The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-01-05
For the Dispatch.
UurnlitsS IN Florida.

l9ok III titCii
have seen some very odd specimens of
the genuS homo, species invalid, i'll this
land Of sick people. Whatever there is OF
rational and individual popularity, what
ever Of scifshncss, irritability, and foolish
ncss, It ali comes out, naked and not
asnemed, in aninyalid with chronic disease
travelling in search Of health. You see
the worst aide of the mnn-that is, the in
side, for discase does turn q man inside out
in more senses than one.
The community would be better off if all
chronic invalids were knocked in the head
once year: it would be good radiance:
and am moee than ever convinced OF ITS
necessity since my winters experience, IN
florida. There WAS one fellow who died III
Alatka short time before my visit, OF
whoa heard from many sources.
When he found his end approaching he
sea. north for 9 metallic coffin, and had il
brought into his bedroom tried it, and
found it would fit him exactly. He was
thcreupon very much satisfied; and during
the few remaining days OF his life always
srokc Of himself as dead. He requested
bic wife to find out whether she could send
il on Uy express. Size dutifully inquired
aaa ionnd that they could not carry IT. Ht
then told her to have 81 box made, and have
it mado large to put il in it; and as there
was plenty Of room, to pack in some swec.
potatoes and oranges for the children and
''be very careful, my dear, not to let them
turn it over, lest the oranges SHOULD be
ma ned" So this careful, economical ia
thcr died. and his wife carried out his
w!snce, ana very carefully carried it home
10 Vermont : and the children enjoyed the
r0tatocs and oranges, and wished their
Gca@ fatLer would go.and die in Florida
every winter. So much for it.
a New Yorker, not liking the expense of
q metallic coffin, went to carpenters shop
in Alatka and inquired the price Of a
stained pine wood coffin that would fit him.
IIc was told six dollars; whcreupon he flew
INFO passion and tod the workman that
lie could get one for three "to hum; " nor
wa. lie pacitiel by the w0rkman's state
Iucnt Of the hirh price Of labor and lumber,
aud that Florida Was an expensive place to
die IN anyhow. He went off, and at the
table croakcd out to his wife how the man
had tried to chart him BY charging double
price for coffin, and she sympathized with
him a.gl though: ii cxtort;on. He had to
die, however. AMI lie buried in biy-dollar
coffin after all; ani on his dcath-hcd he
strongly advised his wife to be chcrnO-
3:;c&!-tbat he only left her $l2n, 400, and
if she was not careful 1t would soon be
zone. J don't think that mans soul went
unrwhere--I don't think he had any soul
n another Case where n man died his
widow did not allow him to he buried.
Everybody respected hcr grief and her az
lection, even for the dead body Of her hus-
Land. After three days, however, she
%mazcd the landlord b. coming into the
once and telling hin, " You may bury that
nan now; he Stiuks.' The man WAS then
:G..cd, to the satisfaction Of bis Affection
L.", o.luctory widow.
In another instance ! knew Of man
rc- ling for colin for his daug liter; ana
~ &C did lot die az soon as was expected:
hu; irrrOIcl, tie coffin Was carried along
'T.ss- the other baggage until Sue VICE III Il
lumor 20 die and uccG il. His patience was
rewarded, however. She died at last, and
;ar cost q the coffin was not money wasted.
4 f,..JrIi i8 peculiarly sad in Florida
. stran@crdying among strangers, and each
one thinking that lis own turn may come
next. | have Witnessed some sorrowtul
,gc.eG; yc: have seen some Of the jollicst
widow. ever saw. Husband buried one
jar, AL the next everybody will 20 down
. !Ac wharf 10 mcot the boat, widow in the
l@ilEt, The ,oeglicst 0. the party. You
sake IAi,.-s Cyoiiy in Florida ii is too hot
TO gricye.
An array officer told me that when his
company was fighting the Indians, Oh Que
occasion, Lis guide was shot, aud although
they carried his body to The rear, al Indian
a,i;roA rountl in the bush and scalped him.
'rAyr bore his body home, and the widow
raised sucn Il terrible hullabaloo that they
thought her grief inconSolahlc. Yet next
week nc met her AZ 4 dancing party, the
nclriest loot in the whole loon. She told
him that she had cried 81 hele week, and
och, Ji4Imv waG very dead indeed, and well
buried, and she WAS very fond Of dancing,
&C. They kept Up tic dance until day
ith..
think that the most singular case ever
ncAr! Of WAS tina, OF an ancient carpet
h.rttr II Fredericksburg. He came on TO
.oco,er the body Of his son, who had been
N.!iG.! when BuruSi ic marched over the river
VITA q hundred and fifty thousand men and
;hcn marched back again, his aim appa-
r.utiy having been 10 establish and til
the bones o. his son, and applied for COZ
ia and;transyortation lie was refused on
thc crodnd that the United States Govern.
mcnt WAS then wisely erecting one Of those
places Of reception for the dead which
,rowl our land ANA serve to illustrate Con-
tolerate va!or. He then secured Il small
lox, but found that the mcrcenary railroad
Company would charge him freight. So lie
throws the long bones into the cellar, crowds
The others into his carpct-bag, ana carries
liz son home in his hand. 1t was curious
mixture OF economy and paternal affection.
met some very good and some really
fine people among the invallds of Florida :;
and also some of the most offensive, BIAS
pacmous wretches | ever saw. One fellow
was so disgusting that wanted to have his
tongue soaked III Il sulphur spring for 8
week or Two (unde" water) by way Of effect
ing cure. We parted and hope never
20 meet him again, az he was evidently On
lis way to another and hotter world.
Mrs Harriet Buzzard Stowe did not Sec
:ac has q cottage in 81 beautiful grove of
livcoaks and orange trees ut Mandarin, on
the st. Johns. She is tormented BY crowds
ui visitors. The boats pass continually,
:.ni sometimes boat-load OF cockneys will
land and walk all over the premises as if it
WAS show-rlacc or menagerie. They
make nothing Of going into the house,
i,sing notes of everything, asking ques-
tons, introducing themselves, and present
ing their friends; and ii the doors are
locked on them, will 60 round to the back
part Of the house, and hattening their noses
against the window-paucs to stare in at her,
see how Sue feeds, and inspecting her gen
orally.
She has had to demonstrate in the papers