The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1855-09-19
Shocking Termination to a Mar
rage in France.

A frightful case Of b~ydrophobia is
described in the Lyons journals, which
if the facts are correctly stated, would
20 to prove that this fatal malady can
remain in the system as long as four
years without Development. A young
farmer named Peyron, about 25 years
of age in the department of the Rhine,
was married a few weeks ago to aneigh-
boris daughter. The young couple had
been long attached to each other; but
the parents of the bride had refused
their consent on ccount Of the strange
ness of conduct occasionally observed in
the young man, who otherwise was a
most eligible match, his parents being
comparatively well of, and the son him
self generally of exemplary conduct
His passion for the girl become at
length so violent that he declared he
could not exist without her, and his
mother fearing from his manner that he
meditated suicide, went to the parents
of the young lady, and after some en-
treaty, prevailed upon them to agree to
the match. Young Peyron at once re-
covered his spirits, the young woman
was delighted with all the rustic pomp
and ceremony Common in that part of
the provinces, concluding with a grand
dinner and the inevitable ball. The
gaieties were kept up till daylight, when
the company separated.
The new married couple were lodged
in one wing of the farm house, separate
from the main building but in a short
time after they retired, cries were heard
from the nuptial chamber. At first
they we're unnoticed; but at length they
increased to fearful shrieks, and the
father and mother alarmed, FASTENED to
the room, followed by the farm servants.
The cries were by the time they arrived
changed to scarcely audible groans from
the poor girl; and on breaking open
the door she was found in the agonies Of
death-her bosom torn open and LAGER.
ated in the most horrible manner, and
the wretch Of a husband in fit or ra-
wing madness, and covered with blood,
having actually devoured q portion Of
the girls breast. A cry of horror burst
forth from all present, and he was drag
ged from the room after a most violent
resistance, It taking no less than six
men to hold him down. Aid was in
stantly sent for, and before the doctor
could reach the spot, the unhappy vic
tim was NO more. Young Peyron was
put under treatment, and q straight
waistcoat was attempted to be put upon
him ; but his struggles and creams were
such that the doctor, apprehensive that
be would expire in the assistants hands,
ordered them to desist. The unfortu-
nate man had become so weak that he
was easily conveyed to bed, and died at
four o'clock in the afternoon of the same
day, without having for one moment
recovered his consciousness. It was
then recollected, in answer to searching
questions by a physician, that some
where about five years previously he had
been bitten by a strange dog, and taken
tho usual precautions against hydropho-
bia.
But although the dog was killed, it
had never been satisfactorily shown that
it was really mad and no i'll consequent
ces resulting from the bite, his friends
concluded that it would come to nothing
and the incident had been altogether
forgotten. It was considered by the
doctor that the circumstances preceding
the marriage, and the excitement of the
occasion itself, had reused the latent
which had SC long laid dor
ment in the blood, and led to the ter
rible outbreak of frenzy which had end
ed SO tragically.
On the medical report being laid be-
fore the authorities, the extraordinary
nature of the case, naturally excited
much attention and considerable con-
troversy-the opinions of the profession
being, after full inquiry, that there was
no hydrophodia whatever in the case,
rooted insanity, and that it was
shown to exist by the occasional aberra-
Of the unfortunate young man, as
before mentioned and that his diseased
temperament and too violent passions,
powerfully acted upon by the circum-
stances, led to the fatal consequences
narrated above.
This sad catastrophe has given rise to
. fierce medical controversy in some of
The professional journals on the nature
Of hydrophodia, from which it would ap-
pear that, although instances of remark
able cures of this frightful malady are
lften described in the journals, no au-
account of its favorable ter
.nination is yet known in France.