Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1886-09-02
HIS WILL WAS STRONG.
Thus General Beale Was Saved
from Hydrophobia-
He Relates How He Defended Himself
fr IN an Attack of Rabies-A Dram
attic Story Told Of His Daughter
and Son-in-Law.

III tHelI coItdSc dI tnlS place.
Last Sunday l heard the Gen.
eral give an interesting account of
his once fighting off an attack of n.y.
drophobia. 1t is the first case l ever
heard of a mans being able by mere
will power to throw off this formidable
and terrible disease. The General APP
parently believes that hydrophobia is
but 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, he laid the foundation for his
present fortune. His favoritc sport at
at that time was the hunting of wolves.
The hunters would go out armed with
lances and follow trained dogs. The
dogs would run down the wolves. I'm
mediately following the attack one
wolf would always leave the dogs and
come to attack the hunter. The Cen
eral said one day when wolf came
toward 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 instead 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 be-
fore his teeth would relax from this
terrible grip. When the General re-
turned to camp, as he was alone dur
ing this experience, he was met by a
cheerful companion, who told him that
the biteNof an enraged wolf was certain
to produce hydrophobia. The wolf
was undoubtedly in a condition to
communicate 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 particu-
lar Importance to the bite until he had
returned to camp.
He said after that there was hardly a
day passed but what his companion re-
ferred to cases of hydrophobia arising
from wolf bites. The result of this
continued talk upon the subject was
to produce great depression in Gen.
eral Beale's mind. Within a 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
extraordinary effort of the will that he
could force himself to swallow. One
day the General said to himself that
unless he combated this growing feel
ing he felt certain he would have an
attack of hydrophobia. So one morn.
ing he walked deliberately to 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 i'm.
pulse 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 fell
that he was getting control and thi.
encouraged him, In short time al
symptoms of the disease had disappear
ed. The General was firmly con
WINGED that if he had for one moment
relaxed his will power during tina
trying time he would have passed
directly into fit of the widest kind o
hydrophobia He has never suffered
from the bite of the wolf since tina
time, although it occurred over twenty
five years ago.
II is a singular fact in this connec
ton that another member of his famil,
who has been bitten by dog whicl
was undeniably mad had also escape,
hydrophobia HIS daughter Mary mar
RED distinguished Russian, membe
of the diplomatic service of his nativ
country. Several years ago they wer
living in Paris. The husband was con
nected with the Russian legation. Gen
eral Beale's daughter had at that tim
a stag-hound of unusual size and purit
of breed. 1t was very docile and he
favorite companion. He nearly Away
went out with her. One day the dos
disappeared. As he was great pc
and dog of unusual value they ad
vertised for him, and sought through
the police to recover him. One nigh
when the Russian diplomatic and hi
wife were seated about an open fire il
their salon after returning from thu
opera there was knock at the door
This was so unusual at tins late hour o
the night that the Russian went him
self to answer the knock. As the doc
opened two men entered having tn