The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-07-25
THIS man DIDN'T HAVE HYDRoPHOBIA
Bnt Sympathetic Friends Frightened
Him to Death.
He Came to Believe He Had Rabi es
and Then He Died.
II Your Nelghbor's Dog Bites You,
Take Lesson from This.

NEW YORK, July 24.-Charles Frank, who
was reported on Wednesday to be dying of
hydrophobia at his home In Railway, N. j.,
died at 1 o'clock yesterday afternoon, of
blood poisoning and fright
Frank was 30 years old, and worked as
helper in blacksmith shop In Railway.
Four weeks ago he was sent on an errand by
his employer, and when passing Frank Rib
lett's house at 115 Seminary street, Mr.. Rib
letts mongrel dog sprang over the fence at
him and seized his left hand Its teeth pene-
trated the flesh In the palm near the wrist.
The bite was not "a deep one. Frank shook
the dog off and hurried to DIR. Charles Oil
ver's drug store, and had the clerk cauterize
the wound. Then he went home. He told
his neighbOrs about the accident, and they
sympathized with him and told him repeat
edly how much they hoped. he would not die
Of hydr0phobia. He hadn't thought of such
thing till they suggested it.
That night the middle finger of the bitten
hand began to swell. ana he complained of a
twttching In the muscles of his arm and of
shooting pains. His wife told him that salt
pork bound on would surely stop all that,
and 1t did. He went to work the next day,
and all his fellow laborers asked him how be
felt and did hope he wouldn't get hydro
phobia." He went home early that after
noon, with the same symptoms of the night
before. He lay awake most Of the night,
tossed about In bed, and occasionally grunt-
ed In way suggestive of bark. When his
wife told him to keep still, she says he an
swered. holding uD his finger: That's the
death of me; I'll be barking next"
The finger continued to grow thick and
dark. and on the fifth day 1t was lanced
twice. After that it did not trouble Frank
so much, but the wound did not heal. His
nelghb0rs and acquaintances heard of that
and continued to sympathize with him, and
to assure him they did not believe he would
Monday night. His finger continued swollen
and was quite black. He worked intermit-
tently on last Friday. He attempted to
clean out well, and to do 1t he was COM
PEELED to stand in the cold water for several
hours. While at work there he caught cold
by his fears, caused his death.
On Monday night he sat talking to his
wlfe. They were wondering If he could not
compel Mr.. Riblett TO pay him for the time
ne mad lost from work on account of the
and said: That's my DEATH" A few min
utes later he fell over on the foor. The
muscles on the left side of his body and in
his left arm ana leg twitched and he broke
out Into cold sweat. Then his body
grew Ice cold to the elbows and his legs to
the knees. neighbor came In, and they
agreed between them that 1t was hydro
phobia. Frank heard the decision as
he Law there on the floor.
On Tuesday night the grunting was re-
sumed, and he remarked again that the next
thing ne did would be to bark like dog. He
tested himself with water and drank several
times. Then he decided he couldn't drink it
without lemon or brandy In it. His watch
leap up and attempt to bite them. His fin
ger continued to swell until it seemed that
the skin must burst, and the blackness be-
gan to extend to the other fingers and the
hand itself. His legs to the knees and his
arms arm 10 the elbows remained cold, and he
had more cold sweats.
Frank slept but little and could eat moth
ing. Naturally he grew weaker On Wed
nesday morning the doctor tried the water
test again. There was no trouble about
swallowing. and he shock his head and said
surely there was no hydrOphobia. Frank
had no faith In what he said.
By Wednesday night the whole left hand
was black, and there were black and blue
spots on the left knee and foot, and here and
there on all the left side of the body. Frank
could not bear to have his wife rub prepar.
tion on the leg. His son-in-law from New
ark came to take care of him on Wednesday
night, and he held the ill mans left hand all
night; He says that the skin in spots
then the muscles in the arm would contract
and the arm would draw up. The twtching
was like that caused by an electric battery,
and the Ill man would roll his eyes upward,
so that only the whites could be seen. The
coldness In the limbs gradually spread dur
ing the night Black spots appeared on the
left side of the lips and on the left ear, and
before morning had spread until both lips
and all the ear were as black as the hand.
The blackness in the hand extended to the
wrist.
Several drinks of water were given to
Frank during the night. In the morning at
o'clock he took the last drink, with little
brandy in 1t. Then he began to act as If he
had fit. He threw himself about on the
bed. He could not speak plainly, and in
stead of telling the inquiring neighbors that
he was dying of the dog bite he held up his
hand and pointed to the middle finger. Then
he rolled his eyes as he had Gone during the
night. His condition did not change much
until noon. when. apparently without suffer
Ing any pain, he died,