The Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, Ohio) 1853-1861, 1854-08-26
The Great Plague in London.


ing the Great Plague that prevailed in the
seventeenth century, in the city of London;
For this was the year and the time of the
great plague In London. During the winter
! of 1864, it had been whispered about that
some few people had died here and there of
a disease called the plague, in some of the
| Iunwholsome suburbs around London News
was not published at that time like it is now
/ and some people believed these rumors. and,
some people diSbelieved them, and thev were
soon forgotten. But in the month of Nav
! 1868, it began to be said all over the town,
/ that the disease had burst out with great vi
olenCe in st. Giles, and that the people were
dying IN great numbers. This soon turned
out TO be aWtully true. The roads out Of
London were choked up by people endeavor-
! ing to escape from the infected city, and
large sums were paid for any kind of con
veyanCe. The disease soon spread so fast
that 1t was necessary to shut up the houses
IN which sick people were, and to cut them
off from communication with the living,
Every one of these houses was marked on the
outside of the door with a red cross, and the
words 8 Lord have mercy on usi' The streets
We're all deserted, grass grew in the public
ways, and there was dreadful silence i'm the
AIR. When night came on. dismal rumblingsl
used to be heard, and these were the wheels
OF the death cart, attended by men with
yelled faces, and holding cloths to their
mouths, who rang doleful bells, and cried in
a loud and solemn voice, " Bring out your
dead The cOrpSeS put into these carts
were buried by torch-light, in great pits, no
service being performed over them-all men
being afraid TO stay for a moment on the
brink of the ghastly graves. In the general
fear, children ran away from their parents
and parents from their children. Some who
were taken ILL., died alone and without any
help. Some were stabbed or stranged bv
hired nurses. who robbed them of all their
money, and stole the very beds on which
they lay. Some went mad, dropped from
their windows, ran through The streets, and
in their pain and phrenzy flung themselves
Into the river. These were not all the hor-
rors of the times The wicked and dissolute
in wild desperation, sat in taverns, singing
roaring songs, and were stricken as thev
drank, and went out and died The fearful
and superStitious persuaded themselves that
they saw supernatural sights burning swords
in the sky, gigantic arms and darts. Others
pretended that at night vast crowds of ghosts
walked round and round the dismal pits.
One mailman, naked, and carving a brazier
full OF burning Goals upon his head. stalked
through the streets, crying that he was IA
prophet, commissioned to denounce the
vengeance of tine Lord on wicked London.
Another always went to and fro, exclaiming
" Yet forty days, and London shall be de-
stroyed!" !" A third awoke the echoes Of the
dismal streets. by night and day, and made
the blood of the sick run cold, by calling out
necessarily, in deep, hoarse voice, 90, the
great and dreadful God"
Through the months of July, August and
September, the great plague ragged more and
more. Great fires were lighted in the streets,
IN the hope of stopping he infection; but
there was plague of rain too, and it beat
the fires out. A last the winds, which usu-
ally arise at that time of the year which is
called the equinox, when day and night are
OF equal length all over the world, began to
blow and purify the wretched town. The
deaths began to decrease. the red crosses
slow ly to disappear, the fugitives to return.
the shops to open again, nd pale, frightened
faces to be seen in the streets. The plague
had been IN every part Of England, but in
the close and unwholsome London it had .
killed one hundred thousand people.
COMPARATIVE CosT OF SOLDIERS IN EUROPE
The following statement which is founded
on data afforded by Marshal Marmont will
show the relative expense to their respective