Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-05-01
GREAT MEMS ODD DEATHS.
Commonplace Accidents Brought Many Of
Them 10 Their End.

Historical accounts of the causes of
death Of we'll known men are often inter
esting. The most commonplace accidents
following cases the account given is be-
ieved 20 be accurate and trustworthy:
Early in the spring Of 1916 Shakespeare
and his boon companions. Ben Johnson and
Michael Drayton, spent the evening at a
tavern al New Place. All became too
much intoxicated 10 reach home. and lay
out all night on the ground. The conse-
quence TO Shakespeare was fever"
from which he died in a few days-prob-
ably from pneumonia.
Lord Bacon died az sixty-fve. He was
riding toward London one winter day
when II occurred TO him that snow would
preserve flesh as we'll as salt. Accordingly
ne tied his horse 10 tree. went up TO a
farm house. bought hen, killed it and
stuffed IL with snow. at which operation
he became much chilled. He was TOO sick
10 return home but stopped at the house
cf a friend. With hospitabie intentions
they gave him the best room in the house,
a cold. damp guest chamber. where he
died a few hours later-like Shakespeare.
probably from exposure.
Burton. the author Of the Anatomy Of
Melancholy" believed in astrology. He
calculated by the stars tha; his death
would take place on the seventeenth day of
November. He died a, the stated time, but
IL was discovered that. fearing that he
would recover from a slight illness. he had
secretly thrown open. all the windows and
placed a mass of melting snow in his bed.
which had the desired effect Of causing his
death at the time set by the stars.
Benjamin Franklin had govt. stone and
Inflammation of the bladder. which con-
fined him 20 bed for year He died az
the age Of eighty-four OF abcess OF the lung.
Robert Burns died at thiriy-seven. Tie
had all his life heen Of convivial habits,
and the cause Of his death was drink and
exposure. one day in January l796. he
dined at a tavern al Dumfr.es. lie was
barely convalescent from a spell Of SICK
ness and was in no condition 10 stand ex-
posture. The night was cold. and Burns,
wandering home In an intoxicated condi-
ton. SAT- down upon a door step and fel
asleep Rheumatism supervened and he
died the fuNOMliE summer
Voltaire died Of bladder trouble a con-
d.uou which could easily be relieved by
modern medicine. bur hopeless a. that
time. SO intense We're rs suferings that
the clergy preached about 81 as an exam
pie of the tormen;s OF hell. beginning on
Tho body 81 an atheist long before his
death His death mask is preserved in
Paris. and it Is SAID 10 have a typical eX-
preston Of a lost soul. screaming with
anguish.
Oliver Goldsmith was a man who all his
life had varied from poverty to luxurious
living. and was man of extremely irreg-
ular habits. For certain indefinite symp-
toms he was in the habit Of taking wha;
was called James Powders an unknown
combination. which eventually caused his
death from an overdose.
Sir Walter Scott had several strokes of
apoplexy and died at the age of s;Xty-one
from softenipg of the brain.
Dean Swift died of paralysis aphasia. or
loss Of speech. and paresis;.
Edgar Allen Poe was picked up in the
streets of Baltimore one morning In lSiS
and taken TO a hospital, where he died
without regaining consciousness. His
death was attributed to drink and expos
ure, for he had been man of exceedingly
irregular habits, prone 10 dissipation.
There was. however. very strong sus-
picion that he may have been the victim
OF an assault by either personal enemies
or footpads.-New York Press.