The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1892-02-04

f|f|Ll 7-N + =
A Yellow Fever incident In . Lstsis rsvu
hH In Texas.
II had the pleasure of reading my
own obituary notice." said WESTERN.
man to New York Tribune reportar
the other day. II was 30 sick that 10
was thought would surely die ono
night, and the doctors gave up all hopa
of me little after midnight The re-
porters who came up to see how I waa
made up their minds that I would be-
dead about the time their papers went
to press They did not say Mr.. II. died
early this morning, but they said the
doctors had given up all hope at mid
night, and they penned fifty-lina
sketch OF my important career, never
thinking that would be in position tn
point out few trifing errors in it. Yon
will never know, though, how queer ID
seems to read what people say of you
after you are dead till you've tried it"
II suppose not, replied n southerner,
''but had curious experience with
death myself in Texas some years
ago. Yellow fever had got into QUIZ
town, and was playing havoc with us
almost before we realized it. AS usual
panic set in, and almost all those who
were able to move away without sacri-
ficing everything they had did so. Ide-
cided to stay, and we set to work to rig
up temporary hospital for the victims.
Before long yellow Jack struck me, too.
and lay in a cot in the hospital had
helped to build. was pretty bad, but
not too bad to feel worse when a rough
coffin was brought in and put under my
cot to be handy for me. We lost no
time in burying the dead, that was
dangerous.
"Pretty soon I became unconscious
l learned this afterwarls-and being
taken for dead was rolled into my handy
coffin and put into the hearse. The
driver was negro who had been con-
demned to be hanged and was taken
out of Jail and put at the job of burying
the dead under promise of pardon if hes
survived. There were no mourners to-
follow the body to the grave. The
mourners were busy trying their best
to keep out of the graveyard.
THE jolting brought me back to-
consciousness, and your feelings at
reading your own obituary were moth
ing, I take it, to mine when I realized
that l was going to my own funeral
The coffin had been made in such lhur-
| ry OF rough boards that the cracks were
wide enough for me tos through, and
one nail at the foot and another at the
head were all that held the lid down. A.
couple Of kicks sent the lid up and 1 got
| out Of my coffin without much trouble,
| the excitement of the occasion lending
me strength. Another kick threw the
| doors of the hearse open, and I stuck
out my head and yelled to the dryer to
stop.
with yell of terror and horror the
negro leaped from the hearse and start
ed to run away. The mule that was
pulling us stopped gladly enough, and I
got out as best could and started after
the driver. We were long way out Of
town, and felt my strength giving out.
When the negro saw me following him
he fell to his knees, paralyzed with
fear, and began to pray to God, the
devil and my ghost for mercy. 1 soon
reassured him that I Yas real flesh and
blood, and persuaded him to drive me
back to town. The coffin we took out
of the hearse and put it up on top, as !
might want it yet, argued, and lay
down inside with the ne gro's coat for q
pillow, and we drove slowly back to the
hospital in that style.
"You may imagine the stir we created
there, but it was only one little incident
of the plague and it was soon forgot
ten. I recovered after awhile, but ]
shall never forget my sensations when
l woke up to find myself nailed in q
| coffin"