The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-10-05
How 1t Feers TO Have the yellow


From The NciD Orleans btHeiu.
The following was written by yell
low fever patient on the tifth day after
being taken sick; the labor of writing it
caused a relapse. which came very near
costing his life:
The writer of this has had n glimpse
of Purgatory, and the way it came TO
pass was this Tuesday morning 'Sel-
low Jack, :" so called, Introduced him
self uncereInOniously, and at once pro-
ceeded to break every bone in this poor
subjects body. He WAS left helpless
and prostraLed. Now appeared an
army of little devils, who commenced
proWllng. prOdding and digging To sat
isfy Themselves that not Il bone was lett
unDrOken. But in spite OF all The
devils, the skull remained unbrOksn.
They made a detail to keep constantly
beating the subject on the top of the
head and downwards towards the neck.
They had kind of Greek fire, which
at regular intervals they poured down
the spine of the subject.
Having arranged all these prelim-
inaries. they of course thought they had
him dead. Now they commenced u curl
GUS game; all would whirl around, then
stop all of sudden and play with some
strange devices that were neither cards
nor dies, yet something of the sort.
The subject watched this game with
intense interest, SO much so that he al
most forgot his broken bones and un-
hinged joints. Thus his mind and the
spirits and the game went spinning
along together till about dark when Il
servant entered and asked If the SUBJ
ject was sick. He rather thought lie
was.
A delegation of neighbors now crowd
ed around the bed to learn how the sick
man felt. He endeayored briefly to
convey some idea of his feelings. One
ofthose present asked if he would take
answered he might, provided 1t was
neither caIomel nor quinine. No, it
was homeopathic remedy. Well, the
subject had no objection. Soon after a
ply sician made his appearance, looked
rather serious, gave his instructions,
and told the subject to qusnch his
thirst with almost any decent drink.
Now he happened TO be always thirsty,
tried citrate of magn esia for while,
but soon grew disgusted with 1t, then
tried lemonade, but with no better sue
cess. The novel idea struck him to try
pure cold water, and it turned out TO be
exactly the thing.
The physician continued his visits,
and would announce from day to day
with curious air that the patient was
better. In the meantime, when not in
terrupted, the subject and the spirits
and the curious game played by the
latter went swimming along together
as much so AS on the tirst day, but
gradually the host grew smaller; some
of the spirits seemed to have urgent
business elsewhere, others Jagged, and
all that ran around grew more and
more careless. But just in exact pro-
portion the subject grew more and
more "powerfully weak" Thursday
morning he WAS all powerfully weak;
the spirits had all left but Two, one rest
ed on each eyelid. With kick and n
snort the subject hung back the bed
cover. landed on the floor, and said, II
aint dead yet"
With the assistance of nurse of
whose existence the subject now became
aware, he found his way back 10 bed
again. Friday morning he found
himselfs so powerfully weak that he did
not feel able to raise a finger. The doc
tor came and looked rather more pleas
ant than usual; said that everybody
had expected The subject to die, but
continued he, "You are not going to
die; you'n be out in II few days"
A brilliant idea struck the subject,
anu summoning all his strength, he
raised himself on his haunches, and
told the doctor he would like TO have
something to eat. The doctor suggest
ed that the subject might drink n cup
of coffee with boiled milk. Would
a duck swim? The coffee was well
made and dran and the patient gain
ed strength enough To attempt 10 write
this, which he managed 10 do by eight
hours hard work, lying on his back,
and holding his pencil in one hand
and his paper in the other. Aud the
patient still lives.