Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-01-17
SINGULAR FATALITY IN A FAMILY.

On the Sd of December, 1858, the daughter
of DIR. j. l.. Simonds, Sturgeon Dentist of No
III Court street, Boston, named Ida e. ST.
monds, was taken with the whooping cough
and lung fever and was sick two months, at
the end of which time she recovered, but was
soon afterwards taken down with the scarlet
fever, from which she has not yet recovered.
In May, 1855, the wife OF Mr.. Simonds was
also taken sick with the fever, and recovered
in the ensuing month On the 30th of June,
DIR. Simonds himself was Frustrated with the
typhoid fever, and was confined to his bed
torty-eight days. When he was able to leave
his bed, he had a relapse and was again con-
hned to his room for seventeen days. The
oyer-exertien of the wife again brought on
fever, and after suffering several weeks, she
recovered.
In September last, the father of Dr. 81
monds's wife, named Abel Shattuck, residing
III Townsend Harbor, Mass, was taken sick
with cancer in his neck, and dispatch was
forwarded to Boston on the 18th of December,
requesting the presence of Mrs. Simonds, as
her father was not expected to live. Before
starting she, as well as her husband had
toreboding that some further fatality would at
tend her journey, but after some delay, in
company with her daughter, she took the cars
Tor Groton junction. Arriving at the juno
ton, the mother and daughter left the train tor
the purpose of taking the Townsend cars,
which were upon another track. The wife
crossed the track and was turning a corner of
the depot, when she was met by hand barrow
heavily loaded with freight, which struck her
in the breast, knocked her down and ran over
her, bruising the body in shocking manner.
She was taken up insensible and conveyed to
her fathers house in Townsend, and her
wounds dressed by two surgeons.
DIR, SlmOndS WAS notified of thp appi1ant
proceeded to the place, and found her very
sick, and also her father and mother After
making them as comfortable as he could he re-
turned to this city, and ON Saturday last re-
celyed despatch announcing that the family
were all very sick, and requesting him to for
ward some medicine. On Monday morning
the medicine was placed in the charge of an
express man, but through some accident has
never reached Townsend. AT this time the
family consisted of Mr.. Abel Shattuck, who
was sick with cancer and was kept under
the influence of morphine his wife, who was
sick with the consumption; their daughter,
sick from the effects of the accident; her
daughter, sick with the scarlet fever; Mr..
Abicl b. Shattuck, (son OF Abiel, wife and
child, all sick with the putrid scarlet fever,
and two of their children
On Sunday, January z at A. NJ, Mr.. Abb
ell Il. Shattuck died Of putrid scarlet fever;
his wife, Susan W., died of the same disease
at 7. NJ Of the same day and at l o'clock
the same night, their youngest child, babe
eleven days old, died Of the same disease
In this condition the family remained, the
sick ones tended by the aged mother, who, al
though suffering intense pain, passed from one
to the other, doing all in her power to relieve
them. On Saturday night, man in the vii
lage, who formerly worked with Mr.. Abel Il.
Shattuck, was applied to, to sit up with Mr..
Shattuck, but as he had then been sick only
two days, he did not think it was necessary.
Upon the evening Of the same day, he was
at work in a saw mill, when he met with
an accident, by which all of the fingers
of one Of his hands were sawed off. AT the
death of the three persons above named, they
were Immediately placed in collins, and as no
one would sit up with the bodies, they were
taken to the village church, and on the next
day were all buried in the same grave. Mr..
Shattuck and his wife were very healthy per-
sons, weighing about 200 pounds each, and pre-
vious to this had never suffered from sickness
of any kind. Mr. and Mrs. Shattuck remain
in very critical condition, together with Mrs.
Simonds, and also one of the orphan children,
and it is thought that they can survive but
few days longer
Mr.. Simonds has had seven children, six of
whom have died.--BoSton Traveller, SM.