The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-08-19
TO BALK DEATH.
Strange Freaks of Wealthy Persons
to Escape the Grim Reaper.
(Exchange.)


A man who, while poor, is not more
afraid to die than most people. often de-
velops a haunting terror of death after
he has made Z big fortune, and spends
an unhappy life and huge sums of money
in trying to avoid the coming fate fire.
quently hurying himself into a prema-
ture grave through sheer worry and fear.
This passion has turned the brains of a
good many wealthy people. and made
monOmaniacs of them. They resort to
the most childish eXpedientS to keep
death from their doors
You remember kipling's character who
had his chair slung on ropes from BEAM
that the world might spin under him, in
stead of carrying him along TO grow older.
There was an actual case very like this a
few years ago, when John Islip. an Eng
lishman, who made huge fortune out of
silver in Mexico, drove himself mad
through worrying about his death.
After exhausting all the safeguards
London could. offer. he bought a small
rocky island called Brychil on the west
Irish coast, taking with him one faithful
servitOr. Here, in feVerish. haste, he had
four stone pillars raised, and a small one
story cabin, with three rooms. rather like
a hOuSebOat, Slung on chains from iron
Orders that crossed the pillars, and
swung clear of the ground. Once inside
this, he shut himself up, with some books
and a pet jackdaw for company. and
never left his swinging house till his
death.
The attendant, who lived in a small
house close by, used TO row to the main
land-a mile and half-when the weather
permitted, for provisions. The master
spent his time reading and looking out
over the Atlantic from the cabin windows.
His brain had given way, of course. and
he imagined his life stood still, while the
earth revOlVed under him He had no
relatives to insist on his entering a priv
HaI II LOT
in the cabin, worried out of life by the
fear of death. His hair was snOw-white,
though he was only 43 years old
Another wealthy man, James Inglesant.
through he mad made fortune by shrewd
speculation. also gave way TO the dread
Of death He conceived the idea that all
movement and effort wasted the tissues
of the body, and this notion sank so deep
ly into his mind that he went to bed in a
quiet country house. and hardly moved
hand or foot for years; if he even stirred
a finger he did il with dread. believing IL
used up his vitality and shortened his life
by so much tire He spoke as little as
possible. sonnet 'as not opening his lips
for days, and was fed by attendants with
spoons. All ms food was soft, TO save him
the fatal exertiOn of chewing. and his one
amusement was being read 10 by the
hour, for he would not hold a book or turn
the pages. Even the reading he did away
with toward the close Of his life, believing
that listening shortened his existence.
Mrs Holmes, a wealthy widow, who had a
terrible fear of germs and bacili of all
kinds She had studied the subject deep
w. and it affected her reason, to all ap-
pearances. The dread of death seized her
and she was convinced she would die by
some wasting fever inspired by microbes.
Knowing that cold is fatal TO the average
germ, she had two rooms adjoining each
other fitted as refIigerators and kept con-
stantly at a temperature of about thirty
degrees, or just below freezing point.
One would supposed this TO be more trying
than any quantity Of microbes. but the
owner was happy in her consciousness of
freedom from gercl disease. Winter and
summer the rooms were kept at the same
point, and the adjoining rooms and hall
were also kept cool. that no current of
warm air might bring bacilli in
This lady lived clad in furs throughout
the hottest days that blaZed outside and
her attendants and servants were Obliged
constantly to disinfect themselves before
entering her presence. They lived in per-
petual atmosphere of carbolic acid, and
their mistress had to pay high wages to
Induce any servants to stay with her.