Daily Los Angeles herald., 1883-11-06
DESPERATE CASE.
By An OLD parslolAs.

Persons VINO, though not Ill, have
'pfsdicted their death in one or
IN . few days, and have died ex-
,actly at the time when they FORE
told. In former ages, when it
was the fashion with the great
fo keep an astrologer and to con-
pult the stars respecting the time
1pf their death, many illustrious
personages expired In the very
year and month predicted by their
Dothsayers, and their belief in
heir prophetic faculty was there
" not q little streng hened.
A youth OF sixteen, OF q weakly
eonstitution and delicate nerves,
but in other respects quite
1ealthy. quilted his room in the
dusk Of the evening, but sudden
II returned with a face pale as
death and looks betraying the
greatest terror, and in tremu-
ious voice told q follow-student
Who lived in the same room with
I'm that he should die at Nil Q
lock in the morning Of the da,
5r the next. His companion
lurally considered this sudden
i11nsformation Of o cheerful
youth into . candidate for the
gave as very extraordinary; he
Inquired the cause of this notion,
aas tho other declined to sat-
Ny his curiosity. he strovs, at
least, to laugh him out OF it. His
efforts, however, were unavailing.
All the answer he could obtain
from his comrsde was, that Lis
death was certsir and inevitable.
4 number Of wsll-meaning friends
assem- blsd about him, aud en-
dsavvrod to wean him from his
idea by lively conversation, jokes
and even satirical remarks.
He sat among them with
gloomy. thoughtful look, took no
share In Their discourse, sighed,
and ut length grew angry when
they began to rally him. It was
hoped that sleep would dispel
this melancholy mood; but lie
never closed his eyes. and his
thoughts were engaged all night
with his approaching decease.
|E ,rIy next morning 1 was sent
|for. / found, in fact. the most
singular sight in the wor .d--a
person in good health making all
THE arrangements for his funeral.
taking an edscting leave Of his
friends. and writing . letter to
lhis father, to acqnaint him With
ibis approaching dissolution, aud
Ito bid him farewell. ! examined
THE state Of his body and found
)nothiRg uaesual but the palensss
|of bis face. eyes dull and rather
|inAanasd with weeping, coIdness
|of the extrsmities, aud low,
contracted puise--indicstions of a
general cramp Ut the nerves,
which was sufficiently manifested
lin the state OF his MUD. l en-
|deavored, therefore, to convince
bin, by tho most powerful srgu-
ents, Of the futility Of his no.
bn, aud to Prove that . person
shose bodily health was so good !,
had no reason whatever to appre-
|hsnd speedy death; in short, l
sxsrted all my eloquencs and my
| professional knowledge. but with
|out making the slightest impress
sion. He willingly admitted that
II, a. q physician. could not dis
cover the cause Of death in him
but thi., he contended, was tue
peculiar circumstance of his case,
| that without any natural cause.
| merely from an unalterable de-.
| orss OF fate, his death must ensue;
apd though ho could not expect
NJ u share this conviction, stlll j;
equally certain that it would
b verified by the event of the
ID owing day. All that 1 could
| do, therefore, was to tell him,
that uuder these circumstances
must treat him ss a person labor
ling under u disease. and pre-.
scribe medicines accordingly.
"Vsiy well" replied he. '.bu,
you will see not only that your
medicines will not do me any
good. but that they will mol
operate at all"
There WAS no time to be lost
for ! had only twenty-four hour,
left 70 effect o cure. l therefor,
Judged it best to employ power
iul remedies 10 order TO reieas,
hin from this bondsge Of BIZ
imaginaiion. With this view
3 very strong emetlc and caiha.ii,
were administered, and blister