Columbia gazette., 1854-06-10
A REMARKABLE STORY.

c A REMARKABLE STORY.
$ DR.. Fox, who kept a lunatic asylul
|, near Bristol, relates the following stor
Of man who made an iron uca!.-I
my visit, among my patients Que morn
: ing, says the doctor, I went into roor
where two, who were acquaintances 0
each other, were accustomed to live
J Immediately as l entered I noticed Al
unusual degree of detection about ont
of them, and feverish kind of excite.
ncnt in the other. cnquired what wa.
the matter. "Matter!" said the excited
one; ''mattcr enough! he has done for
himself!" "Why, what has he done;''
|''Oh, he has only swallowed the pokern'
During this short conversation the other
looked increasingly mournful; and on
my enquiring what was the matter with
him, replied: "He has told Jou true
enough; I have swallowed the poker and
do not know what I shall owith it p 81
will tell you how it happened" said the
first. "My friend and I were sitting by
the FIRE talking on different things, when
I oferedto lay him wager that he could
not eat any Of the poker; he said he
could and would; took it up, twisted the
end Of it backward and forward.between
the bars Of the crate, and at last broke
of some inches Of it and instantly awal-
lowed it, and he has looked melancholy
ever since,"I did not believe . word
Of this tale; and I suppose my increduli-
ty was displayed in my countenance, or
the narrator guessed As much, for he ad-
ded-"Oh, you can see that It is true,
for there is the rest Of the poker.' I
went to the CRATE and examined the po-
ker, which, being an old one. and much
burned, and where the action of the fire
had been 6erccst, and had worn away
the iron, a piece Of between two and
three inches had been wrenched of, and
was missing. Still could hardly credit
that the human stomach could receive
such dose and remain "feeling,' as the
professed swai}ower of it said, "noth ing
particular. However, the constant affirm
ing Of the first, united to the assent
and rueful looks Of the second, induced
me to use the patient as though the ac-
count were true. I administered very
strong medicines. and watched their eff
fects constantly. The man ate, drank
and slept as usual, and appeared to suf-
fer nothing but from the effects of the
medicines. At last, to my astonishment,
the piece of the poker came away, and
the man was IS we'll as ever. The iron had
undergone a regular process of digestion,
and the surface of it was deeply honey
combsd by the action of the juices.
>co>-s>>~>-->o--->-~>>~-
THE OLD WoMAN.-It was thus q
few days since, we heard q STRIPPING of
sixteen, designate the mother who bore
him. By coarse husbands we have
heard wives so called occasionally,
though in the latter case the phrase
is more often used endearingly. At aN
times, commonly spoken, it jars upon
the ear, and shocks the sense. An "Old
woman" should be an object of reverence
above and beyond almost al other pla-
ses of humanity. Her very age should
be her surest passport to courteous con-
sideration. The aged mother of a grown
up family needs no other certificate Of
worth. She is monument of excellence,
approved and warrented. She has
fought faithfully and como off conquer
or. Upon her venerable face she bears
the marks Of the conflict in all its fur
rowed lines. The most grierous of the
ills of life have been hers; trials untold
and unknown only to her God and her
self, she has borne incessantiy; and now,
ia her old age,-hcr duty aone,-pa-
tiently awaiting her appointed time
she stands more truly beautiful than
even In her youth! more hensfable and
deserving than he whe has slain his
thousands, or stood triumphant upon the
proudest field ef victory.
Youns man! speak kindly to year