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

either through poverty, or hopes OF succour
in distress, fell sick daily by thousands,
and, having nobody to attend them, gen
orally died some breathed their last in the
streets, and others shut up in their own
houses, wfen the stencil that came from
them made the first discovery Of their
deaths to the neighbourhood And indeed
every place was filled with the dead. A
method now was taken, as well out of re-
gard to the living, as pity for the dead );
for the neighbours, assisted by what por-
ters they could meet with, began to clear
all the houses, and lay the bodies at the
doors and every morning great numbers
might be seen brought out in this manner :;
from whence they were carried away on
biers, or tables, two or three at time !;
and sometimes it has happened, that wife
and her husband, two or three brothers,
and father and son have been laid on to-
gether It has been observed also, whilst
two or three priests have walked before a
corpse with their crucifix, that two or three
sets Of porters have fallen in with them !;
and where they knew but Of one, they have
buried six, eight, or more: nor was there
any to follow, and shed a few tears over
them for things were come to that pass,
that mems lives were no more regarded,
than the lives of so many beasts. Hence
it plainly appeared, that what the wisest
in the ordinary course Of things, and by a
common train Of calamities, could never
be taught namely, to bear them patiently
this, by the excess Of those calamities was
now grown a familiar lesson to the most
simple and unthinking
The consecrated ground no longer con-
tanning the numbers which were continual
ly brought thither, especially as they were
desirous of laying every one in the parts
allotted to their families; they were forced
to dig trenches, and to put them in by hun
dreds, piling them up in rows, as goods are
slowed in q ship and thrt wing in little
earth till they were filled to the top. Not
to rake any farther into the particulars OF
our misery, [ shall observe, that it Jared
no better with the adjacent country for
to omit the different castles about us, which
presented the same view In miniature with
the city, you might see the poor distressed
labourers, with their families, without eth
er the plague Of physicians, or help of ser
wants, languishing on the highways, in the
fields, and in their houses, and dying
IdUIi6E Ike CICUlC, UuLu Ilulldu CICdGuIGS
and growing dissolute in their manners
like the citizens, and careless of every thing
as supposing every day to be their last
their thoughts were not SO much employed
howto improve, as to make use Of then
substance for their present supports whence
| it happened that the focks, ).srds, &C., anC
the dogs themselves, ever faithful to thei1
masters, being driven from their owl
homes, would wander, no regard being ha(
to them, among the forsaken harvest anC
many times, after they had filled them
selves in the day, would return Of theil
own accord like rational creatures at night
What can I say more, if return to thu
city unless that such was the cruelty o
heaven, and perhao os of men, that between
March and July following, it is supposed
and made pretty certain, that upwards o
hundred thousand souls perished in th
city only; whereas, before that calamity
it was not supposed to have contained s.
many inhabitants. What magnificen
dwellings,, what noble palaces were thel
depop4Iated to the last person! what fam
lilies extinct what riches and vast posses
sions left, and no known heir to inherit
what numbers of both sexes in the prim
and vigour Of youth, whom in the morning
neither Galen, Hippocrates, nor Kscula
plus himself but would have declared i
perfect health after dining heartily wit
tn cir friends here, have supped with thei
departed friends in the other world.