Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1873-01-31
weeping Over the Wrong Corpse

vertisers.
weeping Over the Wrong Corpse.
From the Cincinnati Commercial, Jan. 90. ]
Two or three days ago. it came to pass that a
man aud woman residing within about a
stones throw Of each other, on street IN the
eastern part of the city, died within short
time of each other. The funerals were ap-
noioted for the same day and hour and at the
houses of each of the deceased large crowds Of
mourners gathered to bear testimony, by their
presence, to the respect they entertained tor
the departed. Conspicuous among the gath
erpg at the house of the dead woman we're an
elderly lady and her companion, lady much
younger in years. They were specially notice,
able by reason of the great grief which seemed
to have settled down like a pail upon them,
eug,hening their countenances and causing
them to weep lucessantly.
In the face Of their great carrying on, 1t
seemed as singular as it was true, that nobody
knew them IL the intervals between their
spaslns of grcf, it was also noticeable that their
resnectiye countenances bore halt-puZzied
look, and occasionally they would be caught
going one eve around the corners or their re-
spectiye handkefchiets on each other, as 1t IN
;nu,irv. They soon became the observed OF
All observers, and seemed as much put out at
the notice they attracted us myst6ed for an ex-
plaratou OF the situation. >.
At last the undertaken called upon the friends
Of the deceased to come forward and take the
last look at the corpse. The two ladies were
among the first to respond to the invitation,
. and their grief burst out atresh and 10 over
whelnug volumes ere they had reached the
coHin's side At last they came to 1t. All was
bushed in the room. Every eye was upon
n NJ nha
were expected. The expectation proved true.
They gazed upon the face Of the dead, then upon
each other. Their eyes grew in size, their
mouths opened in gaspiug wonder; they thrust
their respective handkerchief intos their pock-
cts, and then, without a word of explanation or
amlogy. or even look around, made tor the
door.
Ashley passed out the young lady was heard
to excl;im, "Why, who'd thought we were
in the wrong house" To which the elderly
one replied, YES, and my handkerchef's as
wet as dishcloth, too" The cat was then out
ofthe bag. The couple had all this time been
weeping over the wrong corpse, as their out
pourings we're meant to have been spent upon
the dead man in the other house presided over
by the King of Terrors 1t is said that from
the timc of entering the last mentioned house
neither of the ladies were observed to drop a
tear, and that rhe old lady never once produced
her handkerchief during the entire ride to aud
from the cemetery.
A PLEA FOR NIGHT AIR.-But, in Heavens
name what air, as Miss Nightingale says, can
we breathe at night, except night air? The
choice lies between pure night air from with
out and foul night air from within; most peo-
pie prefer the latter it is true, but it is night
air all the same, though they may not be aware
of the fact. Did you ever test these two kinds
of night air by going early Ia the morning into
the room Of person brought up to sleep with
closed windows, and immediately atterward
into one where the sash has been lowered six
inches from the top and raised six inches from
the bottom2 Well, what did you fnd? In
one however pretty aud We'll arranged, how
ever, healthy, neat and well bred its occupant,
smell of bed clothes; or damp towels, of dust,
or carpet-all slight. but all indicative OF that
used-up condition of the atmosphere which is
so fatal to sleeper. In the other no better
situated or furnished, an elastic feel, perfume
of freshness which made breathing pleasant.
Was it not so?
Or did you ever compare your own sensa-
tons after sleeping in fresh air with those
produced after sleeping in foul? How
many of the failures, the mischances of life. the
morning dullness which hiudered this or that,
the refusal of the brain to work at critical mo-
ment, the apathy, the blindness of perception,
date back to that unaired bedroom which sent us
forth uuretreshed to our work, and ushered 10
depressing and discouraged day. But it is
useless to contend with so deeply rooted preju-
dice Let US 60 back to our exlled friend, who
certainly has day claim, though he denied
nightly one, to our sufferance How few OF us
recognize, as the long winter creeps away, how
day by day We are insensibly contenting our
selves with the same breathed over air which,
scarcely renovated since, supplied our lungs,
yesterday, and the day before. open the
windows, indeed we cry, why, it's all we
can do to exist with them tightly shut.
Yet, but paradox as it seems, there is warmth
IN the very cold which an open window would
admit. That iS the oxygen OF the purer AIR.
qulckening the circulation and bringing the
temperature of the head, hand and feet into
proper balance, will of itself induce q glow
which helps the FIRE to rewarm the room after
Its airing.
BLACK SNow.-The Keokuk (Iowa) Consti-
tuition of the 18th says On last Tuesday
AFTERNOON commenced the great snow storm OF
the winter, and the greatest storm of the West
ior many years. 1t continued until Wednes-
day afternoon; then set in a furious wind,
"'iSu totk tue SNOW lFolu tlle uluS duu pilCu
II up in the valleys Ga Thursday morning
the inhabitants of the northern portion of this
State; when they awoke. were not little sur
pr'sed at seeing the earth covered with black
instead of a white garment, as it was on the
night before. This strange and unnatural phe-
nomenon is accounted for on the suppositon that
after the wind had swept the snow off the hills
then the dry earth was taken up and scattered
over the face of the snow, giving it this peculiar
coloriug.
rus CREDIT MoBlLIER MARTYRS If SER
vices are held tomorrow in Bishop Poland S
church, it is understood that choir of CORES
pondcats will sing the following as an appro-
prate intrns3uctorv b,-mn Hrdin,tal to tho