Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-07-29
DEATHS FROM FRIGHT.
Several Curious Cases Where Nervous
Shocks Proved Fatal.

The distinction between fright and fear,
says the London Globe, ought always 10 be
borne 10 mind. Fear can be mastered by an
effort; fright has come and gone before the
brain has had time TO come to the conclusion
that an effort IL possible. There is no
fear so strong In human beings ss the
fear OF death, and yet, "there Is no pas
sion in the mind Of man." says Bacon truly
enough, $50 weak that 1t mates and masters
the fear of death. Revenge triumphs over
death; love sights it; honor aspireth to it;
grief hIeth TO II; fear preoccupateth it." Pity,
which Is the 'tenderest Of passions" led
many TO kill themselves from compassion for
Otho's su: Ide. Even tediHm Uife, mere utter
weariness OF doing the same thing oyer and
over again, will lead a man to defy his in
born fear OF death. But what passion can
guard against fright?
A Jew, according TO Lodovicus Wives. once
crossed a narrow plank over a torrent in
the dark, and, visiting the place next day.
saw the extremity OF his last nights risk aud
died of-what? Not of fear, obviously, be-
cause there was nothing TO be afraid OF, but
possibly OF fright. So, again, persons have
been known who always tainted at the scent
OF certain flower, notably that of the May
blossom, but 1t would be ridiculous 10 accuse
them OF being afraid of hawthorn.
Surgeon General Francis, of The Indian
Medical Service, tells Of a drummer who
was suddenly aroused from mis- sleep by some-
thing craving over mis- naked legs. He i'm
agined 1t Was a cobra, and mis- friends collect.
ed by the outcry thought so too, and ne was
treated accordingly. Incantalions, such as
are customary with the natives on these &C.
csslous, were resorted 10, and the poor fellow
was nsgellated with twisted cloths on the arms
and legs in view partly to arouse him, buI
principally 10 drive out the evil influences
(spirit) that for the time being had taksr
possession of him. With the first dawn o.
light the cause oil the fright was discovered
In the shape OF a harmless liz ard, which wa,
, lying crushed and hait-kIlled by the side o.
the poor drummer, but it was TOO late. Frou
the moment when he believed that a poison
GUS SNAKE had bitten him, he passed into al
increasing collapse until he died. Tn.
drummer was not a strong lad, and tn,
shock was too much for him.
The most remark able death from the acei
deut Of fright was that of the Dutch painter
Pentemsu in the seventeenth century. Ri,
was at work on a picture in which were rel
resented several death head-, grinding skele
tons and other obj acts calculated 10 inspir,
the beholder with a contempt for the yapi
Ties and follies OF the day. In order 10 DO hi
work better he went 20 an anatomical room
md used it for a studio. Ose sultrv day. as n
wac drawing these Eslancboty relics OF NOR
tality By which he was surrounded, he fell OF
into a quiet sleep, from which be was SUD
denly aroused. Imsgiue his horror al be
holding the skulls ana bodies d tnc1ug arouo o.
him like msd, and the skeletons which nun
Tom the citing dashiDe themselves together
Panie-strickeD, he rushed from the room an
threw himself he5dlong from Il window o.
10 the pavement below. He sufficiently re
covered to iearn Ihat the cause of his iea
was a slight earthquake, but his ner sous sys
lem had received so severe a shock that Ia
died in a few days.
frederick i, of Prussia, was killed By a
accident OF fear. He was one day sleeping i
81 arm chair, when his wife, Loulss. &
Mtcklenburg, who had for some time bee
hopelessly insane, escaped from her keer
ers aud made her way to the Kings pIi
vate apartments. Breathing through
glass door, she dabbled herself !
blood, and, in a raging fl, of -deliri
um, c ct herself upou the king. The latte,
who was moi aware of the hopeIessne.
Of her lunscy. was 30 Mortified atthe appeal
ance OF a woma clad only in linen, aud CO,
cred with blood, that he Imagined, with
superstition characteristic of thu age, that
was the White Lady, whose ghost, accordin
To time-honored tradition, Invariably al
pesred when death was around the house
Brandenburg. He was seized with a few,
and died in six weeks.
More ridiculous was the death of tn
French mar-hal. De Montrevo, "whose who
soul" says 81. Simon, twas ambition an
lucre, without having ever been aole to di
tinguish his right hand from his left, bl
concealing his universal ignorance with a
audaclty which favor, fashion ana birth DIT,
iected." He was a very superstitious ma
and one day a salt-cellar was upset at a pul
lie dinner In hi, lap, and SO frightened W,
he that he arose and announced that he w.
a dead man. He reached home and died
a few days, in 17l6, literally scared TO deaf
by the absurd casualty OF a sait-cellar turf