New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-09-05

Mr.. Merdle sgnifying that the idea should
have his best attention, Bishop put another
case:
Whether his good friend had at all inter
ested himself in the proceedings of our Com
blned Additional Endowed Dignitaries Com
mittee, whetherlt had occurred to him that
to shed little money in That direction
might be great conception finely exc
cutede
Mr.. Merdle made similar reply, and
Bishop explained his reason for inquirirg.
/ Society looked to such men as his good
friend to do such things. 1t was not that
he looked to them, but that Society looked
to them. just as it was not Our Committee
who wanted the Additional Endowed Dig
nitaries, but it was Society that was in u
state of the most agonizing uneasiness Of
mind until it got Thorn. He begged to as
sure his good friend, that he was extremely
sensible OF his good friends regard on all
occasions for the best interests of Society;
and he considered that he was at once con
| sultiEg those interests, and expressing the
| feeling of Society, when he wished him cen
tinued prosperity, continued increase of
| riches, and continued things in general.
Bishop then betock himself up stairs,
and the other magnates gradually loatei
up alter him until there was no one left be
low but Mr.. Merdle
A conversational conference is held be-
tween the great banker and the physician
upon the state Of health of the banker:
Bar and Bishop had,ooth been bystanders
during this short dialogue, and rs M. Met
die was swept way by the crowd, he M a
| their remarks upon it to the pnytici N.
| Bar said there was u certain point of mer
strain beyond which no man could 60: that
the point varied with various textures of
brain and peculiarities Of constitution. as
he had had occasion to notice in several of
his learned brothers; but, the point of en-
durance passed by lines breadth, depres-
sion and dyspepsia ensued. Not to intrude on
the sacred my stelies of medicine, he took it,
now with Jury droop and persuasive eye
glass;, that this was Merdle's case Bishop
said that when be was a young man. and
had fallen for brief space into the habit of
writing sermons on Saturdays-a habit
which all young sons of the Church should
sedulously avoid-he had frequently been
sensible of q depression, arising, az 6e sup.
posed, from an over taxed intellect, upon
which the yolk Of newlaid egg, beaten up
by the good woman in whose house he at
that time lodged. with glass Of sound
sherry, nutmeg and powdered sugar, acted
like charm. Without presunipg to offer
so sim pie remedy to the consideration of
SO profound a professor Of the great heal
ing art, he would venture TO inquire
whether the strain, being by way of int,i-
cate calculations, the spirits might not
thumanly spsskipg) be restored to their
tone BY II gentle and yet generous stMu-
liant"
"Yes," said the physician, Eyes, YOU are
both right But lest you should one or both
suppose Mr.. Merdle to be laboring under a
touch OF liver complaint, or an access of
this common disorder, | may as well tell
you that / cand find nothing the matter
with aim. He has the constitution of a
rhinoceros, the digestion OF an ostrich, and
| ha ntrot finn nr A.,
nerves, Mr.. Merdle is of a cool tempera-
ment and not sensitive man; is about as
invulnera5le, should say, al Achilles. How
such a man should suppose himself unwell
| without reason. you may think strange.
But have found nothing the matter with
him."
A curious case, they thought.
Yes" said the physician, who was used
TO curious cases, $50 far, curious enough.
| lie may have som1 deep seated recondite
compliant. | can't say. only say, that at
| present have not found it OUT
The catastrophe comes thus: Physician
has returned homo and "sat down comfort
ably to read" at "a few minutes short OF
twelve" There comes ring at tho door
bell. lie goes down to open the door and
| finds messenger in his shirt sleeves, who
comes from the warm baths sir, round in
the neighboring street" And what il the
matter at the warm baths!
Would you please to come directly. We
found that lying 0n the table, and puts into
| the physician's hand scrap Of paper and
they depart together.
When they cana TO the warm baths all
| the other people belonging to that esUab.
| lishment were looking out for them at the
| door, and running up and down the pas
lY- IL,
| back, if you please" said the physician
aloud to the master, and do you take Inc
| straight to the place, my friend"
| The messenger hurried before him, past
number OF little rooms, and turning into
| one AZ the end of a long narrow passage,
| looked round the door. Physician was
| close upon him and looked round the doJr
| too.
There was bath in that corner, from
| which the water had been hastily drained
Oft. Lying in it, as in grave or sarco-
phagus, with hurried drapery of sheet
| and blanket thrown across it, was the body
| Of a heavily. made man, with an obtuse
head, and coarse, common features. A sky
light had been opened to release the steam
with which the room had been filled; but
it hung, condensed in water-drops, heavily
upon the walls, and heavily upon the face
| and figure in the bath. The room was still
hot, and the marble OF tho bath still warm;
TO the touch. The white marble at the bot
tom OF the bath was veiped with a dreadful
red. On the ledge al the si2e was an empty
laudannm bottle, and D tortoise shell
handled penknife-soiled, but not with ink
Separation OF the jugular vein-death
rapid-been dead at least half an hour"
This echo of the physicians words ran
through the passages and little rooms and
through the house, while he was vet
Strengthening himself from having bent
down to reach to the bottom of the bath,
and was yet dabbling his hands in water,
redly veining it like the marble before it
turned to one tint.
He turned his eyes TO the dress upon the
sofa, ana to the watch, money and pocket
book upon the table. A folded note, half
buckled up inthe pocketbook, and bali pro-
truding from it, caught bis observant glance.
He locked at it, touched it, pulled it d littl
further out trem among the leaves, said
quietly, This is addressed to me- aud
opened and read it.
There were no directions for him to give.
The people of the house knew what to do;
the proper authorities were soon brought,
and they took an equabls business-like pos
session OF the deceased and of what had
been his property, with no greater disturb.
ance OF manner or countenance than usual
ly attends the winding up of clock.
Physician was glad to walk ont into the
free night air-was even glad, in spite of
bis great experience, 10 sit down upon a
door step tor little while, being sick and
faint.
Bar was near neighbor of his, and,
/ when he came to the house, he saw light
in the room where be knew his friend often