The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-07-19


Was Engaged-He Refused to Leave
Her Side, Even to Have His Wounds
! Treated-Peop1e Had Often Asked Her
If She Didn't Fear Hydrophobia.
| AsBURY PARK, July 1S.-Miss Lizzie
Byram, daughter of A. J. Byram of
Newark, N. j., who died at her father S
cottage here yesterday morning from
hydrophobia, was beautiful and very
popular, and her horrible death, after
nearly three days agony, has excited
much sympathy.
! Miss Byram had little black and tan
dog, of which she was very fond. One
day in April the animal snapped at her
and bit her on the right hand. The bite
appeared to be mere scratch and as it
healed in day or two Miss Byram and
the family thought nothing of it. After
biting her the dog jumped down from
| Miss Byram's lap and ran out into the
street and disappeared. Nothing more
was seen of it. Two days later the
family was told that the dog ran as far
as Belmor, three miles south Of Asbury
Park, where it was shot after it had
bitten several other dogs.
Miss Byram, who was in vigorous
health. did not complain until last Fri
day morning, when she was attacked
| with severe pains in the back of her
head. The pain grew worse until at
| night it was almost unbearable. She
went to DR.. j. H. Bryan and asked him
to give her something to relieve her. DR..
Bryan thought she had heavy cold,
| gave her some medicine, and told her to
| remain in the house. Saturday morning
| she was feverish and extremely nervous.
When DR.. Bryan tried to give her some
| liquid medicine she went into convul-
sions. frothed at the mouth and tried to
bite his hands. DR.. Bryan was now sure
| that it was case of rabies, and he
called DR.. j. F. Ackerman in consulta-
| ton. The latter agreed with DR.. Bryan,
and said that as the hydrophobic con-
vulsions had set in there was no hope of
the recovery of the young patient. DR..
Bryan ordered all the medicine taken
| away, and then exerted himself to quiet
the girl He knew her malady had
| reached such stage that it would battle
| medical science. While he was engaged
| in soothing her Miss Byram,
| claimed:
doctor, believe l have hydrophobia.
| Be careful OF | will bite you. Keep your
| hands away. / would not bite you for
the world, but I may not be able to help
| it."
Matthew Applegate, who was Miss
| Byram's fiance, is a young man not yet
81 years old and is very popular in AS
| bury Park. He took his place by the
| DAYS and nights, never leaving it until
| his sweetheart was dead
The condition of the suffering girl grew
rapidly worse. 1t took powerful inject
ions of morphine to quiet her, and the
| effects of these soon wore off. The sight
| of water would cause the girl to go into
| spasms During these she frothed at the
| at the mouth. She was able on Satur
| day to eat small quantity of orange
with difficulty. This is the only thing
she ate after Friday.
| The condition of the girl somewhat
improved on Saturday evening, and from
6 to 9 o'cock she rested easily. DR.. Bry-
an, who had paid four visits to the
house during the day, was hastily called
at 10 O'clock. Lizzie was suffering more
| than ever. She had begun to snap her
| Jaws at intervals and her lips were Gov
| bent over her to wipe her lips. Take
your hand away, doctor,'' said she,S 'or
| I may bite you.''
The patient grew worse all of Satur-
| day night. She began to lose the power
| of human speech. At one time during
| the night the door was partly open and
| the slightest draft annoyed her She mo-
toned to her mother to close the door.
| ''Close the -" she said, and then
began to bark and whine like dog, and
the convulsions came on again. The
girl never spoke after that. Her means
were those of a dog in pain. She barked
and snapped like dog. When any one
! would touch or caress her she furiously
fought them Off With constantly re-
turning spasms Saturday digit and Sun
day passed.
! Hours seemed years to the grief strick-
! en- family.
| While struggling with her in one of
| face severely scratched by the sick girls
] finger nails. The cut was two inches
long and bled freely. He was advised to
have the wound cauterized, as Lizzie had
had her hands to her lips just before.
s'No," he answered, II do not leave
this bedside as long as I am needed
| here.''
Miss Byram grew weaker and weaker
until death ensued from exhaustion.
Hydrophobia was given by the doctor
as the cause of death in the certificate.
II am as we'll satisfied that this is hy
drephobia," said the doctor, las l am
that the girl is dead.''
A number of her acquaintance have
| from time to time asked Lizzie if she
was not afraid of hydrophobia, andsit is
thought that this may have preyed on
her mind. If it did she gave no sign Of
| it to her family.