Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1862-11-20

ture to relate, however credibly [ might
have been informed about it Such, I say,
was the quality of the pestilential matter,
as to pass not only from man to man, bit
what is more strange, and has been often
known, that any thing belonging to the
infected, if touched by any other creature,
would certainly infect, and even kill that
creature in a short space of time: And one
instance of this kind, [ took particular
notice of; namely, that the rags Of poor
man just dead, being thrown into the
street, and two hogs coming by at the same
time, and roofing amongst them, and shak-
ing them about in their mouths, in less
than an hour turned round and died on
the spot.
These accidents, and others of the ike
sort, occasioned various fears and devices
amongst those people that survived, all
tending to the same uncharitable and cruel
end which was to avoid the sick, and every
thing that had been near them, expecting
by that means to save themselves. And
some holding it best 10 live temperately,
and, to avoid eXcesses Of all kinds, made
parties, and shut themselves up from the
rest Of the world eating and drinking
selves with music, and such other enter
tainments as they might have within doors;
never listening to any thing from without,
to make them uneasy. Others maintained
free living to be a better preservative, and
would balk no passion or appetite they
wished to gratify, drinking and revelling
necessarily from tavern to tavern, or in
private houses; which were frequently
found blythe owners, and therefore common
to every one; yet avoiding, with all this
irregularity, to come near the infected
And such, at that time, was the public dis
tress, that the laws, human and divine,
were no more regarded for the officers, to
put them in force, being either dead, sick,
or in want of persons to assist them, every
one did just as he pleased. A third sort
of people chose a method between these
two not confining themselves to rules Of
diet like the former, and yet avoiding the
intemperance Of the latter but eating and
drinking what their appetites required,
they walked every where with Odours and
n0segays to smell to as holding it best to
corroborate the brain For they supposed
the whole atmosphere to be tainted with
the stink Of dead bodies, arising partly
from the distemper itself, and partly from
the fermenting of the medicines within
them. Others Of a more cruel disposition
as perhaps the most safe to themselves, de-
clared, that the only remedy was to avoid
it: Persuaded, therefore, of this, and taking
care for themselves only, men and women
in great numbers left the city, their houses,
relations, and effects, and fed into the
country as if the wrath Of God had been
restrained to visit those only within the
walls Of the city or else concluding, that
none ought to stay in a place thus doomed
to destruction. Divided as they were,
neither did all die, nor all escape; but fall
ing sick indiferently, as well those Of one
as Of another opinion; they who first set
the example by forsaking others, now Ian
guished themselves without mercy.
[ pass over the little regard that citizens
or relations showed to each other for their
terror was such, that brother even fed
from his brother, wife from her usband,
and, what is more uncommon, a parent
from it's own child. On which account
numbers that fell sick could have no help
but what the charity Of friends, who were
very few, or the avariCe of servants sup
piled and even these were scarce, and at
extravagant wages, and so little used to
the business, that they were fit only to
reach what was called for, and observe
when they died and this desire of getting
money often cost them their lives.
From this desertion Of friends, and
scarcity Of servants, an unheerd of custom
prevailed no lady, however young or hand
some, would disdain being attended by a
man servant, whether young or old it mat
tered not and to expose herself naked to
him, the necessity Of the distemper requir-
ing it, as thought was to woman; which
might make those who recovered, less
modest for the time to come. And many
lost their lives who might have escaped
had they been looked after at all. So that
between the scarcity of servants, and VIC
lence of the distemper, such numbers Were
continually dying, as made it terrible tC
hear as we'll as to behold. Whence, from
mere necessity, many customs were intro
duced, different from what had been before
known in the city.
It had been usual, as it now is, for the
women who were friends and neighbours
to the deceased, to meet together at his
house, ard to lament with his relations /; al
the same time the men would get together
at the door, with a number Of clergy, ac
cording to the persons circumstances; and
the corpse was carried by people of his owl
rank, with the solemnity of tapers anC
singing, to that church where the person
had desired to be buried which custom
was now laid aside, and, so far from having
a crowd of women to lament over them
that great numbers passed out Of the worl(
without a single person: And few had thu
tears of their friends at their departure
hut thosn Er;o,,Ar 1rro,,ld la11nh md ma l.