The Cadiz Democratic sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1854-1864, 1857-02-18
VOLUME !: .N'sIlO %, NO. D. A !
aa GtteHtlnttI t Storp,
BY EiIERsON DENSEr.

II have often thought replied, 'that the
secret history ofsolne Of your profession if writ
ten out in detail, would make awork Of thrilling
Interest" 2'1*'' -'" t' y, y. ,,,.. s.....
saa IL do not know that exactly agree with you
in rsgafi to details, rejoined my friend; "or we
medical men, like every one else, meet with q
great deal that is common place, and therefore
not worthy Of being recorded; but grant us the
privilege Of you novelists, to select our charac7
. -ters and scenes, and work them into kind of
plot, with striking denogement and ldoubt not
many of uscould give you aromance in real life
comprising only what we have seen, which would
Il equal, il not surpass, any thing you ever met with
I'm the way Of fiction. By the by, / believe ne
YER told you of the most strange and romantic
adventure ofmy life?' '5.'4
"You never told me ofany ofyour adventures,
Doctor" replied, ''but ifyou have story to
tell, you will find me an eager listener r.
"yery. vel. then, as | have q few minutes to
spare Twill tell you ono more wildly romantic,
more Incredibly remarkable, if may so speak,
than you probably ever found in work of fic-
ton" - .gaa 5. ..s: ,i,....5 go. a,H.t
iaa Twenty five years ago. pursued the Doctor,
II entered the medical College at E., as a
student. Twas then young inexperienced, and
inclined to be timid and sentimental; and well
Y do Il remember the horror | experienced when
! one of the senior students, under pretence Of
showing me the beauties Of the institution, sud-
denly thrust me into the dissecting room, among
several dead bodies and closed the door upon
me; nor do forget the screeches of terror, and
prayers Of release from that awful place, made
me the laughing stock ofmy older companions.
Rdcule is hard thing to bear; the coward
becomes brave to escape it, and the brave man
fears it more than bclching cannon. 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 characterand gain
An honorable footing among my fellow students
AZ II 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 off, and never say another word a.
bout your womanly fright"
I shuddered, it was fearful alternative, but
it seemed less terrible to suffer all the horrors
that might be concentrated into a single night,
than to bear day after day, the jeers of my COM
SDppanions. ,s
"Where shall go? and when?" was my tmid
!, Inquiry, and the very thought Of such an adven-
tare made my blood run cold
~. "'ro the Eastern Cemetery to night at II o.
q clock" replied my tormentor, fixing his keen
black eyes upon me, and allowing his thin lips
to curl with smile Of contempt. "But what is
the use Of asking such d coward as you to per-
form such manly feat" he added deridingly.
His words stung me to the quick; and with
out further reflection, and scarcely aware ofwhat
/ was saying, rejoihed boldly:
II am no coward, sir, as will prove to you
BY performing what you call a manly feat"
-ae - You will go?' he asked quickly.
g@ =. a will" .,>. -
10 'tBrayely sad my lad" he rejoined in tone
Of approval and exchanging his expression Of
contempt for one of surprise and admration.-
(" ado this, Morris, and the first man that insults
tyou afterwards makes an enemy of me-"
w Again felta cold shoulder pass through my
frame, at tho thought Of what was before me, but
had accepted his challenge in the presence o
a. many witnesses--for this conversation had oc.
: Cured as we were leaving the hall after listen.
ing to an evening lecture--and was resolved te
make my word good, should it even cost my life
,alin fact knew that could not do otherwise
now, without the risk Of being driven in disgrace
from the college. a.
should here observe that there were no pro-
fessional resurrectionists, and it was absolute
ly necessary to have subjects for dissection, the
business Of procuring them devolved
upon the students, who in consequence watch.
edevery funeral eagerly and calculated the chan
ces Of cheating the sexton Of his charge and the
e. 1 grave off victim: w
.a,a There had been funeral that day Of pool
orphan girl, who had been followed to the grave
by a very few friends; and this was considered
favorable chance for the party whose turn it wa
to procure the next subject, as the graves of tn,
I poor and frendless were never watched will
the same keen vigilance ss those of the rich anC
influential Still, it was no trifing risk to at
: tempt to exhume the bodies ofthe poorest and
humblest--for not unfrequently persons were
found on the watch even over these; and only
year before, one student while at his midnight
work, had been niortally wounded by rifle ball
and another, month or two subsequently, had
bcen rendered cripple for life in the same way
i "A All this was explained to me by purty Of si'
or eight, who accompanied ME to my room
which was in a building belonging to the college
and rented to such of the students as preferred
bachelors hall to regular boarding; and the.
, took care to add several terrifying stories o
ghosts and hob-goblins, by way Of calming m,
excited nerves, but as | have before observed oil
4 women stand around q ieverish patient, ant
Il croalr out their experience in seeing awful sui
ferings and fatal termination ofjust such mala
dies rs the one with which their helpless victim
~ was then afflicted. M
X lsI'Is It expected that should SO alone29 en-
" auired III tone that trenbled in spite Of me
while my knees almost knocked together, and
fslt Is II my very lips were white.
Well no, replied Benson, my most dreadet
tormentor, 1T would DO hardly fair to send yol
Alone, for one individual could hardly succeed ii