New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-05-19

Jusr so.-
oh. ever thus, from chiIdhoods hour,
we've seen our fondest hopes decay;
we never had dog, nor COW, NOR ga
nen that laid an egg day,
Bot what twas marked and tuck away
We never raised sucking big,
TO glad Us with its sunny ere,
Bot when i growed up fat and big,
ana 1n. u 2 roast, o. Bill, or fly,
we couldn't find 1t 10 the sly. N
A Desperate Case.
BY AN OLD PHYs1cIAx.
Many instances are known Of persons vbo thors,,
not ill., have predicted their death il One ~ n -
days, and have died exactly at The time which thev
foretold In former ages, when II was The fasfionn
with the great to keep astroIoger and % crnsnit
the stars respecting the time OF their death many
lnstrious personages expired in the year and month
predicted by their soothsayers, and the belief Id their
prophetic faculty was thereby not little ssreueth-
ened.
youth Of sixteen, Of weakly constitution and
delicate nerves, but in other respects quite healthy
quilted his room in the dusk Of the evening bot sud
denly returned, with face as pale as death and
looks betraying the greatest terror and in tremu.
lous voice told fellow student who lived in the nms
room with him that he should die at nine O'Clock in
the morning Of the day after the next His cosupen-
ion naturally considered this sudden transformation
of cheerful youth into candidate for the grave %
very extraordinary he inquired the cause of this
notion and 40 the Other declined to satisfy biz Curl
osity, he strove at least to laugh him ont Of IT.
His efforts, however, were nnsyailins An the
answer he could obtain from bis comrade vas that
his death was certain and inevitable. number Of
welEmeanipg friends assembled about him and en-.
deavored to wean him from bis IDEA BY lively CONVEX
sation, jokes, and even satiricat remarks "a at
among them with gloomy, thoughd1l look, took IS
share in their discourse, sighed, and At length new
that sleep would dispel this melancholy mood but
be closed bis eyes, and bis thoughts wers "a.
gagged all night with his approaching decease. Early
next morning was sent for. L found, in facs, the
most singular sight in the world-a person in good
health making all the arrangements for bis funeral,
taking affecting leave Of his friends, and writing
letter to bis father to acquaint him with his aP
preaching dissolution, and to bid BIN farewell. I
examined the state Of bis body, and found nothing
unusual but the paleuess of his face eyes dull and
rather infamed with weeping, coldne@ Of the e.
tremities, and low, contracted pulse indications Of
general cramp OF the nerves, which was sufcieutly
manifested in the state of his mind.
endeavored, therefore, TO convince him, by the
most powerful arguments, OF the fntity Of his no.
was so good, had no reason whatever to apprehend
speedy death; in short, exerted all my eloquence
and my professional knowledge, but without making
the slightest impression He willingly admitted fhas
death in him but this be commended was the pecu-
liar circumstances of his case that without any m
tural cause, merely from unaterable decree Of fate
his death must ensue; and though be could NOT e.
L
certain that it would be verified by the event Of the
following day. All that could do, therefore was to
tell him, that under the circumstances must treat
him as a person laboring under disease and pre-
scribe medicines accordingly. Very weIl,n replied
he. "but you will see not only that your medicines
will not do me any good but that they win not oper
ate at a.'
There was no time to be lost for had only twenty.
four hours left to effect therefore Judged il
best to employ powerful remedies to release him from
this bondage Of his imagination. With this view
very strong emetic and cathartc were administered,
and blisters applied to both thighs He submitted 10
everything but with the that his body was
already half dead and the remedies would be or no
use. Accordingly, to my utter establishment, I
had taken but little or effect, and that the blsters
had not even turned the skin red He now triumphed
our incredibly, and deduced from this inefici
ency Of the remedies the strongest conviction that be
| was already little better than corpse. To me the
case began to assume very serious aspect. / saw
how powerfully the state Of the mind had affected
the body, and what degree Of insensbility il had
produced; and had just reason to apprehend that
an imagination, which had reduced the body to such
extremity, was capable of carrying matters to still
greater lengths. gs
All inquiries as to the cause of his belief, had
hitherto proved abortive. He now disclosed to one
of his friends, but in the srictest confidence, that
the preceding evening, quitting his room, be had
seen figure in white, which beckoned to him, and
at the same moment voice pronounced the words :
The day after to morrow, at nine in the morning,
thou shalt die ~ and the fate thus predicted nothing
could enable him to escape. He now proceeded to
set his house in order made his will and gave par
| to carry and who to follow him to the grave. He
even insisted on receiving the sacrament-a wish,
| however, which those about him evaded complying
with. Night came on, and he began to count the
morning. and every time the clock struck his anxiety
evidently increased. began to be apprehensive for
the result for l recolected instances in which the
| mere imagination Of death had really produced IA
| tai re. ult.
Irecollected also the feigned execution, when the
criminal, after solemn trial, was sentence to be
| beheaded, and when, in expectation of the fatal
| blow. his neck was struck with switch, at which
he fell lfeess to the ground as though his head had
been really cut off. and this circumstance gave me
reason to fear that similar result might attend this
| case, and that the striking Of the hour Of nine
might prove as fatal to my patient as the blow OF
| the switch on the above mentioned occasion. At
any rate, the shock communicated by the striking Of
the clock, accompanied by the extraordinary excite.
which had determined all the blood to the head and
! the internal parts might produce most dangerous
revolution spasms fainting fits, or hemorrhages OF
even totally overthrow reason, which had already
| sustained so severe an attack. 1854
! What was then to be done? In my Judgment every.
| thing depended on carrying him, without his being
aware of it, beyond the fatal moment, and il wal
hoped that as his whole delnsion hinged upon this
point, he would then feel ashamed of himself and be
cured of it, l therefore placed my reliance OF
opium, which, moreover, was quite appropriate 4
the state OF his nerves. and prescribed twenty drop
of laudanum with two grains Of hen-bane to be take
about midnight. directed that if, as hoped, h
oversight the fatal hour his friends should assembl
round his bed and on his awakening, laugh hearth
at his silly notion that instead of being allowed
dwell upan the gloomy idea, he might be rendere
thoroughly sensible to its absurdty.
My Instructions were punctually obeyed; 500
after he had taken the opate, he fell into profoun
eleven o'clock the next day. What hour is il wa
his first question on opening his eyes and when b.
heard how long he had oversight his death, and wa
at the same time greeted with a loud laughter fo
his folly, he crept ashamed under the bedclothei
and at length Joined in the laugh declaring that tn
whole affair appeared to him like dream, and thu
ton. Since that time he has enjoyed the best {
+ health, and has never had any similar attack.
PARLoR PAsrME.-Procure a clean oil flask an
fill it about three parts with water now drop in ha
a drachm-one-sXteenth Of an ounce-of phosphoru:
then hang UP the bottle in such manner that 20
I can place lighted lamp nnder it.. Assoon as th
water is warm streams Of fire will dart from the bo
s. tom of the water resembling sky rockets some pa
tcles will adhere to the side of the glass represen
hri Tbos