Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1872-04-25
4 HALF TON OF FLESH.
Dsash ~ Iseses or tho LarEest We
mss In she World.
from tho 81, Louis Tlmes.l

-
From tho st. Louis Tlmes.]
On Monday evening, Mrs. Amelia
Brooks, aged 81 years, died at her resi-
dence, in the afiey bounded by Twen-
~ty-second, Twenty third, Wash streets
and franklin avenue. Mrs. Brooks,
whose frame was but little more than
medium-sized, had accumulated flesh
until she weighed between 800 and
1000 pounds. Until very recently she
had been employed as nurse IN the
family Of q barber, on Olive street, but
an irresistible tendency to plethora
curtailed her sphere of usefulness, and
she was accordingly retired by the bar
Der, aud another nurse Of less pro-
nounced individuality engaged In her
place.
Rather than SEQ Mrs. Brooks thrown
upo,i the cold charities of the world,
the barber gave her some money and
interested Mmsc,f IN procuring light
sewing for her. .lit tho proceeds OF
her work, and the kindly aid of some
Sisters OF Mercy, she lived very COM
fortably, though the limited constrltc-
tlon Of the portals ami her superb.
Guidance Of adipose matter confined
her to her room and to devotional ex-
erclses exclusively. For the last few
weeks she had been confined to her
couch, a massive piece Of architectural
upholstery, and OH Monday morning,
though to all appearances In perfect
health, manifested signs Of approach
ing dissolution. At l o'clock. the
whole left side had suGcumbed to the
Power that reduces "dust to dust and
ashes to ashes" At 9 O'Clock she be.
came cognizant of the necessity of All
exertlon, but Death had gained loo
firm q hold to be shaken Oft. At !
o'clock she reused herself, but the
| Black Shadow had extended over the
back and was gradually approaching
her vital parts. At 4 o'clock the strug-
gle was terrible. and at 9 the returns
were nearly all in, with only two legs
and an arm to hear from. From TIL:
time until S o'clock in the evening the
issue was certain, and ut . the soul
abandoned its earthly tenement for.
over.
There was some little difficulty ex.
perienced In placing tho body in Its
"narrow final resting place." AS no
coffin could he found large enough a
box was built six feet long, twenty.
| eight Inches broad and twenty-six III
depth. Even this was not sufficiently
wide, and 1t was necessary to compress
the form nine inches, but as that was
the widest box that could be got into
the room without tearing out the front
of the house it was thought more char.
table to reduce the clay than to injure
the premises. Her dimensions were
five feet ten inches In height, twenty.
eight inches across the shoulders and
%thlrty-ssven inches across the hips
Her arms were thirty inches In cir
conference and her thighs sixteen In
ches In diameter.
When she had been arraycd In bu'
rial vestments, 1t was found impossible
for seven men to lift her. Finally the
the box was tilted on one side aud she
was rolled In while the priests chant
ed the services of the dead. She wal
then placed IN n large wagon, which
proceeded carefully to Cavalry Gene
terry. The wagon was backed up tc
the grave and eight men and six roll
ers combined their exertions to lower
her into her narrow bed. The eartl
was thrown upon her and n neat tomb
stone erected.