Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-09-23
YOUNGSTOWN FLOOD.
The Wonderful Dream of a Hos
pital Ward Patient.
Strange Scenes in Hospital ward Death
Comes Twice to Poor Howard 1lutz
"snatched From His Mothers Arns.-A
Waste of Waters and the End of the
World.
Charlotte Observer.l

There is no hypothesis to make. no
theories to formulate, concerning the
story which am about to give to the
readers of the Observer, the incidents
OIL which came under my own observa-
ton. 1 will write it down exactly as IL
happened. and will leave its psychoios-
ical elaboration to the seers. spiritual-
lists and clairvoyants, contenting my
self with Hamlet's reelection:
There are more things in heaven and
earth. Horatio.
Ihan are dreamt of in your philoso-
ply"
In the early part of the year 1889
was In the city of Philadelphia on bust
ness which would detain me there for
several months. Being Il Southerner.
was ignorant of the treacherous char
acter OF the spring climate OF that sec
tion, and some days OF imprudent eX-
posture to its sudden and trying changes
Suiiicied TO coniine me to bed ut my
hotel with n combined rheumatic and
pulmonary attack. The physician cali
eu IN 10 attend me-a portly DIR. job
ling of Dickens Martin Chuzzlewit"
with heavy fob chain, shining broad
cloth. polished boots. and n pompous
voice of rich port-wine huskiness-
considered my case serious: aud. under
his insistent advice, L was removed to
----- hospital.
Before proceeding with my story.
even at the risk OF inticting on the
reader tiresome depression, l cannot
refrain from giving paragraph or
more descriptive of this hospital. one
of the most extensive and literally en-
dowed benevolent institutions of the
country. First, i'll as l was for several
weeks, l was impressed with it's ad-
mirable and systematic management.
II Is said that there is method in mad
ness and at --- hospital patients
died or recovered by method. Nothing
was left to chance; and, mild and
| pleasant as 1t was, the regime was as
| immutablc as the laws of the Modes
and the Persans. Medicine formed a
small part of this system, and it was
seldom that one saw patient dosed.
fresh air. cleanliness and diet being the
great agencies of cure.
Secondly, the hospital was as cosmo-
| politan in its way as New York city.
In the ward in which 1 lay was Rus
sian, Pole. Turk. two Italians, an
| Irishman, three Americans, including
myself. and a burly negro. disagreed
a coward of physical pain as ever
lived. who. at the mere opening of Il
case of surgical instruments. would
whine like whipped cur. The Rus
sian drank great quantities of tea, and
the Pole ate all his own liberal allow
ance of bread and every slice that his
companions of the ward would give
him. The Italians had visitors every
Friday-men and women with black
hair and eyes. wearing gltttering ear
rings and gaudy neckerchiefs, who
chartered with amazing fluency, and
gesticulated with such passionate en-
erGy that one almost expected the
CLEAN OF the stiletto. No one ever
came to see the poor Turk, who sat on
his cot with his feet tucked under him
lx1 tfN nj 1,.N "a n n
his own beautiful Constantinope, his
red fcz on his small head, and his
dark face as eXpresSionleSS as that of
the SphynX OF the Desert. One day he
was "streekit." as Meg Dods in SCOTS
''St. Romans Well" would put it, and
was carried out feet foremost to the
dreary "Pottersfeld.," shut In by the
pitiless walls of great strange city.
On bed alongside of mine was
Howard I<lutZ, of Johnstown.. Pa, dy-
ing. poor fellow, of some throat or
lung affection, as brave and patient
as martyr. as simple as a child. as
gentle and grateful to his nurses as a
Christian woman. He was evidently
man of the lower or middle walk OF
life, but sterling metal for all that
true and honest TO the core; | became
very much interested in him. ana,
when / grew SO far conValescent as TO
move about the halls and corridors.
but not sufficiently recovered TO leave
the hospital. read to him. talked with
him. and did all l could to tighten the
weight of the painful, irksome hours.
The head nurse told me that his case
was hopeless. and that they were only
patching him up that he might have
strength to get home and die in the
nrixl of his mother-for he was her
only son, and she was widow
WHAT HE SAW.
One night l lay awake until late
70 cIa nnn of the
noisy outbursts on Spruce and Ninth
streets over some procession or other
Donular demonstration. But at last the
blarc of the horns died away i'll the
distance. the tap of the drum became
but Il faint echo. and ] was Just or in
a doZe. when. with choking EurEie IN
his throat and Il mutiled cry klutz sat
uprigtt in his bed his limbs shaking
with terror. his hollow eyes staring in
horror. his caG;iVeroGS face bedabbled
with cold sweat.
What is it, man?' l cried. springins
up and placing my hand on his shout
der.
.Merciful Cod" he groaned. covering
his eyes with his poor thin hand:
'Merciful Cod The waste of waters
and the end of the world"-"Snatched
from my mothers arms at the door OF
the old home"--"Thousands and thous-
ands swept into eternity the
flood, the food
BY this time two o. three attendants
were in the ward. and he was queS-
toned and soothcd: but over and over,
rocking his frail. attenuatcd body TO
and fro. he moancd, in voice OF in
describablc anguish. "Oh. Oh. the
flood. the Hood" His face and arms
were laved in cold water, an anodyne
was administered. and lie sank into n
htful, unrcstless sleep, broken by starts
ana groans.
4 few days afterwards | received nay
discharge as cured. and addressed my
self TO the task of clearing away the
accumulai ion OF business Causca by my