The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1873-12-11
KILL OR CURE.
The Army Surgeons story.

KILL OR CURE.
The Army Surgeons Story.
"The Major Is capital fellow, doc
tor" I said as we sauntered ont to
smoke our cigars in the garden, after
an early dinner; "but he ought to be
more merciful to Us wretched bache-
los. What with his charming wife
and that exemplary babe, he makes
It difficult 10 respect the tenth COM
mandment.n #
"You admire Mrs. Layton"
"Admire her? If she were not
Charles wife / should fall head over
ears in love with her. I have seen
fairer faces, but for her pretty wo.
manly ways, / never met her equal"
"You couldn't understand q man.
thirsting for her blood ?n
"Good gracious! A wretch who
could touch one of her golden hairs
ought to be cruci:ied.n
And yet, for many days she was
In deadly peril of her life"
"For her fortune ?'
"She had none'
"Don't tell me, docter, that an in
nocent creature like her could give
any one cause for revenge .,
mo; won't tell YOU anything of
The sort. y
Il think ! ,es. Some Que was mad
~ In love with her y
"If you were ta 1uess till this day
out you would i1t ind out the cause, y
said my friend. - II us sit down here
and will explain It's no secret; l
wonder the Maier has not told you
before this s.sspe
"DOwn here" was a rustic seat that
the Majors pretty wife had made al
he end Of the garden, close to where
a little riii, soon TO be lost in the blue
Hudson tinkled Its way through his
ground.
During the war; began the doctor,
II served in the army, in the same
regiment with an old school mate
He was as fine soldier as ever drew
sword. Hale, hearty, and sound in
mind and body, eager to see service
and he saw plenty. thought he bore
charmed life, till one day he was
carried into the hospital tent in bad
way. A ball had entered his shoul
der, glanced on the clavicle what you
call the collar bone), and had gone
somewhere. This was all we could
tell, fer there was no other orifice; but
whether 1t had passed up or down, or
taken some erratic course round about,
such as balls will take, we knew not,
and no probing could find out. Well
he recovered, and went north to re-
cover his strength, and for nearly
three years lost sight of him.
"When the war was over, and / had
begun to practice as a civilian in New
York, met him again. But so
changed He was living skeleton,
and ! saw In moment that he had
become habituated to opium. Do you
know what that means? No? Well,
throw bucket of water into piano,
and then light fire under 1t, and its
strings will not be more out Of tune
than an opium-smoker's nerves sre
out Of order. He asked me if he might
call on me at my office, Of course 1
but it was days before be
came, and when he did arrive I knew
that he had prepared himself for
fight with himself. Some foolish pa
tients come prepared to hide the truth,
some to magnify their ills. 1t is part
pf our business in serious cases, to ex
anime mans mind before he asks
about his body; / confess that the con-
dition Of my poor friend fright
ened me. There was an expression in
his eyes that 1 had never seen in any
sane being; and what made this worse
was the calm business like manner in
which he spoke. He told me that
soon after he had apparently recover
ed from his wound, he began to suffer
from pain in his head, which increas-
ei in severity till they became SO ago
nixing that he had recourse to opiates
TO alleviate them. But / have not
come to consult you on this he said
for this can bear-must bear
Would to God they were always tear
ing me. The worst is when they are
not
"'They leave you very weake l
suggested.
'They leave me, be replied, quite
calmly, with a burning, all but uu-
conquerable, desire TO take human
iife.'
II am not generally q nervous
man. but started, and looked around
for some weapon of defense. Don't
be afraid, he continued, with a sad
smile; the fit is not on me now. l
should not have come II it had been.
| have been nearly starved once or
twicanpot daring to leave my room.
l car Bnquer my madness now; the
question is, how long can I continue
70 do 50. | feel that II is growing up
on me. feel that my power Of re-
sistance Is becoming weaker and weak
er. the craving for blood getting
stronger and stronger. 1 am like q
man who has slipped over precipice,
and feels the earth and shrubs to
which he clogs slowly. surely giving
way with him. I have brought
wretched ours out Of the street, and
killed them In my frenzy, In the hope
to exhaust it on them. But 1t is no
use. / must have human life.
"'Any human lis,' replied, ! or
some one in particular
Why do you ask this, doctor p
be cried, getting suddenly excited.
"iNo matter; go on
/" .6ometimes. he resumed, IT seems
that any life would do; and some