The herald., 1896-08-27
: HUTCHISON'S KICKS
sAsssAe@AsAAA4A4sAeAa&eaHS 81

If there is any virtue in practical prep
aration for the life of the hereafter | shall
have at least two credits to start with. Am
1 not credited with ten paradisiacal years
in Los Angeles and ten purgatorial sum
mer days in st. Louis?
Heretofore my horror of profanity has
often prevented a full expression of my
sentiments. Now L have the ability to
condemn n rascal to "the shades" whero
shade avails not and where even the very
word shade has lost its ancient and re-
freshing idea. j can do all this without
diminishing my stock of self-respect and
with as much case and grace as if were
reciting lesson in geography or directing
delegate to the scene of three national
political conventions that did 'groan and
sweat in the summer of 1896. The gentle
and kindly reader may have been spared
the experience necessary to a keen appre-
cIation of these observations. His deli
cate sense of smell may have warned him
OF the approach of the sulphurous vapors
before they enveloped him and while yet
he could avoid them. In any case. a brief
ana quiet description of a melting and
Juicy season in ST. Louis may be of some
httle' value as relish to the reader
On ne Ith day of August, 1896, the blazing
Louis and looked into the city. Then a
ssiIignt slIg degree of pity seemed to TOUGH, the
blazing ball and a cloak of dun lead
shield the human creatures that could not
defend themselves from the tiabolical hate
OF TIE ilend. In short time it became
manlrest that the cloak was a curse, rather
tlan blessing. Those who had to defend
themselves and their families. were unable
to defend either. The awful heat boiled
down on the heads of victims of all ages.
Teams ters started out with great loads, as
was their, habit. The groaning beasts fel!
who were abroad in the midst of journeys
lay down to rest and never got up again.
Now and then slight shower of rain would
fall from some huge cloud, where the thun-
der and lightning were groaning. Then
the great cloud would vanish across the
prairie and the heat would be more intense
than before. BY the middle of the day
most of those creatures that had incau-
ttously made their way into the streets
mad either died or made their way into
places of temporary refuge. At the great
depot, which is usually crowded day and
night, few dozen lonesome and desper
ately unfortunate travellers were putting
IN the time mopping their red faces and
cursing the weather. Huge overland trains
that. usually carried large crowds of pas
ssengers came and went with almost none
Several times during the day large showers
fell from the lofty and mutterng clouds.
and the miserable people in the streets held
up their parched faces to get the benefit of
Whatever drops they could catch for relief.
The only vehicle that went about with or
dinary speed was the patrol wagon in
search of victims of the accursed climate.
All day long that carrier was kept busy.
and when night came to make the air still
more sitting, the patrol wagon had gath
cred up 200 dead and dying mortals that
had reason to know that the curse of such
a hot spell and the terrible suffering that it
causes is keener and more far-reaching
than almost any other agony known to hui
man beings.
Thousands who did not come entirely un-
der the influence of the diabolcal climate
suffered with terrible headaches and faint
ing spells and racking tortures of all the
bones and nerves in the body.
1t is my opinion that one day of such
weather in that moist. shoWery climate is
more severe in its effects upon the human
system than whole year of snow and frost
and hail and rain and sunshine and cy-
clones.
I hope that 7 shall never again have any
duties that call me to st. Louis or Kansas
City in the summer time. If duty should
forget herself and call me at that season
! fear ] should send a substitute in re-
frigerator car.
If I should live for thousand years 7
could never forget the dull. leaden air. the
ftful liPh htning that played high over the
city all day and night, the perfectly sitting
heat that penetrated every nook and corner
of the city, the eXasperating thermometers
that stood at 10 degrees in the shade as
If the stability of the universe depended
upon their keeping at that limit Neither
Should ! ever forget the look of utter de-
spair that seemed to transfx the face of
almost every old person that was obliged
to maintain his existence for even one mis-
cradle hour of that agonzng period.
Yours, very truly.
EDWARD L. HUTCHINSON.