The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-07-08
rALANaUrNs FATAL FROG.
--., odd pelusion That Euaed in a
Frenchman's Deata.
a--.a. sn. AHrr N-nrH 4 m

This fsthc story Of as strange a dclusion
-.....r fIIod MANS mind. It's victim
Sd .ua .iav Last week and WAS buried on
s~fav and the delusion which had
t.r..ei him during the last six years Of
l.. .ff, was never frmer reality to him
.rsrat the moment when he breathed his
last. C,,..-..,..- 900. 3. ,.---
-.,. that it all began. Michael KaIan-
amin. "a rosust, rad-cheeked, genial man,
whose blue eyes beamed good nature and
trGlfncss to all the world, came home to
rs rfmily upon that festal evening with
al expression Of deep worry upon his
Tin Heavens Shame, Michael, " exclaimed
his wife. what is the matter2"
For a long time he was gloomily silent
and remained sitting in his favorite chair,
with his eyes fastened upon the floor
Then with "A sad glance at his wife, he
sgid In u low voice: 4 have discovered
fiat ! have frog in my stomach"
ThaNife burst into uproariOus laugh
fer You ought to consider yourself in
great luck, she said. Its more than l
VERY well, " he replied, in a solemn
voice: ''you don't believe it. Just you
wait and see"
Alglael was a Il TenCuUldu, IuIl OF 0nO
ideas about liberality, equality, and fra
ternity. and always cheerful and pleas
autlv loquacious. He came to this coun-
ry more than thirty-tive years ago, and
began to work as a waiter in De.monico's
restaurant i'll William street The res
tauraut, however, began to grow popular
about the time the war broke out, and it's
business suddenly became exceedingly
brisk Michael was beginning to grow
stout, and he conceived a deep aversion
10 moving about with that swiftness
which is required of a good waiter So,
rather than sink in his profession, Mich
ael. like a conscientious man, left it. At
ter long seeking he found an opportunity
in the country produce business which
exactly suited his views. His duties con
sisted of sitting i'll u comfortable chair
and selling whatever kind of produce his
customers came to buy After nearly fif-
teen years Of this kind of work Michael
went into business for himself.
He became the proprietor of a profita-
bic stand in the Washington market, took
his son into the business, established the
firm Of M. Kalanquin & Son, taught the
young man the ms and outs of the bust
ness, and one fine day, about seven years
ago retired from active life. Out of the
profits of his business he had purchased a
pretty little cottage on Webster avenue,
near Franklin street, in Hoboken. Here
he decided to pass the remainder of his
DAYS His family consisted of his wife,
who busted herself with the household
affairs, his daughter, a girl of fifteen
years who went to school, and his SON a
young man of twenty-five, who conducted
the business.
It was NIichael's habit to remain at
home until supper time. After this meal
he would chat for few minutes with his
children and then put on his hat and go
out. After leaving the house his steps
were invariably turned to a dingy shoe
makers shop around the corner.
This shop was kept by a F'renchman,
who came from the same village that
Michael did, and the two had been cronies
for many, many years. They would sit
together for hours, sometimes talking, at
other times maintaining the utmost 81
lence throughout the evening. AS rule,
they cOnversed in French, but as each
was proud of his knowledge of English,
they often spoke that language with a
most villainOus accent.
One night about eight years ago, the
shoemaker told Michael q wonderful
story of a man who had swallowed a live
frog, which continued to live in his
stomach for many years. Michael was
deeply impressed with the story, and
frequently alluded to it. The shoemaker
gave but little thought to it again until
Christmas Eve in the year 1886. Upon
That evening Michael, who had been sit
ting in the store in perfect silence for
more than an hour, suddenly said:
Friend, l may as well confess to you
that have not much longer to live. What
lhave long feared has happened I feel
mat have in some way swallowed a
frog
sou said the shoemaker.
Yes 1t is perfectly true. For nearly
aWeeh past have felt queer pains in my
stomach but now l am sure that there is
a FROG there"
The shoemaker laughed him, scolded
MN, and finally threatened to make him
laughing stock of the neighborhood.
put all this had no effect upon Michael
Nothing could make him doubt that he
ha4 frog in his stomach. When, later
Ia the evening, his wife and children be-
came convinced that he was not Joking.
ana tnat he really imagined that he had
S"dlOWed a live frog, they became seri-
Ols.y alarmed for him. They wanted to
SEND Tor doctor, but he shook his head
u know you all think I'm crazy" he
sum- but am not. ] have something
.Aat Is alive in my stomach, and am as
cure as am that l am standing here that
Ills frog"
On Christmas Day he left the house
curry IN the morning. This was an un-
usual Thing for him to do, but his wife
asked no questions. When he came home
iSit 3L night he was very drunk. With a
Uahu smile he staggered into the room.
8uu IN a strange mixture of English and
french, said:
n. Let ! don't kill re frog re frog kill me.
% Is. olen! Ven get re Jag re frog get
e. dgtoO. C'est bien!'
5,Iney put him to bed and sent for the
c cog4 put the doctor only prescribed a
5ooI 4lght's sleep as a remedy. The next
~! AIlchael set out again to kill the frog
Lo s uIank heavily all day long, and when
Is gdhe home in the evening he was
FEaMiag with delight. He always spoke
s-"s.lSn When he felt particularly happy,
I upon This occasion he ratified on with
"iE Ioquacity and q miserable accent:
lil4i an re frog, he hat to die Sacre! l
a alI nm quick. C'est bien! But ven /
g s,. lua9 re frog get mad, and ven &c frog
a. mag 4 get mad. Sacre! Ze frog mus
NG Cest bienu"
v+ E9en he sobered up this time his
so1 ~ i'uuced him to 90 to New York and
ast,L DI. jacob. Michael was gone all the
h fbs,noon' and when he returned, late in
tfro GuIng, he was drunk again This
4 sion. oole very gloomy EXPIRES
FL an he said, "ze doctor, il est bette!
fro, Guy got no frog Bah! Re frog
s ii la f- .I"Nn all ze time and make me sick.
& H.. tIoS don die, die"
afror , l.g llIed on, day after day and year