Wilmington journal., 1876-01-28

mud bath. Owing to this and to Il
free bath, quite a settlement hs
grown up On the mountain, compose
of people who have no means to pa
hotel and doctors bills. Some of til
people have neither shelter nor bed
nor blankets nor indeed 70 ID sav
such as they ge1 f, ON charity. And {
the shelters that some have, there b
many, from the rough frame board
house to the brush heap. The ma
that can get tent, no matter how Oh
or patched, think the gods have in
deed blessed HIM The place is
queer one, bat kindly one, and al
told that those able to do so, cheerful
ly help those who are worse off thai
themselves.
WHAT SAW.
La walk one morning as we drew
near a roup of three tents, two facing
each other, we heard some one scream
ing out in a loud voice. A few step
broughtus SO that we could see as wei
as hear distinctly.
In one tent was a wretched looking
woman sitting on the rough grOunC
clothed III rags, dirty as possible, dis
figured aud disgusting with loathsOmt
disease. She was trying to get to the
opposite tent, which covered small
bath of some sort, and hearing Oul
footsteps thought 1t was some one de-
string to use it. Whether it was a sens {
of shame, possibly the only trace OF
her better wOmanhOod, not yet destroy
ed, that made her stop Us or whether
IL was that she knew the bath was not
large enough for two, J. know not. She
could not walk step, nor even crawl ,
but yet with sort of sliding move
ment on the ground, when no help
was near, she would reach the bath.
Every motion would give her intense
pain, at which she would snrisk aloud,
and then cry and sob as if her very
heart would break. l have seen some
hard sights in my life on the battle
field, ard afterward among the dead
and dying and wounded, but the suf-
fering of that poor, wretched creature
equalled them ALL
Al other tent saw back OF the bath
tent, but that was what the military
know as a wall tent, that is to say, it
ran up straight from the ground for
about three feet before sloping off to
the ridge pole, making it thereby
much more roOmy and comfortable.
1t had plank floor. and if 1 mistake
not, carpet of some sort on it.
A couple of rud bedsteads
too We're there and beds
that seemed nicely made up. There
was a table too aud it had cover of
some sort upon it. Everything had a
neat look aud if such thing be pos
slble with such surroundings, wore an
air of refill ement and cultivation.
Something, that indescriba bic some
thing that so plainly marks the divid-
ing line between vulgarity and gentil-
lty and yet that no one can define, and
that riches cannot buy nor yet mere
poverty conceal made its unmistaka ble
impress. In the doorway woman
sitting sewing on a low chair seemingly
well. Near her and resting with her
elbow upon the table and her hand
supporting her head, sat young girl,
pale and ianguid and that in spite of
traces of suffering, still possessed the
fatal gift of beauty. Upon her coun-
teuance was certain hopeless look
that rarely comes at least to one so
young from mere ply sical suffering.
Mental anguish also, possibly shame
had done it's cruel share in making
this fair wreck, another doubtless of
the countless millions of victims that
mans lnhumanity to woman makes to
mourn. All this was taken in at q
glance as we hastily passed the group
Of tents. The next glance took III a
scene entirely different. Upon little
platform in the open air some eight by
ten feet wide, Intended for the floor OF
shanty lay stretched out three sick
men, and this was their home and had
been for months. They were ;ortu-
nate enough, however, to have blankets
But no pen can tell the story of the
sin and suffering of the people vino
live on the mountain side. Men come
here and women too with money, and
as long as that lasts they surround
themselves with comforts. They stay
awhile and the cure they had fondIy
hoped would be one of the reported
miracles comesInot, but they aIs tolI
to be patient and to hope OF, that
many worse cases have been cured by
long bathing. They become Straight
ened for money; meanwhile affairs
have not prospered at home. A
cheaper hotel or boarding house must
be sought and economy must be used
and ere long a still cheaper boarding
mousse and still more rigid self-denial,
until finally the poor devil gets in the
street from whence he goes to the Hill
City where he bathes free, sleeps free
aud eats free-scraps of charity. Nor
is poverty here any respecter of per
sons. 1t matters not who d man or
woman may have been. he must have
cash to keep away from the City OH
the Hill. There be those over there
who have ranked high in every way
on the eastern side of the Mississippi.
Nor CAP the citizens here help this un-
fortunate state of things, for these
waters have reputation that attracts
to them and that ever will attract to
them thousands and thousands of
helpless people, desperate people who
fear starvation and death here less
than pain and life at home-a mum Der
that II is Simply impossible for the
comparatively small resident popula
ion here to support.
DISEASES CURED BY THE WATERS, AND
And of the des eases for which these
waters are recommended there Is DC
end. For rheumatism and gout and
for paralysis, for discusses of the blood
aud Ia fact for every il. that flesh is
heir to, save organic diseases of the
heart and diseases affecting the lungs,
these waters are confidently recon-
mend d here as ii sure and sovereign
remedy. And people come here to gel
the benefit fro the N from every sec
ton of the country if net from every
quarter OF the globe. And a curiou,
objection it is that gathers here some
times. Young men and maldens, ole
men and children, ate all hore. Ol
wives too there be many, wives tha
are happy mothers, with their prat
thing little ones. One little wee bit oI
a lassie there is, that can just toddie
into the dining room that is ever wei
come. She always comes clutchine
her doll to her tiny little bosom il
close embrace. And just here fol
the benefit of the ladies who alway:
desire to know what every body ha:
on L will say the doll wears a blue
dress But is it not strange to see how
soon human female will develop the
maternal instinct? ? A man child coull
not be persuaded to carry that doll