Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-08-14
Shocking Termination to a Marriage, In
France.

Shocking Termination to a Marriage, in
France.
A frichtful case of hydrophobia is described in
the Lyons journals, which, if the facts correctly
stated, would 60 to prove that this fatal malady
can remain in the system as long as four years
without development.
A young farmer, named Peyron, about twenty.
FIVE years of age, in the department Of the Rhine,
was married. a few weeks ago, to neighbours
daughter The young couple had been long at
tached to each other but the parents OF the BRIDE
had refused their consents account Of the strange
ness of conduct occasionally observed in the young
man, who otherwise was most eligible fnatsh, his
parents being comparatively well off, and the SON
himself generally Of exemplary conduct. His pas
sion for the girl became at length so violent that
he declared he could not exist without her, and
his mother, fearing from his Manner that he med
itated suicide, went to the parents OF the young
woman, and, after some entreaty, prevailed upon
them to agree TO the match. Young Peyron at
once recovered his spirits, the young woman was
delighted and the marriage was celebrated with
Ill the rustic pemp and ceremony common in that
part Of the provinces concluding with grand din
ner and the inevitable ball. The gaeties were
kept up until daylight, when the company sep
arated.
The new married couple were lodged in one wing
of the farm house, separate from the main build
ing; but in short time after they retired, cries
were heard from the nuptial chamber. At first
they were unnoticed but al length they increased
70 fearful shrieks and the father and mother,
alarmed, hastened to the room, followed by the
farm servants The cries we're, by the time they
arrived, changed to scarcely audible groans from
the poor girl and on breaking open the door, che
was found in the agonies Of death-her bosom
torn open and acerated in the most horrible man
ner, and the wretched husband in fit OF raving
L..s. H..
devoured portion of the unfortunate girls breast.
cry of horror burst forth from all present. and
he was dragged from the room after most violent
resistance it taking no less than six men to hold
him down. Aid was instantly sent for, and before
the doctor could reach the spot, the unhappy vic
tim was no more. Young Peyron was put under
treatment, and straight waistcoat was attempted
to be put upon him; but his struggles and screams
we're such that the doctor, apprehensive that he
should expire In the assistants hands, ordered
them to desist. The unfortunate man had become
so weak that he was easily conveyed to bed, and
died at o'clock in the afternoon Of the same day,
without having for one moment recovered his con-
sciousness II was then recollected, in answer TO
searching questions by physician, that somewhere
about FIVE years previously he had been bitten by
a strange dog, and taken the usual precautions
against hydrophobia.
But although the dog was killed, It had never
and no Ill consequence resulting from the bite, his
friends concluded that II would come to nothing,
and the incident had been altogether forgotten.
IL was considered by the doctor that the circum-
stances preceding the marriage and the excitement
Of the occasion ITSELF had reused the latent virus,
which had so long laid dormant in the hood, and
led to the terrible outbreak of frenzy which had
ended so traeically. On the medical report being
laid before the authorities, the extraordinary ma
ture of the case naturally excited much attention
and considerable conference.-the opinions Of the
head of the profession being, after full inquiry,
that there was no hydrophobia whatever in the
case but rooted insanity, and that IL was shown
to exist by the occasional alterations of the I'M
fortunate young man, as before mentioned and
that his diseased temperament aud too violent
passions powerfully acted on by the circum.
stances, led TO the fatal consequences narrated
above. This sad catastrophe has given rise 10 a
fierce medical controversy in some Of the profos-
sonal journals on the nature of hydrophobia,
from which il would appear that, although instan-
ces Of remarkable cures Of this frightful malady
are often described in the journals, no authent
Gated account of its favorable termination is yet
known in France.