The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-07-11


How Gen. Beale Fought an Attack of the
Malady-DramaticE Escape of His Daughter.
r. @. Crawford, in New York World.
General Beale is visiting the Grants at their
cottage at this place. Last Sunday heard the
General give an interesting account of his once
fighting off attack Of hydrophobia. 1t Is the
frs. case have ever heard of mans being able
by mere will power to throw off this formidable
and terrible disease. The General apparently
believes that hydrophobia is but a creation to
certain extent, of the imagination. When he
was q young man he was Surveyor-general IN
Southern California During his residence
there. through the purchase OF land,
emit fortune. His favorite sport at that
time was the hunting of wolves. The hunters
would go ont armed with lances and follow
trained dogs The dogs would run down the
wolves. Immediately following the attack one
wolf would always leave the dogs and come to
attack the hunter The General said one day
when a wolf came towards him the lance, with
which he could easily keep off and destroy any
wolf making any ordinary attack broke. AS
his lance broke he started to kick the wolf under
the jaw. His foot missed its aim and in
stead was caught in the VOLTS mouth.
The wolf bit clear through his moccasin
and wounded him severely. So grim was
the grip of the wolf that he did not even release
his hold when killed The muscles supporting
his jaws had to be cut before his teeth could be
relaxed from this terrible grip. When the Gen
eral returned to camp as he was alone during
this experience, he was met by cheerful com
panion who told him that the bite OF an enraged
wolf was certain to produce hydrophobia. The
wolf was undoubtedly in a condition to commun-
icate the rabies, as he had been worried to
great extent by the dogs before he attacked the
General General Beale says that he did not
have any opportunity Of cauterizing the wounds,
and had attached no particular Importance to the
bite until he had returned to camp
He said after that there was hardly day
passed but what his companion referred to cases
of hydrophobia arising from wolf bites. The
result of this continued talk upon the subject
was to produce a great depression in General
Beales mind Within short time he began to
feel symptoms of an approaching attack of
hydrophobia He had the most extraordinary
aversion to water. 1t was with difficulty that
he could swallow. A swelling came in his throat
which threatened to close it whenever he
sought to drink. 1t was only by an extraordi
nary effort of the will that he could force him
self to swallow One day the General said to
himself that unless he combated this growing
feeling he felt certain he would have an attack
of hydrophobia So one morning he walked de-
liberately to a spring and thrust his head into
the water. He said as he approached his
head to the water he felt the most intense
desire to Jump, and scream, and run away from
it. But he held himself right there, and moved
his head up and down in the water until he
conquered this impulse and the aversion. He
followed up this practice until he felt the swell
ing in the throat going down and his aversion
to water lessening. He felt that he was getting
control and this encouraged him. In short
time all symptoms of the disease had disap-
peared. The General was firmly convinced
that if he had for one moment relaxed his will
power during that trying time he would have
passed directly into fit of the widest kind of
hydrophoba. He has never suffered from the
bite of the wolf since that time although it
occurred over twenty five years ago.
1t is a singular fact in this connection that an
other member of his family who has been bitten
by dog which was undeniably mad, had also
escaped hydropboba. His daughter Mary mar
ried distinguished Russian, member of the
diplomatic service of his native country. Seve-
raj years ago they were living in Paris The
husband was connected with the Russian lega-
ton. General Beale's daughter had at that time
a stag hound of unusual size and purity of breed.
1t was very docile and her favorite companion.
He nearly always went out with her. One
day the dog disappeared. As he was great pet
and dog of unusual value, they advertised for
him, and sought through the police to recover
him. One light when the Russian diplomatic
and his wife were seated about open fire in
their salon after returning from the opera there
was a knock at the door This was so unusual
at this late hour of the night that the Russian
went himself to answer the knock. AS the door
opered two men entered having the lost dog at
tached to a stout stick, which held him between
them, but yet kept them at a safe distance.
General Beale's son-in-law was delighted to see
the dog again. The dogs mistress was
no sign of pleasure or recognition. He went
over into an opposite corner and would not
pay any attention to their calls. They thought
that he might feel strange, and SO paid no furth-
er attention to him. Suddenly, without even
bark of warning, this great dog sprang and bit
his mistress right through the upper lip and
then on her cheek before her husband could
reach the stout collar which still encircled the
dogs neck. The Russian succeeded in half a
moment in dragging the dog off from his mis-
tress and then he had a terrific fight with the
Infatuated animal. IL he had not been very
muscular he would not have succeeded in SUBJ
DUNG him. He succeeded finally in dragging
him into bathroom and locking him up, but
not until his right arm was bitten and torn from
shoulder to wrist.
The scene that followed is dramatic enough
for the most sensational of plays. The moment
the door was locked the Russian returned He
glanced quickly at the fireplace where he saw
the poker imbedded in the Goals. and was
fortunately nearly at white heat He drew it
at once from its bed, and said TO his wife: 1.-THE
dog is mad This is our only chance to escape
q horrible death. These wounds must be
cauterized at once.n The brave American
wife neaer fiinched. With the courage of her
soldier father she submitted to have the
flaming iron burn most cruelty the flesh of her
fair face. moments delay upon her part or
cowardice, would have made the operation upon
her husbands arm useless. The moment after
cauterizing her wounds the Russian turned to
his own arm and thoroughly burned every break
made in his flesh by the dog. After this had
been done as completely as it was possible, they
sent for the surgeon of the Russian legation.
He was one of the finest surgeons in Europe.
He came and examined them. He brought his
irons to perform the operation of cauterizing
but he said after he came that he had nothing to
do The young Russian diplomatic had performed
the work as well if he had been skillful sur
geon. The surgeon also added that there was
no danger.
The dog was undoubtedly mad. It tore every
thing to pieces in the room where 1t was con- |
fined, and died in horrible agony. General |
Beale says that neither his daughter nor her |
husband have ever felt the slightest symptoms |
of trouble resulting from this accident He says |
that his daughter determined from the first that |
che would not allow her mind to dwell upon it. |
She remembered how her father had courage |
ously fought off hydrophobia, and she was fully |
IL. a.