The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-01-29

was nobody In the bOGSe 70 Watcn niln u"'
bis daughter, who did not seem to me to De
well fitted for the task, seeing she was
weakly, hysterical, and timid. He told me
ne knew all had stated that bis name
was James H; that he was cousin
Of the young woman's, George B-havIng
been been married on bis mothers sister (;
that be had resided in the house, and bad
discovered the tendency Of his uncle mind ;
and that, on one occasion, he bad snatched
out of his hands razor with which ne
intended to destroy himself-an act which
he was expelled the house, though he was
the acknowledged suitor Of the young woman
whom he intended to wed. [ told him he
should marry her, protect her, and save the
father; but he replied that the old man
would neither allow him to live in the house,
nor take bis daughter from him; SO that she
was compelled to remain in the dreadful con-
dition in which | had found her. told him
to call upon me next day, and proceeded
homewards.
Before James III called, which he did
about two O'Clock, | revolved in my mind
what should he done for the unfortuDat4
man. | recollected that, in a conversation
had with DR. D-of Edinburgh, he told
me of case of melancholy, and accompany
ing determination to commit selfmurder,
which be had successfully treated by pre-
senting to the mind ofthe patient such horri-
tic stories and narratives of men who had tax
en- their own lives, and suffered in their death
inexpressible agonies, and such shocking
pictures Of murders where the wretched
victims were brought back, by the hand Of
their offended Maker, from the gates of
death, with their consciences scared by the
burning iron of his vengeance, that the man
got alarmed, was cured Of his thirst for bis
own blood, and never again spoke Of self
destruction. resolved upon trying this ex-
pedient, and could not think-of better book
for my purpose than that extraordinary re-
cord of human vice and suffering, the "New-
gate Calender" fortunately possessed a
copy, with those fearfully graphic pictures,
that suit 50 well, in their course, halfcari-
catured, grotesque delineations, with the
dreadful narratives they are intended 20 illus
trate | picked out the most fearful volume,
that contained, at the same time, the greatest
number Of attempted selfmurders, where the
victims were snatched from their chosen
death and, after their wounds were healed,
devoted to that pointed out by the law as
due to their crimes. When James H
called in the afternoon, gave him the
volume, and requested him to hand it to the
patients daughter, with directions to put in
to the hands of her father. as having been
sent to him by me. He said he would take
the first opportunity Of complying with my
request
[ had no visits to make that required my
presence in that part Of the country for two
or three days. On the second day after ]
had sent the book, had another call from
James H, who said that he had been
requested by the pat tents daughter to return
the volume, and to request another one,
which the patient desired, above all things,
to be sent to him that day. | accordingly
sent him another volume, although | did not
know whether to augur well or i'll from this
anxiety but was inclined to be of opinion
that the symptom was an auspicious one.
Two days afterwards, the messenger called
again, with repetition Of his former request
for another volume as soon as it could be
sent. | complied with it instantly send
ing, however, on this occasion, two-for |
thought my medicine was operating bene-
ficially, and it was of that kind that could
be of no use unless administered in large
doses, so, as it were, TO surfeit and sicken
the disease, and force it, by paralysing its
energies, to relinquish its grasp Of the
patients mind and body.
(To BE CONTINUED