Sharp County record., 1883-08-16
LITTLE THINGS IN LIFE.

LII IN LII
Some of the Slight Causes that Have Pro-
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
to good old age A short time ago a
child in this city choked to death on a
grain of coffee. Mrs. Marks, lady
of siXty-two, undertook to remove a
wart on her forefinger by an application
of concentrated lye exhibiting a degree
of wisdom similar to that of the man
who fired his barn in order to burn out
wasp-nest in the eaves), and her sys-
tenn was thus poisoned. A Mr.. Nc
sCabe, of St. Louis, had a slight
pimple on his cheek. "Cut it off,
he said to the barber. He did.
and in ten days time cancer devel-
oped and Mr.. McCabe paid the forfeit
with his life.
Fear causes many accidents, showing
how powerful some peoples imagination
is to hatch out the eggs of disaster into
full-fedged chickens of death and sick
ness. General w. S. Harvey, the In
dian-fghter, used to tell a story of a
young Lieutenant who went with him to
an Indian banquet. Among other deli
cacies they had some rattlesnake,
stewed, fried and boiled. The meat
was white, tender and juicy. The Lieu
tenant ate heartily of it, and pronounced
t finer than any spring chicken he had
sver eaten. At last the General said to
lin: "Do you know that was rattle
make you liked so much?n The Lieuten-
mt turned deadly pale, was seized with
iolent retchings, and died before morn
ngwith spaSms Of the stomach, brought
n entirely by imaginary fear
Surgeon-General Francis, of the In
ian Medical Service, tells of drum
Ter who was suddenly aroused from
is sleep by something crawling over
is naked legs. He imagined it was a
obra, and his friends collected by the
ltcry thought so, too, and he was
eated accordingly. Incantations, such
), are customary with the natives on
lese occasions, were resOrted to, and
e poor fellow was fagellated with
listed cloths on the arms and legs in
ew partly to arouse him, but princi-
lily to drive out the evil influence
pirit) that for the time being had taken
session of him. With the first dawn
light the cause of the fright was dis
vered in the shape of a harmless
ard, which was lying crushed and
Ii killed by the side of the poor drum
II, but it was too late. From the
'ment when he believed that poison
snake had bitten him he passed into
Increasing collapse until he died.
drummer was not strong lad, and
shock was too much for him.
he most remarkable death from the
ident of fright was that of the Dutch
nter, Penteman, in the seventeenth
> tury. He was at work on picture
:. Which were represented several death
Il DIS, grinning skeletons, and other
u ,cts calculated to inspire the beholder
. contempt for the vanities and
u es OF the day. In order to do his
oi k the better he went to an anatom-
10 room and used it for studio. One
50 y day, as he was drawing these
et sncholy relies of mortality by which
$" Tas surrounded, he fell off into
IS sleep, from which he was suddenly
a. ned. Imagine his horror at behold
Askulls and bones dancing around
f,mad, and the skeletons which
no es C, TO- the ceiling dashirg them
NJ ed froSS, her Panic-stricken, he
ie| beadInaa AN ~ room and threw him
'ment below IN 41 a ", window .5,I onto t' the
to learn that tb, 1"tS'f'I cause of his i,fe fear
,st slight earthquake but his nervous m
W LOU received SO seyere q shock
ne died in few days.
Ia 'derick T., of Prussia. was ti,lod bv
cldent of fear. He was ole doy
ng IN an armchair, when hiswife
y 2. OF Mecklenberg, who had for
r. Time been hopelessly insane, es-