New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1856-11-17
The Doctors Bride .
BY EMERSON BENNETT.


history Of your profession written out in detail, would
make work Of thrilling interest" :,
~ do not know that I exactly agree with you In
regard to detail" reioined my friend Tor We medl,
cal men, like every one else, meet with great deal
that is common place, and therefore not worthy OF
being recorded but grant us the privilege of your
novests, to select our characters and scenes, and
work them into kind Of plot, with striking denoue-
ment, and doubt not many of us could give you a
romance in real life, comprising only what We have
seen which would equal if not surpass anything you
ever met in the way of fiction. Bye the bye be.
lieye never told you of Che most strange and roman
| tic adventure of my lfe"' .,
| "You never told me of any of your adventures,
DOCTOR" replied but if yon have story to tell,
you will find me an eager listener"
! every we'll, then, as have few minutes to spare
will tell you one more Incredibly remarkable, IL
may speak, than you probably ever found i'll WORK
of felton,
al am all attention"
Twenty-Five years ago. pursued the doctor, =" |
entered the medical college at f as a student:
was then quite young, inexperienced, inclined 10
be timid and sentimental and well do remember
the horror experienced when one OF the senior SUI
dents, under pretence of showns me inc oe''uIts VI
the institution suddenly thrstsme into the dlssee1ns
room among several dead bodies, and closed the door
upon ME nor do forget how my screeches OF terror
and PRAYERS of relief from that awful place, made ME
the laughing stock of my other companions
'Ridcule is hard thing to bear; the coward be.
comes brave to escape it, and the brave man fears it
more than he would belching cannon. l suffered
from it till could bear it no more and wrought up
to pitch of desperation, demanded to know what
might do to redeem my character, and gam an hoior
able footing among my fellow students. -,
81 will tell YOU" said one his eyes sparkling with
mischief, "if you will go at the midnight hour, and
dig up subject, and take it to your room, and
remain alone with it till morning, we will let you on
and never say another word about your Womahly
fright"
II shuddered It was a fearful alternative, but 1t
seemed less terrible to suffer all the horrors that might
be concentrated into single night, than to bear day
after day the jeers ofmy companions
Where shall go! and when " was my tlmld in
quiry and the very thought of such an adventure
made my blood run cold.
ITO the Eastern Cemetery tonight at II O'clock"
replied my tormentor fixing his keen black eyes up
on me, and allowing his thin lips to curl with smile
of contempt-"But what is the use Of asking such a
coward as you to perform such manly feat :" he add
ed, derdingly.
His words stung me to the quick and without
further reflection, and scarcely aware OF what was
saying, I rejoined boldly:
~ am no coward, sir, as will prove to you by per
forming what you call a manly feat
"You will go?' he asked quickly.
al will
Bravely said, my lad y he reioned, in tone of
approval and exchanging his expression of contempt
for one of surprise and admiration ado this, Morris,
and the first that insults you atterward makes an
enemy OF me !"
Again felt cold shudder pass through my frame
at the thought of what before me; but had accept
ed his challenge in the presence of many Witnesses for
this conversation occurred as we were leaving the
hail. after listening to al evening lecture and was
resolved to make my word good should it even cost
my life i; in fact, knew could not do otherwise
now without the risk of being driven in disgrace from
the college.
AZ should here observe, that in those days there
were few professional ressurectionsts aud as it
absolutely necessary to have subjects for dissection,
the npleasant business Of procuring them devOved
|
every funeral eagerly and calculated the chances of
cheating the sexton of his charge and the grave of its
victim.
! There had been funeral that day, of poor Or
phan girl who had been fOoWedto the grave by very
! few friends, and this considered a favorable
chance for the party whose turn it was to procure the
next subject, as the poor and endless never watched
with the same keen vigilance as those of the rich and
influential. Still it was trling risk to attempt
to exhlme the bodies of the poorest and humbest,
for not mrequenty persons were found on the watch
even these and only the year before one student
while at his midnight work, had been mortAly
wounded by rifle ball and another had been rem
dered cripple for life by the same MEANS
All this was explained to me by party Of six or
eight, who accompanied me to my roon-whch was
in building belonging to the college, and rented by
apartments to such of the students preferred bach
elors hall to regular boarding and they took care to
add several terrifying stories Of ghosts and hobgobns
by way Of calming my excited nerves by, as have
before observed, old women stand around weak fe
versh patient and croak out their experience in see
ing awful suferings and fatal Examinations Of just
such malades as the one with which their helpless
victim was then afflicted.
''' Is it expected that should go alone p in
CURED in tone that trembled in spite of me- while
my knees almost knocked together, and felt as if
my very lips were white.
'We no. replied Benson, my most dreaded tor
mentor; it would be hardly fair to send you alone,
for one individual could not succeed in getting the
body from the grave quick enough and you, mere
YOUTH without experience, would be sure to fail alto
gether. No, we will go with you three Or four
of U.s. and help you to dig up the corpse but then
you must take it on your back, bring tlp to your
room here, and spend the night alone with it,
" 1t was some relief to me to find was to have
company during the first part of my fearful under.
taking but still felt far from agreeable, assure
you and CHANGING to look into mirror, as the time
drew for setting out, fairly started at behodng
the ghastly object saw reflected therein"
Come, boys" said Benson, who was always by
general consent the leader of whatever iroc, cXpe.
aition, Or undertaking he was to have a hand in
Come, boys, it is time to be on the move. glori-
Gus night for IL" " be added, throwing up the win
dow and letting i'll fierce gust of wind and rain;
the ID himself would hardly venture out in such
storm!'
"He lit dark lantern, then threw on his long, hea-
Wy cloak took up spade led the way down stairs:
and the rest Of us, three besides my timd self threw
on our cloaks also, took each spade and followed
him.
eve took roundabout course, to avoid being seen
by any citizen that might chance to be stirring, and
in something less than half an hour we reached the
Cemetery, scaled the wall without difficulty and steal
thily searched for the grave till found it in the
pitchy darkness--the wind and rain sweeping past
us with dismal h0Ws and means, that to me, tremb-
ling with terror seemed to he the unearthy WAings
Of the spirits of the damned.
Here we are whispered Benson to me, as we at
length stopped at mound of fresh earth, over which
one of the party had stumbled. Come, feel round
Morris, and strike in your spade, and let us see if
will make as good hand at eXhumng a dead body as
youWill some day at killing a living one with physic.
al did as directed, trembling in every limb; but
the first spadetul threw up started back with u
yell of horror, that in any other but bowling stormy
night would have betrayed us. 1t appeared to me as
if | thrusted my spade into buried lake Of iirc-or
the first dirt was oil agow like living Goals and as
had fancied the moaning Of the storm the wailngs of
tomcnted spirits, innCied | had uncovered small
portion OF the bottomless pit itself
Fool !! Kissed Benson, grasping my arm with the
grip Of Il vice, as stood leaning my spade for SUP
port, my very teeth chatterng with terror; another
yell like that and I'll make subject Of you! Are
you not ashamed of yourself to be scared ont Of your
wits ii You ever had any, by little phosphorescent
earth! Don't you know that it is often found in
graveyards.'
Ills explanations re-assured ne, though was too
weak from my late fright to be Of any assistance
the party, who all fell to with will secretly laugh
ing at me, and soon reached the coffin. Splitting the
lid with hatchct, which had been brought for the
purpose, he quickly lifted out the corpse and then
henson and another Of the party taking hold Of il,
one at the head and the other at the feet they hf.
Others to fill up the grave that it might not be sus-
| had ham, N-II,