Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-08-23

mediately. They could hardly be made last
enough. can remember now how solemn
the "rap, rap OF the hammers on tie coflins
in process OF construction used to sound.
One day we went to take charge Of two
cholera corpses which were in the second
story OF q house in the northern part of the
city. For some reason, which has slipped
my memory, we could not get them down
stairs and had to get ,he:,wo coi'ns and their
contents down ladder.
At that time the n Y 7. 4 q. was in pro.
cess OF construction west Of the city. There
were should say, about 500 construction
hands at work on the new road They were
a terrible hard set OF men. They took to
robbing the orchards in the vicinity. The
farmers did not take any revenge, but the
green apples did, and the cholera
| broke out with terrible effect
in the gang. Some of them
died every day. The rest would
, then get up big time over the body, and
| quit work to attend the funeral. Several OF
the uudertakers had such rough experiences
while trying to prepare the bodies OF some Of
the men who died, for burial, that the under.
takers finally refused to do more than fur
nish the coffin, and let the ronghs do their
own undertaking. They did attend to it,.
with vengeance, too. They would get a
body into coffin, bold a wake over the re.
mains, and then start with it for the GENE.
terry in common cart On the way they
would be sure to get drunk and spill the body
out The coffin would burst open and III ,
body roll out OF the coffin into the
road. The scenes at such time were terri
ble and sensational in the highest degree. but
so accustomed did the people seem to be to
death that little was thought of it at the time.
The disease fret appeared in the last of Au-
gust and lasted, think, through September.
| After this it continued, combined with fever
and then some Of The best citizens Of the city
were carried of by it. For four weeks the
city was like Sunday every day in the week,
aud nothing was thought of but the cholera.
This state OF things WAS the very thing 20
! feed the flames. If people had gone about
their business the fatality would not have
been nearly so great. shall always believe
two-thirds the people who died Of
it were scared to death. Some of
them would drop over in the street
pale with terror for fear OF it. and shortly
after they would be taken with the disease
There are no indications of an attack of the
disease this year"
| Another gentleman who was in the under
taking business at the time Of ths scourpe
| said:
| al had some terrible experiences burying
the dead. remember one young girl eighteen
| years old who died from the disease. Her
father WAS Mormon elder named Sawyer,
who left Springfield many years ago. As
soon as the girl died, her mother and father
deserted her, and gave me the keys Of the
house. bad to prepare her body for
burial. The body had none of the stiff
ness OF death. 1t was limp as rag
From the mouth came the dreadful tetid black
vomit. can never tell any one the horrors
experienced during that terrible undertsk-
ing And yet never had the least symptom
OF cholera afterwards. Another terrible case
was caused by the swelling of the body of
deceased cholera patient. until the coffin
burst, over night. For weeks / was handling
cholera corpses, and breathing the air near
them. What better answer can there be to
the superstition that cholera is contagious.
Fear is great predsposng cause remem-
n h,
livery stable at the corner of Main and Spring
streets, died OF cholera. A jeweler next door
was terrified OF catching it, and built barri-
cade OF pillows and bed clothes at the back OF
his store, which adoined the place where the
man died. In spite of all his precautions
he took cholera and died. When the cholera
was all over, strange to say, got scared, and
sold the hearse to man in fremont City.
From that day to ttis have never buried a
single body. volume could be written
about the cholera epidemic in ,hs city. 1t
will not give the country call this year, but
next year look out"
To supplement the statements in regard TO
the contagion Of cholera above given, i, NAV
may be stated that great German professor
recently bored hole in the top OF coffin
containing cholera patient, and sucked the
air from the coffin repeatedly. He proved
bis point by this ghsstly method, as he did
not suffer the least symptom Of cholera after il.
The hero OF the hour in musical circles is
Alexander Hrtska, the Hungarian pianist.
whose romantic history, published in the To-
cal papers last week, created So much interest
to See him and to hear him play. Last week
his playing was listened to by thousands of
persons. Friday afternoon he gave a recital
which was attended by hundreds of ladies.
lnvtstions from our best families have been
saowered on him without number, and many
persons have spoken to engage his services
Tor instruction on the piano, and as a
teacher OF French, German, aud other Ian
guages. Though somewhat out Of prac,ic,
his playing shows musical genius Of the
highes, character. He plays Chopin's music
divinely and with all the passion OF bis
warm Hungarian nature. He has ordered
number OF copies Of the great piano solos
which he formerly played. There is talk of
getting up concert for him in the near fu-
ture. II this is not done he will be in great
demand at the concerts next winter. His
ignorance OF the English Language, and his
poverty, which prevented his getting start
as teacher, has kept his talents from due
appreciation up to the present time, but now
he has good start; there is nothing 10 pre.