St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1885-08-15
COVINGTON ST. TAMMANY PARISH, La. AUGUST 15

might make to attafk x one of our num-
Der. Once in the rom, TO which he
walked with some support. we laid him
on the bed, and at once securely
fastened him down. leaving him
sufficiently free to sit up use his hands,
and change his ?osit,un. The room
was somewhat close. nothing being
open but the door. He screamed as
soon as he lay down. struggled for
breath, and complained of sutfocat:on.
l took my hat, and, leaning over the
bed gently famed him. o. but what a
cry and what scene! There were tor
ture and agony in the extreme. and a
scream of For Gods sake. don't"'
The windOws'were thrown open at his
request, but the first touch Of the cur
rent of air threw him into paroNysm
of torture. He called for water. but as
soon as he looked at it his muscles con-
tracted, his teeth clinched. and he pre-
sented the picture of rigidity and terror.
But water he must have; his throat is
parched, slime and saliva are choking
him. and the painting, the struggling,
the wild cries of anguish, and the fear
full tossing and twisting of his body are
calling for relief. At the suggestion he
closes his eyes and opens his mouth; a
tablespoon of water is dashed in; but
instantly he commences more violent
struggling. More terrible convulsions
follow, and receiving the water seems
more agoniZing than the want Of it.
At ten o'clock the physician comes
again. At least an hour is con-
sumed in the attempt to put the suf-
ferer under the influence of chloro-
form. Saturated cloths are held
as best possible in the struggling to his
nose; large doses of morphine are ad-
minstered hypodermically, but without
the least effect. The physician says
nothing. goes away without any in
structions. and leaves two of us to
watch the night through.
THE VICTIMS LAST HOURS.
The condition of the sufferer remains
unchanged. He is all the time con-
scious and rational. The priest comes,
the wife enters. and we, the watchers,
step from the room. When the voice
of the priest is raised in prayer the
dying man becomes composed and
peaceful. The violent struggling
ceases, the paroxysms and convulsions
come no more, and l involuntarily
looked through the window. expecting
to see that death had come. Full
fifteen minutes pass, and when the
prayer is ended the hydrophob:c victim
gently takes his wife's hand. draws her
to him, kisses her, and SAYS: Good
bye" At once the agonizing struggle
recommences, and the scenes already
described are repeated from every three
to five minutes. And thus the night
and the greater part of the next day
wore away.
At three o'clock in the afternoon the
legs of the man seem as though para
lyzed. He ceases to struggle. We are
obliged to tie his hands from him. for
he is inclined to bite them. His mouth
opens and shuts firmly, as though he
were swapping. He is now entirely un-
conscious. Little by little there issues
from his mouth white froth like clean
soap-suds. The face begins to turn up
ward. The respiration is seen to de-
crease. Life is ebbing away. A watch
is opened and the beating of the heart
is timed. The swapping of the mouth
grows less violent; and at five o'clock
John Toelle is in full possession of
death.
l carefully noticed the cries and
of the man in all his death
and l failed to discover the
least in them that was like the barking
or the noise of any animal.-W a.
dtdcrSon. tn Kansas City Times.