Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1884-07-17
about. ut.saying Anything regarding HislJ
foS. II lave to confess 4, f@ the|
first time in my life I ms sl5s,e

weak.
"You know the dead-house at
Charity hospital and its interior7
Well, 1 had had o case Of aheurism
that puzsledgall OF us, and beinga
young piiysician then, / had ~ ural
pride in MY diagnosis, which did Nc
agree with that Of the other surgeons.
So I determined that when the pa
tient died, as he was sure to do, I
would hold an autopsy myself. Well,
the poor fellow succumbed at last,
and, as [ had been busy all day, I
could net go back to the hospital until
IL O'Clock on the night of June 80.
1 remember the date well. Illumina-
ting the inside room OF the dead
house, there was but single gas
burner lalight. Right on. one Of tbs
disseetfhg tables was sm, subjeet
awaiting me.
81 needn't tell you that, after all
of my student life at the hospital,
going cut there alone at that time Of
night produced not the slightest i'm
pressioa upon me. We were too
used teNsuch things to notice them.
In fact $50 great was my desire TO
prove rny diagnosis correct as against
that OF other physicians, / thought
only Of the case, and nothing else.
cit was anything but a pleasant
night. 1 may say that I cannot re-
membsr more disagreeable one. A
clustering norther was blowing and a
heavy rain falling. The wind moan
ed around the caves of the hospital as
II hundreds of sufferers were in ag.
ony, and the gurgle OF water in the
cutters leading to the cistern was any:
thing but musical. Once in q while
a fash of lightning threw out in relief
the bodies lying on other tables await.
ing barial. Certainly it was a night
of nights for q visit to dead-house
"VTell, I took off my oil-cloth
coat, opened my dissecting case and
went to work. The wind stole ir
through creyices and fiared the gas
SO that I was delayed in my investi.
gation considerably. But after al
hours labor I approached the solu
tion Of the problem over which 1 haf
SO long studied. So full of anxiety
was I my hand trembled, and seeing
this I stopped, filed my pipe and be
gan smoking to conquer my eager
ness.
"The face of the dead man wa
ashsn in its paleness, and his aesl
was as cold as marble. Lookins
back at the picture now,I don't thinl
I ever saw a more spectral corps
than that. The eyes were open, ant
| in the agony of death the muscles o
the mouth had contracted, so tina
in the rigor mortis he had a sardoni'
grin that was horrible in its leer."
"The patter of the rain on tn,
roof was incessant, but it sounded
pleasant, for it seemed company t.
ore. Still it did not drown all othe
signs, for now and again above tn
storm there came from the femal
ward a wall Of poor sufferer il
delirium.
"It took but a few minutes smok
ing to recover my steadiness of hand
and 1 resumed work.
sFWhile bending over the body
snd just at a moment when tn
greatest delicacy of operation wa
required, a curious noise from .th
corner of the deadhouse startled me
1t was not like foot step, but wa
somewhat like the shuffiing Of fee'
T. "Instinctively I looked in that di
rection and noticed for the frs
| time some four of five skulls on th
floor in partial state Of preparation
The younger students had been 8
( work preparing them for their cab
nets. The grinning faces looked 9
it to chide me for working on such
might, but then I was too anxiou
about my case to miss my opportun
4 ty. .-s-.-,..s,..-,,- ----
Applying myself again to my sui
4 ject / was soon lost in the peculis
; developments my eye discovere
each moment, when again I was al
| noyed by a distinct sound from IL
: corner.
1 Balancing in that direction,
, must be confessed I was not lit
} surprised to see one OF the skull
, moving slowly towards me along Il
t tagging of the floor. / rubbed n