Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1878-10-03
St1istellamepns &eading.
WHAT YELLOW FEVER Is.
THE BLACK VOMIT.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH THE FEVER IN
NEW ORLEANS. ...
Correspondence Of the Detroit News.]

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH THE FEVER IN
.. NEW ORLEANS. ..a
Correspondence Of the Detroit News.
It is six weeks, or rather more, since
lounged into the billiard-roon of the st.
Charles hotel, and looked at the flying ivory
spheres, as they we're being manipulated by
two local crack players There was yellow
fever in the city, though the newspapers then
eaid nothing on the subject. One of the play
ers, as be marked his cue, made jesting al.
lusion on the arrival of Bronze john"
had been feeling an inexplicable sensation
growing over me, enveloping my limbs, GOV.
ering my back, and swathing my chest with q
garment of shuddering uneasiness. l didn't
like the players remark. 1 inwardly wished
that his opponent might beat him that game,
and l strobe to one of the seats against the
wall. was about turning round to sit down
when something like cricket.bat struck me
on the back and felt terrible decrease in
vitality. Why do l say cricket-bat? Be-
cause it felt as though light piece of wood
fashioned like the hattish, rounded blade of a
cricketbat, had struck me squarely, but not
very hard, across the back, several inches be-
low the shoulder blades. sank into chair.
A dull, but overmasteriDg pain shoots through
my head my limbs tremble. I stare with
pertinacity at the game, however. My favor.
ite player has an apparently impossible shot.
He looks at The situation of the balls and
whistles depre,atingly as be chalks bis cue.
With swift motion, as if he had made up
his mind for coup diidiuile, he shoots his ball
against the object sphere. His ivory globe
spins swiftly around the table, making one,
two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight cushions,
twice round the table and caroms. The spec
tators hum their applause; an enthusiastic,
swarthy- faced Creole pounds his stick on the
floor. My head becomes oppressed with pain,
and cold chills $ shoot up my back {.
"Where do you live?" asks the swarthy
face. 1 look halfvacantly in his face, and
gurgle, mo. -, Barenne street." The bill
lard room, which was crowded but moment
before, is empty.
My landlady is an old North of Ireland
woman, and abe has kept boarding house in
New Olleans fr thirty years. Her husband
died of yellow fever during bad season be-
fore the war, and she manages her extensive
business with the help of an unmarried daugh.
ter. My room is in building rented by her
across the way, for single mems apartments,
and the roomers in that house come across the
way for their meals. Don't be afraid, now p
said the old lady "I'll get Mrs. Delaney for
ye, and we'll get ye through. The doctor
will be round in little while"
Give me some ice water !" cry huskily
"do, quick, for the love of God!"
She answered that she would. During ev.
cry half:lucid moment in the next four days,
when my stout, imperious, Irish nurse gave
me- at excruciating long intervals, spoonful
of ice. water, and sometimes piece of ice the
size of hazel-put, raved and cursed at my
landlady. She was vile, she was atrocious,
she was infamous. The recollection that she
had promised me icewater and heartlessly
gone back on her word, had filled me with
tempestuous indignation. Oh if she had
given me that cooling drink [ would have
been we'll would not have been in the fiery
furnace that am. I would have choked of
the demon of thirst, which is now consuming
my vitals. Now I can drink the whole water
supply of the city. What ecstacy to be one
of the 42.inch pipes of the Detroit water
works2 I wished the Mississippi river to flow
down my throat OH give me the ocean it.
self with my personal ori6ce somewhere in
the Arctic seas near the frozen pole. The
long night slowly fits away, and the blazing
sun again scorches the plague-ridden city.
Mrs. Delany, by a fortunate chance, has been
secured. Her last patient, northern busl-
ness man, had died. Mrs. Delaney does not
pretend to be very sorry. She is 81 years of
age, but more active than many young wo-
man at twenty. She knows her business thor
oughly, and has no vain sentimentalism in
her composition. In the intervals of my
restless tumbling about the bed, commune
with Mrs. Delaney. Her first experience
with yellow fever was many years ago-in the
bad season of 1837-when her first husband
was victim to the plague, and she was left
alone with baby to fight the battle of life.
She married again, she tells me, and her sec.
ond husband is not dead yet She remarks,
in crisp voice, that she don know where he
is and she don't care. We change the sub.
ject.
l find that l cannot possibly die today.
This is the second, and consequently an even
number of days. I may die tomorrow, which
is Wednesday, the third day or l may be.
come defunct on Friday, the fifth day or l
may shuttle off the fiery, superheated coil on
Sunday, the seventh day; or may linger in
agony until the following Tuesday, the ninth
day but I can scorch, and burn, and gasp
and yell on any of the intervening days with
out fear of death. study this therory over
in wild, unconnected way, and think it odd.
"The doctor says the crisis must come on
an odd day; and 1 have always found it 80
myself" says Mrs. Delaney. "Can ye spit?'
The change of subject is abrupt, and l stare
at her vacanty.
"Spit in that. Humph Is yer mouth
sore? Itis Well that's good. Yell lose
a power O. blood out of yer mouth"
Next day the doctor decides that am af-
flicted with epistaxis 1t is bleeding from
the mouth, tongue and gums. My tongue is
swollen, and there are raw assures in it,
and also in my gums, and streams of blood
issuing all the time. After a while my nose
contributes bloody stream, and family ask
Mrs. Delaney if 1 am going to bleed to
death.
"No; no danger of that Bleeding is a
good sign," she says. I swallow limewater
and calcined magnesia, which, l am inform
ed, prevents black vomit. My eyes, which
have been aching terribly, now become 6ercely
iuAamed, and seem to be ready to start out of
my head. Toward evening sign to my
nurse to hand me small mirror which is
hanging against the wall. She refuses. |
insist. She persists. l become exasperated
and jump out of bed, and, with a firm step,
walk up to the wall, ascend the chair and take
it down.