The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1866-11-08
Cholera Incident.

Cholera Incident.
During the prevalence Of the epidemic,
from which, happily, we are now entirely
free, many brave hearts were struck with
terror lest it should enter their own do
mestic circle. A little incident has just
reached our ears, possessing sufficient Of
the strange and startling to make it
worthy CT note, through both time and
space admonish us that brevity must be
observed in its recital.
On one of the streets running parallel
with, and not far from Broadway, lived a
married couple who had not travelled to-
gether very smoothly since they had been
made one flesh. The husband, though
not bad man, occasionally took drop
too much, and on such occasions happi-
ness was the exception in the household.
The wife had thousand dollars in green
backs, which she had saved and always
carried with her, and being master-spirit
of the firm, she would not allow it to be
encroached upon, but, on the contrary,
endeavored to augment it.
The wife took the cholera, and the hus-
band, obtaining permit, had her sent to
the City Hospital. 1t is not known that
he accompanied her thither, though he
must have visited her. One morning, the
nurse being out of the room for some
time, returned to the bedside of the poor
woman, and discovered her, to all appear
ance, dead. The Doctor was notified and
made his observation. No pulsation of
the heart, no breathing, nothing to dissi-
pate the allusion and assertion that the
patient was dead, was discovered, and
the learned disciple of Esculapius pro-
nounced her-dead. She was forthwith
dsrobed, placed in the rough coffin fur
nished by the city. and conveyed to the
dead-house, or rather dead-room. For
hours she lay, apparently, corpse, with
all the surroundings of death. After the
shadows Of night had closed in, the watch
man took look into the loom to see that
all was right From the inside of one of
the cofins o perceptible knocking was
heard. Superstition seized him he slam
med the door after him and went to noti-
fy other parties of the mysterious rap
ping, and several accompanied the man
to the temporary receptacle of the dead.
When the door was opened, a sight met
the gaze of the party which made the
roots of their hair tingle and caused them
to feel weakness about the knees. The
"corpse" had raised the lid of the coffin
and was sitting bolt upright in it. "Where
am I 2" says she The matter was ex-
planned to her briefly. Filled with anger,
all illness having seemingly departed, she
let loose the food. gates of her passion at
the idea of being enclosed in such con-
temptible receptacle. She had thou
sand dollars when she went to the hos
pital, she said, and she demanded to know
where it had gone--the amount would |
have given her decent sepulture. The
attendants were unable to explain the
of the missing money, and
the woman demanded to be restored to
herself once more, that she might pursue
the thief who had robbed her, and secure
to her body, if she were to die, descent
burial. The "resurrected" one was help
ed out of her narrow prison-house and
taken to a more genial chamber. But
here another difficulty arose-her clothes
had been destroyed. Suitable apparel,
however, was furnished, and on finding
herself once more of the flesh flesh, and
the blood blood, she insisted on starting
1T once in search Of her husband, who,
she thought-and perhaps ctly-was
,onsoling himself with her thousand dol
ars, and the idea that some other daugh-
;er Of Eve would console his lonely hours.
The Surgeon, observing that madam
vas comparatively we'll, and thinking it
night do her more harm to retain her
han permit her departure, had the iron
rate opened for her exit.
Darkness had set in ere she reached
Ter husbands place of domiciliation. She
Knocked at the door, and her husband
opened it. With eyes fairly starting from
heir sockets he gazed-words failed him
.he was paralyzed with fear at the sup
,osed apparition. At length the wife de-
handed why he had robbed her, insisting
It the same time that she was not dead
IS he no doubt hoped she was, and she
lad come home-he would find it harder
han that to get rid of her. The husband
vas too astonished, Mortified, to believe
lis eyes, and he begged the "ghost" to
eave-she might have the money, butfor
sod's sake to go away and not destroy :
i'm. At this the man, with fear and
rembing, handed her the missing money,
which she took; but she was not to be
riven from her home, and with push
he opened the door and entered the
ouse. She had no sooner done SO than T
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