Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-07-27
LITTLE THINGS IN LIFE.

III
Some OF the slight Causes that Have FRO
duced Important observation-disclosures and
Incidents bringing Death to Some and
Fortunes to Others What Fate Had In
store.
How slight thing causes death, and
yet through what beatings and failings,
explosions and shootings, wars and bat
ties, shipwrecks and perils on land and
sea, some persons pass and still survive
90 good old age. A short time ago n
child In this city choked TO death on n
grain Of coffee. Mrs. Marks, n lady
Of sixty-two, undertook 20 remove n
wart on her forcfnger by an application
Of concentrated lye exhibiting n degree
Of wisdom similar 90 that Of the man
who fired his barn in order to burn out
n wasp-nest in the eaves), and her sys-
tenn was thus poisoned. A Mr.. Nc
Cabe. of St. Louis, hail slight
pimple on his cheek. Cut il of.
he said TO the barber. He did,
and in ten days time cancer devel-
oped, and Mr.. McCabo paid the forfeit
with his life.
Fear causes many accidents, showing
how powerful some people imagination
Is TO hatch out the eggs of disaster into
full-nedged chickens Of death and sick
ness. General w. =. Harvey. the In
dian-fghter. used TO tell story Of n
young Lieutenant who went with him to
nm Indian banquet. Among other deli
cacies they had some rattlesnake,
stewed, fried and boiled. The meat
was white. tenderand juicy. The Lieu
tenant ate heartily Of il, and pronounced
II finer than any spring chicken he had
ever eaten. AT last the General said to
him; "Do you know that was rattle
snake you liked so much?" The Lieuten-
ant turned deadly pale, was seized with
violent retchings, and died before morn
ing with spasms Ofth stomach, brought
ON entirely by imaginary fear.
Surgoon-Gencral Francis, Cf the In
dian Medical Service. tells of drum
mer who was suddenly aroused from
his sleep by something crawling over
his naked legs. lie imagined IL was n
cobra, and his friends collected by the
cutlery thought so, too. and ne was
treated accordingly. lamentations, such
ms are customary with the natives on
these occasions, were resortcd To, and
the poor fellow was fagcllated with
twisted cloths on the arms and legs in
view partly To arouse him. but prinOi-
pally 20 drive out the evil influence
(spiriD that for the time being had taken
possession Of him. With the first dawn
Of light the cause Of the fright was dis
covered in the shape Of harmless
lizard. which was lying crushed and
half killed by tho side of the poor drum
mer, but II was too late. From the
. moment when he believed that poison
Gus snake had bitten him he passed into
an increasing collapse until he died.
The drummer was not n strong lad. and
the shock was too much for him.
The most remarkable death from the
accident Of fright was that Of the Dutch
painter, Pcntcman, in the seventeenth
century. He was nj work on n picture
In which were represented several death
heads, grinning skeletons, and other
objects calculated 10 inspire the beholder
with n contempt for the vanitios and
follics Of the day. In order 10 do his
work the better he went To an anatom-
ical room and used Il for n studio. One
sultry day, rs he was drawing these
melancholy relics Of mortality by which
he was surrounded, he fell off into n
quiet sleep. from which he was suddenly
aroused. Imagine his horror nj behold.
ing the skulls and bones dancing around
him like mad, and the skeletons which
hung from the ceiling dashing them.
selves together. Panic-stricken. he
rushed from the room and threw him
sell headlong from n window onto IN,
pavement below. lie sufficiently rccoy
cred 20 learn that the cause of his feai
was slight earthquake. but his nervou,
system had received so severe n shocl
that he died In n few DAYS.
Frederick l.. ,Of Prussia. was killed h,
an accident OF fear. He was one dal
sleeping IN an armchair. when his wife
Louisa, OF Mecklenberg. who had fo
some time been hopelessly insane, es
oaPeo from her keepers and made he
way 70 the Kings private apartments
breaking through n glass door, sh
uaooled herself In blood, and in n rae
ing Mt OF delirium cast herself upon IN
Ming. The latter. who was not awar
OF the hopelessness of her lunacy, wa
10 Mortified At the appearance of
woman clad only In linen and covere
with blood that he imagined. with
superstition characteristic Of the aQ,
that IL was the White Lady, who's
ghost, according to-time-honored trad
ton, invariably appeared when deaf
was around the house Of Brandenbur,
He was seized with fever and died
ak weeks.
More ridiculous was the death of n
French Marshal, De Montrevel, ''who.
whole soul" says st. Simon. Twas b,
ambition and lucre, without ever ha'
ing been able TO distinguish his rigl
hand from his left, but concealing n
universal ignorance with an audacii
which favor, fashion and birth protec
cd" He was a very superstitious ma
and one day n salt-cellar was unset At
public dinnerin his lap, and so frigh
ened was he that he arose and announcs
that he was n dead man. He reachs
home and died In few days, in III
literally scared 20 death by the absur
casualty OF a salt-cellar's turning owe
Slight accidents. trivial in themselve
often produce most ill-timed and fat
results. Anacreon. the Greek poet ,
love, choked 10 death with a rrap,
stone Eschylus was killed by an eael
dropping tortoise on his head. an,
posing Il was rock. William the Co,
quoror was killed by being thrown ON
the pummel Of his saddle and Chrvso,
Pus. the philosopher, laughed himself
aeatn ~ seeing an ass eating fi0
Molierc, the great French comedian ~
drAmatlst, accidentally killed kimse
while playing one Of his pieces. .sTl
Man Who Pretends To Be Dead"
s1riy Dssths offended a. his play.
would not - ioked With IN 90 fro a wav,
He wesn \? mimioked him. his votes
And made hin act An ..-,... -
foignod."