The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-01-27

Dr. Lighthall Dies of SmalIpox-How He
Gulled Vast Numbers Of People.
Louisville Commercial.

Louisville Commercial.
Dr.. Lighthall, who died in San Antonio, Tex,
on Sunday. was known in Louisville as the P. T.
Barpum of patent medicines Everybody be-
lieved that his medicines were no better than
scores of other patent stuffs that are on the mar
ket Lghthall made no secret of the fact that
he considered the public pack of FOOLS and
often told his immense audiences. who would
gather beneath his tents to hear him lecture
sing and tell funny stories, that they were being
humbugged. He seemed to secure confidence
by his frankness, and gathered the shekels Of
the afflicted and sore-distressed by the bushel
He has been making" Louisville for several
seasons. and always came with four or five tents
which he would pitch in various parts of the
city. His main tent was always to be found at
Preston and Walnut, where every night great,
snrging crowd would visit and spend an entire
evening listening to his harangues. His name
was sufficient to fill his other canvas houses and
when once there the public found as slick and
enterprising ''fakirs" as the Doctor himself.
His medicines" were warranted to cure any
thing from common every day wart to the
worst case of cholera or smallpox ever known
Yellow fever stood no show whatever when once
his celebrated Indian herb cordals and pills were
administered. In fact, his medicines were pro-
nounced absolutely invulnerable. "And yet, you
know" the Doctor would say, I'm humbug
and SO are my pills"
1t was astonishing to notice the class of people
who patronized Lighthall. Many of the best
families in the city would drive to his tent in
their carriages and submit to his examinations,
pay fabulous prices for his stuff and 60 home, to
return in few days, either to purchase more or
pronounce blessing upon him for their speedy
and radical cure. Its only faith he observed
to reporter once upon time, as an old lady
dressed in silk approached and thanked him
g. 49, e.
of cancer Of the stomach '.She never had
any cancer, but some doctor has been making
her belive such was the case in order to get
good fat fees Why. she's only been taking my
harmless medicine five days. She ought to know
that a cancer can't be removed in that length of
time. But where ignorance is bliss tits folly to
be wlse,' and the doctor turned around and sold
six bottles to different parties, realizing profit
of $50 thereby, minus the price of the bottle and
the coloring il the water
He laid great stress upon certain medicine
that he told the creduous would produce rad
ical cure for intemperance, and often boosted, in
a laughing manner, that he had half the police
force running after him constantly for this par
ticular brand. He prided himself also upon
pulling teeth and always warned sufferer that
it was either tooth or jaw" He never missed
fire, although at times his victims were in real
agony as the Doctor applied his strength on the
forceps His income is said to have been $780,
600 year. and from the lavish manner in which
he expended money, it is doubtful if this report
was greatly exaggerated
At one time he stepped into the First National
Bank. of this city, and asked to have quite
large draft cashed. The cashier said he must be
identified, and the Doctor drew forth an inn
mense roll of money, and selecting a new ten
dollar bill, told the cashier to telegraph to the
bank in New York upon which the draft was
made for Identification. The answer was brief
and to the point 1t read thus:
"Lighthall all right. Let him have $780, 900
on our account if he wants it."
The Doctor was connoisseur on diamonds
Thousands of Louisville people will recollect the
bition at VOLTS jewelry store last summer by
the great Indian medicine quack. He wore
constantly jewelry valued at $780, 0O and
would not hesitate to go any place at any hour of
the day or night His watch. made here by
George Wolf & Co., is said to have cost him
$4,000 and was the richest piece of jewelry of
the kind in the world.
He was aman of undoubted courage and every
body seemed to know it. Last summer, when
Sells Brothers circus was here, the Doctor was
wandering through the crowd when pickpocket
undertook TO secure his watch. He nabbed the
fellow by the back of the neck marched him off
to a neighboring drug store, rang for the patrol
wagon and handed him over to Officer Tom
Mahar as the Central patrol-wagon stopped in
front of the store.
The Doctor always took Mrs Liehthall along
to watch tine dollars as they rolled into big box.
After an evenings business, which was invari-
Amy large, no "oulo gamer croWo Oh ADMIRERS
and take in the town." Upon one occasion he
paid 1870 in Green-street house for wine His
liberality seemed to know no bounds, while his
generosity to che poor equally as marked.
His greatest fault was a weaknessfor the gentler
sex, and it is said that many young women of
the city became infatuated with his dashing and
princely style.
He was man about forty years of age, about
six feet in height. well proportional. wore long
black hair. smooth face. and had swarthy COM
plexion, which indicated that Indian blood
coursed through his veins. He was a native of
Illinois, and had been in the patent medicine
business from boyhood