Weekly hawk-eye and telegraph. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1855-1857, 1857-02-25
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Of shesK tt0agtee900 ana heuee, people
Of good mental, but Of very ordinary ply
sicslacqsinsmssss, No most subject "a tkisi
syEauny Is mind ovsr uaxtes. OccsSson.l
ally, very ordinary sort Of person---that
II, ~ individual at cousidsrsble sind, but
whose meath capacities are nnsustainsd,
and 50 partially uudevclopsd suffers from
this peculiar fact in most distressing de-
gree. No doubt (nys the best physical |
authority ora half the ills that flesh ID
heir to are saperinduced BY the fancy OF
the sufferer alone Hundreds have died |
BY those symptoms If cholera, yellow fever
and plague, Induced by sheer dread and |
fear Of those terrible maladies.
A case 10 recorded wherein felon con-
dsmned to death BY phlebotomy bad his
Arm laid bare TO the shoulder, and thrust
through hole in partition while he was
fast bound to the opposite side; the hid
den exccutioner, upon the other side, APP
piled the lancet 10 his arm with click
the poor culprit heard the muddy stream
outpouring, and soon growing weaker and
fainter, he fell into . swoon, and died
when the fact was, not drop Of blood had
been shed, surgeon having merely snap
ped his lancet upon the arm, and continu-
ed TO pour snail stream of water over
the limb and iuto basin
An ther case In apint' was that OF a
Philadelphia ameteur butcher, who, in
placing his meat upon hook, slipped, and
hung himself, instead Of his beef, upon the
barbed point His agony was intense
he was quickly taken down and carried to
physicians Office, and so great was his
pain Gin imagination that he cried pite
ously upon every motion made by the doc
tor in cutting the coat and shirt sleeve from
about the wounded arm! When at last
the arm was barred, nota scratch was there
The hook point had merely grazed along
the skin, and torn the shirt sleeve!
will not multiply the various facts ex-
tant as proof Of the force exercised by
misdirected imagination, but will mention
one case SO ludicrously imposing as to cause
pretty broad smile, if not prove other
wise interesting.
Some years ago, Lear the town ofRead-
ing, Berks county, Pennsylvania, there
lived cosy old farmer, named Sweighoffer
of German descent, and accent, too, as
his speech will indicate. Old man Sweig-
hotter had once served as member in the
legislature, and was therefore ono fool"
and as he had also commanded volunteer
corps Of rustic militia, he should hardly
be supposed inclined to cowardice.
His son Peter was his only son, strap
ping lad Of seventeen; and upon old Pc
ter and young Peter deyolved the princi-
pal cares and tolls Of the old gentleman's
farm, now and then assisted by the old la
dy and her two bouncing daughters-for
it is very common in that state to see the
women and girls at work in the fields
and upon extra occasions by some hired
hands.
Well, ono warm day in haying time, old
Peter and young Peter were hard at it in
the meadow, when the old man drops his
scythe and bawls out;
80 mine Colt, Peterw
"What's de matter, fader y answers the
son strengthening up and looking at his
sire,
"Oh mine Colt, Peterv' again cried
the old fellow.
'Donder!'' echoes young Peter hurry
ing up to the old man.
"Oh mine Colt, der snake bite mine
leg!"
Ifanything in particular was capable of
. frightening young Peter, it was snakes
for he had once nearly crippled himself for
life by trampling upon crooked stick,
which clamped his ankle, and so Mortified
the young man that he liked to have fallen
through himself.
At the word snake, young Peter fell
back, nimbly as wire-drawer, and bawled
out in turn
"Where is der snake 2"
aUp my trowsis, Peter 70 mine Gottw
"Oh mine Colt !" echoed Peter, Junior,
"kill him, fader kill him."
"No q, no-a, he kill me, Peter; come
come quick-get off my trowsis J"
But Peter the younger's cowardice over
cams his filial affection, while his fear lent
strength to his legs aud he started like
scared locomotive to call the old hurry
,.Iutchman, who was in distant part of
the field, to give his father lift with the
snake.
Old Jake, the farmers assistant came
bounding along as soon as he heard the
news, aud passing along the fence wherein
Peter and his boy had hung their '.linsey
woolsey" vests, Jake grabbed one of the
garments and hurried to the old man Pc
ter, who still managed to keep on his pins,
although he was quaking and trembling
like an aspen leaf in June gale Of wind
sob, mine Gott! Come, come quick,
Jacob. He bite me all to pieces here up |
mine leg"
Old Jake was not particularly sensitive
to fear, but few people, young or old, are
dead to alarm when '.pizenous' reptile
is about.
Gathering up the stiff dry stalks of
stalwara weed, old Jake told the boss to
stand steady, and he would at least stun
the snake by rap or tw., if he did not
kill it stone dead and the old man Peter,
less 10th to have his legs broken than tobe
bitten to death by snake, designated the
spot to strike, and old JAKE let him have
it. The first blow broke the weed and
knocked old Sweishotfer off his pegs and
into haytocK---cobim
ooh !" roared old Peter, "you broke
mine leg and de tam shnaKe's gonew
"Vere! vere! cries old Jake, moving
b.isKly about. and scanning very narrowly
the ground he stood upon.
Mover mind him, Jacob; help me up.
I'll 90 home.
put on your yhest, den; here it is;
said tho old crout-eater, gathering up his
boss and trying to get the garment upon
his lu,npy back
The moment old Peter made his effort
he grew hyid in the face-his hair stood
on end. s.liKe the quilts upon the frightfal
porcupine," as Mrs. Darlington obseryes-
he shivered--he shooK-his teeth chat
tered---apd his knees knocked a stacedto
accompaniment.
81, Yacob, carry me home' Tn dead
as nits -