The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1880-05-27
Hydrophoblc Horrors

IL OIOSl!OUlc I1CTIOIS
Another death from q dog bite oc-
Cured on last Saturday night at Frank
ford. The victim was lady, seventy
years of age, named Ann Schwartz, re-
siding at No. 4,52S Penn street. Mrs.
Schwartz and her husband and two
daughters, who have families of their
own, resided at the time of the fatal
bite, at 4,547 Worth street. The fam
lily had had for six years pet dog, "A
cross between black-and- tan terrier and
Q splitter, which they had raised from a
pup. ...... ...-r
On the 26th day of last December the
dog hurt one of his paws, and the old
lady undertook to bandage the wound.
While doing so the beast turned upon
her and drove his teeth into the little
finger of her left hand to the bone. The
animal was killed at once, and Mrs.
Schwartz went to the nearest drug store,
where a Eminent was applied and in a
few days the wound had healed without
leaving noticeable scar, and the event
was forgotten. ...0 c,s
On Saturday, April 8, Mrs. Schwartz
experienced prickling sensation in the
bitten finger, followed 10y an aching of
the entire left arm. This she attributed
to the fact that on the Friday, night
previous she had taken tive Of her
s .ndchildren to an entertainment at
Odd Fellows Hall and held them both
on her arms for considerable time.
She became generally unwell, and on
Sunday morning whispered to one of her
daughters, while lying in bed, 81 can't
bear the sight of water )" and it was no.
ticed that the slightest draught of air,
even from a passing object, took away
her breath.
These things alarmed the family, and
brought to their mind the old lady's en-
counter with the dog three months be-
fore. Without limiting their suspicious,
on Monday night they sent for Doctor
Robert B. Burns, of Frankford. He
prescribed for Inflammation of the lungs,
and neuralgia, and everybody felt re-
lief; but late on Tuesday night, one of
her sons.in-law observed a very slight
spasm.
The next day the doctor appeared
again, and after an examination of the
patient, expressed his fears of hydro
phobia, and on Thursday declared she
was affected with that dreadful disease,
and prescribed medicine to reduce the
force of the spasms. Her condition grew
considerably worse, however. During
the nights she was wild and raving, but
in the daytime was quiet from exhaus.
ton. She had the customary parched
throat and mouth, and the same aver
sion to liquid particularly water
Being woman of remarkable nerve,
she fought against the disease herself
and endeavored to force water down her
throat to allay thirst. The effort to
bring a glass of beer to her mouth inva-
riably failed, but by main strength she
would steep her fingers in the liquid and
then pass them over her lips. The
swapping system developed but once,
and then she attempted to bite the hand
of one of hei attendants.
From Sunday until Friday night she
did not sleep wink, for which reason
an injection was administered from
which she obtained some rest. Not
withstanding these applications she still
had violent spasmodic intervals, and as
II last resort the physicians resolved to
inject morphia. Before this could he
done, she died Ton Saturday night at 20
minutes past 9 o'clock, in peaceful
which had lasted some hburs-
Mrs Schwartz was Il native of Stafford.
shire, England, and came to this. coun-
try i'll 1866.