Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1859-06-22

\ Then the alarm was worse than ever
The news went through the town like wild
fire. More'n half the people was for pack
in up and movin rite off to escape SIGH a
dredful fatal disease. Nosdoubt Pete had
done his best. Pore feller! he was so
oyerdone with exertin himself that he
couldn't hardly stand, and didn't leave the
house for sum time.
Bout this time DIR. Cater cum home,
and hearin the dredful accounts about the
Collery, the FIRST thing he done was to ride
rite out to the plantation with Pete to see
into the matter. After lookin about a lit
tie and questionin the overseer, and the
niggers what had been sick, he pronounced
the disease to be nothin but a common
collery morbus, brung on by etin too much
green corn and water melens; and after
lookin at Pete's prescription he wasn't at
no loss to understand the fatal
ity Of the disease. Only two niggers out
of the lot escaped, and one was old Abra-
ham what never would take anybody's
medicin as long as he had strength enuff
in his jaws to keep 'em shut, and the other
was Aunt Sukey, who was most well fore
the mcdicin cum.
Pore Pete ! when the old Doctor ex-
planned it all to him, and told him how so
much calomel and morfeen was enuff to
kill all the niggers on the plantation, he
tuck it monstrous hard. Unkle Josh was
as mad as a hornet, and cum monstrous
nigh givin Pete a lickin, big as he is. But
old Mr.. Montgomery told him that would
not bring the niggers to life, nor save TIE
lives of anybody else that mought have the
bad luck to fall into Pcte's hands. He's a
monstrous plain spoken old man, Mr.
Montgomery is, and goes his deth agin
quacks and pretenders of all kinds. He
told Unkle Josh he thought it served him
jest right, SO far as he was consumed. A:
for the pore niggers, he sed, he was very
sorry, but it was a very great pity tha
the people who is film the country Will
ignorant young upstairs who's jest got mol
ledge OF merddicin enuf to make, 'en
dangerous to the lives Of the community
{ its a great pity, he sed, that SIGH person
couldn't always be treated by ther doctor
of ther own manyfacter. He sed ther wa
| a great responsibility Resin on a parent i
. the selection of a profession for his son
: and that in adoptin a pursuit, as much r.
o gard should be paid to the ability of tt
young mar to discharge his duty to tt
public, as to his taste or preferences.
a that matter was taken into considerable
many a chap that is now film the gray
q yards of the country, with ded victims
q their ignorance and DARN, would be till
il the fields and maxim corn for ther Twin.
"Mr. Mountgomery's speech didn't S
very well on Unkle Josh's stummick, b
= he know'd it was true and he never sed
/ word out of the way to his old friend.
Ia Pete's been monstrous sollumcolly ev
4 since his encounter with the collery. Son
IL of the boys plaques him a good deal, b
= sun of his friends tried to sooth his feeli1
N Bob Moreland had a long walk with biz
ST tryin to swade him that such things oft
N happens with the best of doctors.
Why" ses he, "you amt the first dc
r. tor that ever met with SIGH a accident
m Such things happens every now and the
10 if they was only found out. Why, tn
was Doctor Barker. 9 know killed hi
~ DIR. Samson, down on the Runs, killed
y, wife and child, bygiyfn 'emthe wrong ki
90 Aof medicine"
I'm IN II know that" ses Pete with a 10
sigh. 81 know that"
~ = "Wcll, amt that c%onsolin to you? J
'at is only a young doctor-and they was
ones-one killed himself, and the OF
killed his wife and child.
"Yesw ses Pete, shakin his head v
a heavy groan-"Yes, Bob, but that wc
like killing her Darn naggers !"
~ Bob didn't try to console his grief
az more after that. Sich grief was too sal
wy to be disturbed by words Of commits
ton, and must be left to time to neal.