Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-09-13
AsaOCKING FATE.
Death of Mrs. Elizabeth Guekert
from NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Sutferings Of The Patient

READING, Pa, September 8.-Mrs.
Elizabeth Guckert, aged fifty years.
whose sutferlngs from hydrophobia
have already been fully described in
these dispatches, died in great agony
this afternoon. All of last night she
was kept under the influence o fpower.
full opiates. H~ypodermic injections of.
morphine were also administered in
her right arm. near the spot that had
been torn and lacersted by the dog.
To a friend who sat near her bed she
remarked: "Oh, Maggie, stay with me
all night ! know | must die, and when
| get to heaven | will pray for you"
She remained awake all night and
appeared to be very much exhausted,
About seven o'clock this morning her
two daughters-ten and twelve years
old respectively-were admitted to her
room and a very painful interview
took place, their mother telling them
that it was their last meeting, as she
was about to die. Subsequently she
became more violent and toward noon
WAS writing in a terrible spasm. Her
throat was paralyzed and the sight of
water threw her in violent convul-
sions. Shortly after twelve o'clock
she became conscious and remarked
that she was burning with heat. Her
eyes had a dull, vacant stare. She
complained Of a terrible pain about
the heart and was p~erspiring profusely.
Her efforts to get breath were most
painful to look upon. She gasped
violently, and as she inhaled the air
with her lips she struggled desperately
to try and force it into her lungs.
TERRIBLE SUFFERING.
The most singular noise was there
suit. She would gnash her teeth in a
swapping like way, and the sound that
followed was not a groan nor a bark,
but rather resembled a low, plaintive
whine of a dog. Crowds of people
congregated in the vicinity Of the
house, and many below the windows
of the sick chamber could hear the
awful cries of the patient. Tears
flowed freely among the women and
children, some of whom pitifully in
quired how long the poor woman's
misery would continue. At l o'clock
the patient was bolstered up 10 bed,
and sat nearly upright. She was then
shaking, gasping and nOisiIy struggling
for breath. Her fingers had turned
blue. She was unconscious and recog
nized no one. Kind neighbors were
at both sides of the bed holding her
and preventing her from jumping out
For half an hour tho fit was very
severe. Her eyes and mouth opened
and shut rapidly and at the same time,
and accompanying each struggle there
was the same siekening sound that So
unpleasantlp reminded the listener Of
the whine Of a dog,
THE FINAL STRUGGLES.
Then came her last conscious mo.
ments. She gazed around her with
an Undesirable look Of despair, threw
up both her arms with a groan and
told one of the attendants to listen to
her heart beating. To the last she
believed she was dying of heart dis
ease. At a quarter 70 2 o'clock the
final ft left her, and she was as weak
as an infant. With her weakness
came a more severe struggle for breath,
and the noise became louder. Few
dry eyes we're in the house. About
ten minutes before 2 O'Clock her head
dropped to one side and she was low
cred to a reclining posture. She be.
came quiet, her muscles relaxed, hel
breath made a piping noise aud con
siderable froth emerged from hel
mouth. She then stretched herself al
full length and expired. Many per,
sons outside the house loudly thanked
God her sufferings we're ended.