Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1854-06-16
1fli5rEllanGOlls.
How to Treat Mental Hallucin-
alton.
BY A PHYSICIAN.

BY PHYSICIAN.
In April, 1888, | was called to at
tend the wife of my old friend, Col.
Delaware, in London, under some
very peculiar circumstances.
am one of those who believe
that proportion of the maladies that
affect humanity may be traced to
mental causes; and to watch for
signs Of these, and remove them if
possible, is part Of my system !;
and as have been rather more than
usually fortunate, | still think my
views are correct. I'm this case,
could not divest myself of the mn
preston that the fair lady's disease
owed little TO fancy.
The first glance showed me that
there was real cause for anxiety !;
indeed, could hardly believe the
attenuated form before me was that
of one, who but a few short weeks
before, had been so blooming a
young woman She was lying on
sofa; her magnificent Spanish
eyes were slightly sunken, and sur
rounded by dark circle, sure midi
cation of extleme languor she had
lost that deep color, so beautiful
when II mantleS on the CHEEK OF a
dark eyed beauty her cheek was
now perfectly pale, of wan, ivory
paleness : her hands, through the
fine skin OF which the blue veins
were fearfully apparent, hung list
lessly, and seemed almost transpa-
rent the rounduess and emb0nDoint
that made her figure one Of the
most perfect that can be imagined,
had disappeared yet she was, as
usual, elegantly, almost arlisllcally
dressed, and every possible effort
had been made to conceal The rava-
ges illness had made upon her beau
ty. Even her beautiful long cnrls
had been arranged so as to hide rs
far as possible the extreme cmacia-
ton of her throat and neck. ! re-
cognized in all this a moral determ-
inaIion to resist increasing illness,
which | had found to be a bad sign I;
altogether | was painfully surprised
at her appearance.
Ii was not, however, until she
had exacted a promise from me not
to communicate ii to her husband,
that she would tell me the secret of
her uncomfortable mnlady.
readily gave the required prom
Use, which, indeed, cost me nothing,
for | have invariably found, in all
anxious and trying cases, husbands
and mothers prove very trouble
some confdants.
Mrs Delaware then related the
following circumstances =
A month previously she awoke
rather earlier than usual, and not
wishing to rise Immediately, passed
an hour in reading letters on animal
Magnetism She then laid the book
aside and fell asleep; she was arou-
Sed from her slumbers by her bed
room door opening, the clock on the
mantlepiece striking ten at the same
moment, aud two men in black en-
tered. Astonishment kept her ST.
lent, as they advanced to the table
in the centre Of the room.
One, an old man, kept his hat on,
and leaning one hand Qn which he
held a rule and pencil) on the table,
turned around TO address his COM
panion, who, hat in hand, appeared
to be deferentially awaiting his Or
ders, which consisted in minute di-
rections respecting the making of a
coffin-the length, breadth, thick
ness, lining, etc., being all accurate
ly described. When he ceased
speaking, his subordinate asked what
the inscription was TO be. The old
man replied, speaking slowly and
impressively--
+" Clara Delaware, aged 81, de-
ceased at midnight on the 10Th OF
April, 1888"
At these words, both, for the first
time, looked earnestly at Clara, and
slowly left the room. Shaking of
in some degree the spell that had
hitherto bound her, she rang her
bell, and her maid Immediately an
swering her summons, she found, to
add to her CONSERVATION, that this
maid had been sitting, for the last
three hours, in the room through
which these men must have passed
Finding, on further investigation
that no one in the house had seen
her lugubrious visitors, she gave
herself IN TO supernatural terror