Weekly hawk-eye and telegraph. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1855-1857, 1855-09-19
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We publish the following letter from the
Peter.burgh Express, Of Saturday morning !:

Petersburgh kxpfeSs, OIL oasufuay mosns"k =
NoRroix, Sept. 6, ), nv.
DEAa Exf1xss Since the fatal epidemic
has prevailed 10 cur citv. most singular
looking fiy has made its appearance, which
i quite a stranger in this latitude, and has
never been known here by the .'oldest inhab-
liant Its body is about the size OF COM
mon dy, Of yeliowish color, with long del
,cate porous wings OF a texture ne fne as the
softest silk. They fly together in swarms.
aud may be seen in large numbers on the fs
trees, but their great point of attraction
seems to be the collins, in which reposs the
Inflated victims of "Yellow jack We
took stroll out to that Golgotha OF burial
grounds, Potter's Field, Yesterday, and was
intensely Mortified at seeing many OF the
collins that lay or the ground, scattered
around, awaiting interment, literally black
with these loathsome little insects, that
sauirmed upon one another so thick as to ex-
cludc the collins entirely from sight. II was
the most disgusting spectacle We ever, be-
held, having an oily, wormy significance of
the last of poor mortality about it, that was
absolutely sickeniug! What could have
brought these little scaveugers here? do they
follow like camp plunderers in the train of
the pitiless destroyer--or are they engender-
cd by the dreadful disease itself acting upon
peculiar atmosphere? These are questions
we leave to Sdvdns, better skilled in such
phenomenas Of nature than we are to an
swer-satisfactorily If he can. We only
know that dead bodies will create peculiar
worm-and why not deadly plague create a
peculiar fy2
The front of O'Brien 4 Quick's establish
| ment was this morning literally blocked up
with collins of every shape and size. What
ever We may lack in other things ut present,
| there is no scarcity now of this last indispen-
sable habtation Of perishing mortality, for
which we are indebted to the wise fore
thought of sympathzng friends in Hampton,
Baltimore and Richmond, a large supply OF
collins from which places, we noticed in yes
| terday's letter.
| This oppor,une supply has put many of our
citizens in quite n cheerful mood, as it has
dssipated the great dread they were under
| recently of being buried uncofined, and even
unlocked, should they be SO unfortunate as to
fall before the unerring dart of the insatiate
scourge.
Idle, strong limbed, lazy blacks, have nj
so been forced into service, to dig graves.
and many poor fellow who will sleep quiet
ly inurned, sole occnpan; of his own narrow
grave, who would otherwise have been show
elled away promiscuously, in pit, with
score or more of aliens and strangers, to
mingle their bones with each other, and
crumble into dust together.
All day yesterday tar barrels were burnt
In the rear of the City Hotel Hospital, with
the view of purifying in some degree, the
poisonous atmosphere of that infectious To-
cnlity.
| Whether this will prove of any service or
not in attaining the end designed, we cannot
say-at present we would dislike very much
to send dog that we valued, Chat was not
infection proof) to that general depot Of dis
ease ard death, where so many enter sick and
Frustrated, and 80 few leave without the as
sistance Of the undertaken.
The following is letter from the Rich
mond Dispatch of Saturday morning:
NORFOLK, Sept. 6.
To attempt description of what is going
on here, to ASSAY to give you correct idea
of the extent and fury and power of the
fierce and fearful visitation, would be futile.
| So far as my reading has extended, history
furnishes no parallel t, the dreadful and
heart-rending NOR atty in our small remain
ing population; and the same or even strong
err remarks apply also to our sister town,
across our beautiful river. The deaths here
have been recently numbered fifty, sixty,
seventy aye, very nearly eighty per day, in
our remnant of a population Of about six
thousand, or at most seven thousand! The
rich, the poor-old and young, white and
cOlored, all have been indiscriminately lev
eled down by the disease which now holds
fearful sway IN our once happy city, through
out those streets, avenues and squares, there
reign silence and desolation that are
sickening and oppressive beyond dcscrip-
ton.
The physicians seem to be driving races
on every street, and the memb ,rs of the
Howard Association are vigorously pursuing
their invaluable labors all over the town
sending nurses, food, medicine, and aid of
every kind. OF the generous aid from
abroad too much cannot be said. The ply
sicians, nurses, &C.. who have come, aud the
funds and goods sent from other cities inspire
all here with a deep sense of gratitude and
an incaculable amount of good Is being thus
effected, and the suffering and want, to a
fearful extent, prevented.
There are many individual cases of deep
interest many instances of loss, bereave-
ment and affection, that are calculated al
most to make the heart bleed. The calamity
comes down with crushing weight upon us.
A few days ago, was one of three Zone
physclan) who STOOD cOnversing IN the
street upon the subject that fills the minds of
the people. All three were soon attacked
one in your city where he died; the doctor
is also dead but thanks to kind Provi-
dence, am pronounced out Of danger, and
| am able to set up and write.
EXTRACT FROM ANOTHER LETTER.
Christ Church Lecture room has been Sc
lected rs house of refuge for children,
made orphans by the prevailing epidemic
We stepped in there this IN ornins, and found
about dozen of little bereaved innocents,
comfortably provided for aud we'll attend
ed to.
j. D. Marks, of New Orleans, lately ap-
pointed Superintendent of the City Hotel
Hospital, was arrested last night and lodged
in Jail, charged with robbing the late inter-
esting but unfortunate Miss Lewis, daughter
of Thomas Lewis deceased, of about 81 900
worth of jcwelry, while the poor yourg lady
lay dying with fever! The circumstance
has caused quite an excitement in our com
munity.