Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1878-11-29
HOW YELLOW FEVER FEELS.

A GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION BY A PRESBY-
TERRAIN MINISTER, FORMERLY OF Au-
GUsTA- AS A GONZALES
CENT-A TOUCHING PICTURE,
&C., &C, &c.
A private letter from Rev j. Newton
Craig, Prs Shy terrain miuist er formerly OF
Augusta county and who has ii large fam
ily connection here. written 1rtm Holly
Springs, Miss, Is published i'll Lne Green
brier Ezra 1t is very graphic and be-
sides describing the disease, gives all excel
lent idea Of the situation in a city stricken
by it. He says:
[ Was of the very first Of the citizens
taken-4 weeks ago yes erday-ilad chill
ly condition all the Afternoon la bed ny
dark. Didn't believe had the yellow It.
yer thou ht it Was d Chill aid bilious
fever from preaching four days and nights
in the hot sun and night air III The coun
try. My family physician next morning
poured calomel, quinlne, &c. iuto me, ant
in two days he Was taken. and bis pdrlne'
gave me more strong medcines. He Was
taken SICK. and d uhitd doctor came abOu
the fourth day. His treatment Was
more mild. Yellow fever is ali
awful 1ever--runs its course in three
days, and leaves a strong man not
able to walk two steps, hence
strong medicine is the very opposite of the
right treatment. One dose OF oil to clear
the bowels, and tea to keep up a gentle
perspiration, bathing the head with vine-
gal. and thin noul isl ment, is the treatment.
X Mr.. Scruggs, one of our elders,
came in about my fourth day, and told
Lydia MRS. Craig,) that he had left every
thing else to sand by her and me. He Was
a brother andeed. He and she nursed me
two or three days the very best they could,
and Lydia, although sick ever since July
and hardly able to go. nursed me day a, d
night herself, and faithfully; until he came.
On my seventh day, WHEN was very low,
some Nev Oil a is doctors and nurses came.
A friend Oh L..o Relief Committee had one
of the two st nurses sent to me-a negro
woman, who had nursed 1t a great deal,
and never had the fever. Then they sent
for her to go back to beadquai tiers, and
she positively refused to leave me. She
took hod of NE as a mother Of a little
babe, and she and the Doctor, under Gods
blessing, saved my life. She knew how
and when to bAtht me with Whiskey, &c. e,
and what nourlshment to give aud when.
The Doctor said that the death look vas
on my face, aud he had no hol of me, but
under Gods Bic ssing got bet er. x
Lydia has been q ministering ,,ngel by word
and by lett. to many of our atfitct' d ones.
As for me, know but little OF What has
been. have recollection Of pains III the
back and chest, and deatlily sick stomach,
but it seems as if l heard that melody
else suffered it. | have no real recollection
that | suffered anything. 1t has just been
a blank month in my life. know but lit
tie of what occurred, and what do know
seems as dream. You can't conceive of
how weak in mind and body it makes one
/ was hungry and would hang over a plate
Of rice and chicken ju-t like an idiot, hard
ly knowing that l WAS putting food in my
mouth-hardly know ng, when was done,
whether had eaten or not. became very
fond of my good New Orleans doctor. He
ate here eight or ten days with Lydia, and
has been merrily at .-y bed thirty or forty
times. Yet | have on my mind so weak an
impression of his features that if [ were
to meet him next week. out from home, l
doubt if [ would knit W him. While
[ was so Ill, it seemed to ne that thought
all the time of all the cool rivers, and
creeks, and mountain gorges of Pocahont
as, and of every other place l ever was.
That fountain on the dug road toward the
school house. Was before me, and fought
if 1 could get we'll would be willing tn
give up all society and everything else that
l might live all my days by one of those
mountain runs. 4 The weather has a
wonderful effect on this disease Every
change is likely to kill scores or hundreds.
The kidney is the organ most likely to be
affected. Patient getting on splendidly-
the weather changes-kidneys stop acting
black vomit and death. Some die horri-
BILE DEATHS delirlous, raving, throwing
+hon oil uonoifi1,o h1n nj oil
over their beds, bowels acting involuntarily.
Again, some die in perfect ease and peace.
Some are taken instantly, and are deliri-
GUS before they can get to bed.
The panic was coming. Everybody was
getting away who could get a wheelbarrow
to carry him, except in homes like mine
where there was already one Oh more down.
was so sick that knew nothing Of the
panic. Lydia saw it all. To keep the dear
little children was to stare death in the
face. She packed their clothes one after
noon. MRS Craft concluded to leave town.
Lydia saw her on the plank walk and said,
''Mrs, c., won't you take my children?"
II was just coming to tell you that
would" Lydia met man at the gate
who borrowed $25 for her-(our Bank Pres
ident was at the point of death the
other officers down, and everybody running
and needing what money they had.) In
thirty minutes the children were gone.
Lydia did not expect me to live forty-elght
hours. and didn't know but that the child
ren might be taken sick on the train. X
Friend after friend called here-worked
hard--thep went down. Lydia baked bread
and sent them toast, and did what she
could, until one after another the hearse
carried them by. Col. Walter, one of the
best lawyers in the State, was at my bed
one night, down next morning, and then
dead. His three grown sols-one his law
partner, the other two graduates of the
University last year-all died this last
week, Two streets run out beyond us a
half mite-We are the last occupied house.
and only two houses between us and the
square-both of them homes like ours
hospitals. Twelve people from five houses
out this way have gone to the cemetery
SIX of them our best friends-four of them
covered. And when Mr.. Scruggs found
himself getting sick he told Lydia he " ould
go hons where be would be alone. Lydia
looked him in the face and said 'Sir,
there is one thing you will have to promise
me. If you are to be sick it Is to be IN
my parlor, where l Can care for you" The
poor man gladly turned in aud vent TO
bed. Then Chrlstiana Ia hired Swtde girl
came next; she is in the nursery. l do
not know how many members of my church
are dead +; perhaps twenty or more. One
deacon and his wife-another deacon
wife and son-the deacon himself was sick
IA week ago. Scarcely a soul passes our
house but doctors and nurses. and since in
our END of the town those who were left
have been buried, We have nabudv to hear
anything from. My dear friends, it is the
field of death, desolation, woe! Through
all this Lydia has been on her feet. Know
ing of all the sickness and deaths around,
separated from her children and not know
ing when she might hear that they were
down among strangers, she has cooked,
Worked eyeryway. Had friends and help
ers until they were down and dad, and
she was left-and she has not taken the
r. t.<,lo l., ;a Lid he