San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1878-12-14
ONE HORROBINTHE soU,a
Ao~ a Womds Narro'civ Kseopsd B.r,.,
Bef5re Death. n
New Orleans Cor. New York Grapbic

So great was the panic and dread n
contagion in many of the smaller places
where the fever had broken out, and 80
intense was the desire Of preventing the
spread of the disease by putting the
corpses of the victims under ground rs
speedily as possible, that many Incl.
dents occurred of horrifying nature
In Biloxi, Miss, as in many other small
places, the citizens formed 9 BoArd Of
Health, armed with the privilege of en-.
tering the house of death and snatchipp
away the corpse almost on the instant
the pulse had ceased to beat Miss D
a beautiful young lady (whose father, It
is said, il worth his thousands at the
North, was thus torn from the arms Of
her aunt, and, without waiting for the
doctors certificate, without even being
shrouded, was rolled in the sheet on
which she had lain and con:igned to the
earth within two or three hours after
her death. Another beautiful girl, q.
belle and the daughter of wealth, died
at midnight, and before the dawn cart
backed up to the door with rude cof.
fin, and through the drizzling rain two
Of her young lady friends, wrapped in
cloaks and carrying lanterns, jumped
into the cart beside her, and held the
lights in the graveyard while the sexton
dld his work.
There are scores of instances of this
nature, and there are many who feel
confident that during these terrible
hundred days" of panic and confusion
at the South many persons have been
buried alive. Tt could not possibly have
been otherwise, with such terror, search
ty of doctors andnruses, and overwhelm.
ing number of cases, as demoralized the
inhabitants of many of the plaques trick-
en- districts where the fever was COM
paratively an unknown visitant The
story of one woman alone is enough to
show what basis there is for this appre-
hension. The woman, Mrs. L., died
apparently, having had black vomit
and was hur1iedly washed and shroud.
ed The hearse backed up to the door,
and the coffin was placed on the bed be-
side her. The friends, afraid to go to
the infected dwelling, were crowded
around the grave in the cemetery when
rumor reached them from the house
that the horrid pit would not receive
that tenant, as the supposed-dead wo-
man had returned to life. With one ac-
cord the crowd made for the house, and
there the rumor was verified. When
the attendants were about to place the
body in the coffin, the woman had turn
ed over, and, striking her hand against
the awful object ON the bed, asked:
What box IS this! Strange 10 say, Sle
appeared better after her awakening, the
black vomit did not re-appear, and she
was soon in fair way Of recovery. The
death-like swooning and insensible con-
dition are attributed to exhaustion and
the large quantities of champagne given
IN oboo1- Ilool- vop,it R1It ono shI1dderS
to think of the fate which had been hers
had the torpor continued but Il few mo-
ments longer.
That there are chapters of unprece-
denied horror in the Southern epidemic
is known to all-but many of the worst
I fear, will be traced to the infidelity OF
nurses and the blunders of inexperienc-
! cd or oyertaxed physicians.