The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1895-04-26
5eIrrt Misrrlluny.
THE PLAGUE OF 1861.

The epidemics of the Middle Ages were
historians as Hecker and Haeser have been
compelled to leave many of them unnot
iced. One of the most interesting of
these, both from the historical and medi-
cal standpoints, is the plague which fell
upon the German army in Italy A. d. 1857,
and which has been fully described by sew
eral contemporary chroniclers. The fol-
lowing outline is based mainly on the ac
count given by Henry, archdeadon of Salz
burg, who says that he has carefully COM
piled it from the narratives of eye witnesses.
The long controversy between the En-
pire and the Papacy had eliminated in an
open schism and the establishment of an
Anti-Pope, to support whom Frederick
Barbarossa invaded. Italy with a great
army, directed at once against the indepen-
dence of the Church and of the Lombard
army in the moment of its triumph sent
thrill throughout Europe. "Then happen
ed a thing unheard of since the creation
of the world, which to the end thereof will
make the ears of those who heareth it to
tingle Peruse the chronicles of the ma
tions; where will you find a tale such as
that which tells how the power, wealth
and pride of all Germany died. not as men
die, neither fell like one of the princes, but
were destroyed in heaps, like the rain
worms or the locusts, after tempest?'
The great church of St. Peter at Rome had
been taken by storm. They broke down
the gates with axes and swords, and cut
off chips from the doors, boasting that
they would take them to their wives as
tokens of their own powers, and of the
ignominy of the blessed Peter: so the VEN
geance of God came upon them in the pes
thence Three days later, August 1st,
Frederick and Beatrice were crowned with
great pomp by the Antelope Paschalis,
| in the still blood stained church. The
next morning was marked by sudden
tempest of thunder and rain, after which
the sun sbone out brightly, till thin mist
rising from the ground covered the tents
of the schismatic army, and then the pla-
! que began. The number of the victims.
says Henry, great as it was, was less terri
bic than the suddenness of their deaths.
There were a hundred chosen men in ar
NOR who formed the Emperor's bodvguard,
and camped apart from the rest. "The
! Emperor had mounted his horse, and, won
dering at the delay of his guards, sent a
messenger for them. He found their weap-
ons piled, and their horses tethered but
the hundred men in armor and their at
| tendants were all of them dead corpsesr'
The plague seemed specially to single
out the great men of the army, particular
ly the schismatic clergy. Rainald, Arch
bishop of Cologne, head and leader of
the schism,' the Bishops of Prague, Re
gensburg Spires, Verdun, and Liege, all
died in Il few days, and the death of so
many princes and mobiles brought into
prominence, if it did not originate, Il curl
Gus custom of some interest for the his
tory of anatomy. Many persons, "asham-
| ed to leave their dead friends in a hostile
/ country boiled their bodies and extract
ed their bones in order to take them home
to their fatherland Thus they boiled