New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1857-03-14
The Force Of Imagination ;
OR, PETER swIEGHoFrER's ADVENTURE WITH

OR, PETER swIEGHoFFER's ADVENTURE WITH A
SNAKE.
People of strong nervous temperament are great
slaves to the whims and caprces of their imagina
tons and hence people OF good mental but OF very
ordinary physical requirements, are the most subject
to this tyranny OF mind over matter Occasionally
of considerable mind, but whose mental capacities
are unsustained, and so, partially undeyeloped-
suffers from this peculiar fact in most distressing
degree. no doubt (says the best physical authority
onehalf the ills that flesh is heir to supernduced
by the fancy of the sufferer alone. Hundreds have
died by symptoms of cholera, yellow fever and
plague, induced by sheer dread and fear Of those ter
rible maladies
case is recorded wherein a felon condemned to
death by phebotomy had his arm laid bare to the
shoulder and thrust through hole in partition,
while he was fast bound to the opposite side the
hidden executioner upon the other side applied the
lancet to his arm, with click The poor culprit
heard the muddy stream outpouring, and soon grow
while the fact was, not drop Of blood had been
shed, surgeon having merely snapped his lancet
upon the arm and continued to pour small stream of
water over the limb and into basin!
Another case in s pint u was that of Philadelphia
amateur butcher, who in placing his meat upon a
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 a physicians
Office, and so great was his pain, lin Imagination
that he cried piteousy upon every motion made by
the doctor in cutting the coat and shirtsleeves from
about the wounded arm When at last the arm was
barred, not scratch was there. The hook point had
merely grazed along the skin and torn the shirt
sleeve
will not multiply the various facts extant in proof
of the force exercised by msdirected Imagination
but mention one case so ludicrousy imposing as to
pretty broad SMILE if not prove otherwise in
teresting.
Some years ago, near the town of Reading Berks
county, Pennsylvania there lived an easy old farmer
named Sweighofer, of German descent, and accent
too, as his speech will indicate. Old man Sweighoher
had once served as member in the Legislature and
was, therefore, no fool :; and as he had also long
commanded volunteer corps of rustic militia, he
should hardly be supposed inclined to cowardice His
son Peter his only son. strapping lad of seven.
teen; and upon old Peter and young Peter devolved
the principal and tolls of the old gentlemans
farm, and then assisted by the old lady and her
two bouncing daughters-for it is very common in
that State to see the women and girls at work in the
fiedsand upon extra occasions, by some hired hands
| Well, one warm day in haying time, old Peter and
young Peter were hard at work in the meadow, wheI
| the old man drops his scythe and bawls out:
.Oh! mine Colt, Peter!"
What's de matter, fader?" answers the son
Strengthening up and looking at his sire.
| "Oh! mine Colt, Peter" again cried the ole
| fellow.
Donder!' echoes young Peter, hurrying up to thu
| old man. 90 Tsss
ooh mine Colt, der snake bite mine leg!'
If anything in particular was capable of frighten
ing young Peter, it snakes ; for he had once
nearly crippled himself for life by tramping upon {
crooked stick, which clamped his ankle and so hor
rifed the young man that lie liked to have fale1
| through himself
AT the word snake, young Peter fell back, nimbl,
as wire-drawer, and bawled out in turn
| Where is der snake?'
cup mine trowss, Peter-Oh! mine Gott!"
ooh! mine Gott" echoed Peter junior, xii
him, fader, kill him.
"Noa, no-a, he kill me, Peter come-come quick
get off my trowsis!''
But Peter the youngers cowardice overcame his
lial affection while his fear lent strength to his legs
and he started like scared locomotive to call the old
burly Dutchman, who was in a 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 and passing along
the fence wherein Peter and his boy had hung their
insey woolsey vests, Jake grabbed one of the gar
ments and hurried to the old man Peter, who still
managed to keep his pins, although he was quaking
and trembling like an aspen leaf in June gale Of
wind.
"Oh mine Colt! come, come quick, Jacob. He
bite me all to peces-here up mine Leg
Old Jake was not particularly sensitive to fear but
few people, young or old, are dead to alarm when Il
"pzenous' reptile is about. Gathering up the stiff,
dry stalks of stawart weed, old Jake told the boss
to stand steady and he would at least stun the snake
by rap or two if he did not kill it stone dead and
the old man Peter less 10th to have legs broken than
to be 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 Sweghofer off
his pegs and into a haycock-cobim
"O Oh y roared old Peter, "you broke mine leg and
de tam snakes gone!n
"Yere? we're? ~ cries old Jake, moving brisklv
about, and scanning very narrowly the ground he
stood upon.
Never mind him, Jacob help me up I'll go
home"
"Put on your vest, den here it is said the old
krout-eater, gathering up his boss and trying to get
the garment on his lumpy back. The moment old
Peter made the effort he grew livid in the face-hs
hair stood on end, =" like the quilts on the fughtful
porcupine, as Mrs Darlington observes. He shiv-
ered-he shook-his teeth chartered, and his knees
knocked a stoccato accompaniment.
Oh! Jacob, carry me home! I'm dead as nits.''
"Yat! ish nodder shnake in your trowsers "
"No--a-look, I'm SWEET all up. Mine vest won't
go on mine back. OH oh mine Colt p
% Tunder and blixen ?" cried old Jake as he took
the same conclusion, and with might and main the
old man, scared into most wonderful feat of physi-
cal activity and strength lugged and carried the
boss some quarter or half mile to the house.
Young Peter had Skinned it home at the earliest
stage OF the dire proceedings, and alarmed the girls
that they were in high state when they saw the ap-
proach OF the good old dad and his assistant.
Old man Peter was carried in and began to die,
natural as lifewhen in comes the old lady in great
hustle, and wanted to know what was going on.
Old Peter, in the last gasp of agony and weakness
opened his eyes and teebly pointed to his leg The
old woman ripped up the pantaoons, and out fell a
small thstleop, and at the time considerable OF
a scratch was made visible.
"Call dis shnake! Bah ~ says the old woman
ooh, but I'm pizened to death. Molly see I'm all
pEen! Mine vesht-oh dear, mine vesht not come
over mine body
Haw haw haw Y roared the old woman. " Val
fool You got Peters vesht on Haw haw
haw !"
Bosh !" roars old Peter, shaking off deaths icy
letters at surge, and jumping up. Bosh Jacob
vat tam ole fool you mustn't be to say wash shnakt
bite Go 'bou your bishness, gals. Peter bring me
some beer q
The old Woman saved Peters life