pretty pasable toilette, which
however had seemed to have proven
Of little present avail. He was tall
and gaunt in figure his whole counte-
nance wore the lineaments of excite
ment, intense and uncoptrollable; his
eyes glaring and unsteady; his facial
muscles twitching, asif almostready to
start from their tremendous attach-
ments; his coat was freshly torn; his
elbows thickly coated with mud and
sand, not yet dried; his pants and
even his coat, neck-cloth and collar,
having partaken Of the same misfor.
\ tune. On his nose was bruise,
which appeared to have been produced
| by recent fall. .i5
\ With faltering, stammering tongue,
and fragmentary, incoherent speech,
| he called for water.
\ "Water-a drink Of water! I'm
famishing with thirst! Water if you
\ please!"
There is no water near. But, turn.
I ing from the hall to the breakfast
table, | seized a pitcher Of milk, as a
good substitute. He grappled it down
eagerly, with had quivering like an
aspen leaf r 1of t
\ What in the worlds the matter,
man? why so muddy?" / asked ex-
periencing some difficulty in com
manding my own reason-often tried
though it had-been because Of the
disconcerting effect upon terrified
persons around me.
"Matter-matter!" he answered,
with widest nervous accents. "Terri.
Bile calamity, sir! An earthquake
in the city-one-half the city destroy
ed--gone gone, sir - destroyed
H swallowed up, siT!"
II CCuox,, HON n. No1 ,,oo,n 9j1
/ "Do you tell US" interposed stan
4 derby. -
"By comet-a comet, sir"
you're a testing, man." replied
chow could comet do that ?"
No jest sir! It's done, sir--tht
whole of Long Island is in the sea-
sea-deep sea, sir; people all drowned
amid screams terrific! I've just rur
from the scene, in agony Of fright
run all the way-cut Of breath"
II fell lldown," !" he continued. "Ant
see, seep-looking up at the tele-
graphic wire along Eighty.Sixth stree
-"they are telegraphing news to the
moon! Listen-there, hear that
turning his ear toward the Harlem
railroad-it's rumbIng still! 0, me;
feel the earth quaking under mel The
comet is here -here, it's following me
See it!"-fxing his glaring eyes upor
a tattered kite, which some urchin had
left upon the wire, by accident, or or
purpose--"there it is! I feel the
earth culver! We're in the very cen.
ter of the shock and whirl Of the
earthquake! The sun is whirled tc
the west--see itl' Hnnal
And he trembled and quaked, pool
fellow; and stared wildly, almost de.
moniacally. a,ng.e
His hand rested accidentally upon
a sheep.skin door rug, hanging on the
porch balustrade. A slight rattle
struck my own ear. He started back
exclaiming, "Don't you hear the rum.
bling? And see these figures: head
of Queen Victoria--a serpent--a de.
mon! See, see, see!" (They were
some soil-spots on the flesh side O
Ill tbo e1oo IL s3i ft