The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-12-18
For The Messenger.

For The Messenger.
Hamlet-"Alas, Poor ghost
HOratiO-"But soft, behold! 10,
where it comesi I'll cross it, though it
blast me! Stay illusioni
II thou hast any sound or use Of voice,
Speak to me:
IL there be any good thing to be done,
That may do ease to thee, or grace to
nae,
Speak to me-"
One Of the most extraordinary cases
of grave robbery, or, If l may venture
on a piece Of ugly slang, body snatch
ing" like the midnight, stealthy, ghoul-
ish work of Jerry Cruncher, in Dickens
Tale of Two Cities" is part Of the
past eventful history of a large town
in North Carolina. simultaneously
with this dissertation of the resting
place of the dead, there was a mystic
rious occurrence, unexplained to this
day, still talked Of with bated breath by
the superstitious; still secuted by the
Skeptical and StrOng-minded, with mo
nonsense about them" Mr.. William
Garvin, a citizen of some prominence
past middle life, and unmarried. was
admitted as a patient III the hospital,
suffering from a complication of NAL
aides, one of which was very serious,
and at the same time SO strange and
complex in it's nature, 50 battling in it's
alternating periods of diminution of
severity and access of v~iTulence. as to
awaken the deepest interest in the
superintendent and hospital staff, as
we'll as men high in the surgical and
medical profession elsewhere, an eX-
haustiVe article on the case had been
written to q medical journal.
On his entrance the patient was bad
Iy run down physically, and every care
and attention were devoted to him
as to his diet, his hot baths, the tenn
perature of his room, while he was sub
jected to a mild course Of static cleo
trica1 treatment. He occasionally mend
ed sufficiently to dress himself, walk
in the corridors, aid sit in the sun
parlor, making the acquaintance of
cOnvalescent patients. Though never
wholly free from suffering, he was
always bright and cheerful, affable in
manner and courteous in bearing.
Mr.. Garvin was under middle height,
of slender build, with light hair streak
ed with gray, dark-blue, deep-sunken
eyes,, and clean-shaven face, except for
a short clipped moUstache. He was an
interesting conversatiOnafist, having
Travelled much and seen much of the
world, and he narrated his personal eX-
perienceS Of men and places graph
,cally and with fine effect. He had a
remarkable memory, quoting at length
from history, fiction and poetry, to il
luStrate his talk. He was gifted with
a keen sense of humOr, indulging III
harmless pleasantly and badinage with
the nurses, and derighting to find fun
ny nicknameS for them out of his
fertile imagination. AT the same time
he was SO c~onsiderate, SO anxious rot
to give them unnecessary trouble, that
they all became fond of him. He fire.
squently sent messengers u for fruit,
fancy candies, nuts, etc, for their en-
joymert, and especially for the night
nurse, who, he was wont to say, was
a greater heroine in her rule over the
realm of the suffering and the afflicted
than Queen Zenobia at the head of her
armed cohorts.
But these spells of Semi-conval-
eScence did not deceive the skilled md
vigikant superintendent and physician
in-chief, DR.. Blank. He knew that be-
fore him was a. terrible task. For weeks
unreHEitting had been the efforts to
build up William Garvin's broker down
system to such a degree Of physical
strength and pOise is would fortify
him for the difficult and critical oper-
alton on which his life depended, and
the result vas only partly satisfactory.
Though far better than on his entrance
into the hospital, he was still sadly
lacking in bodily stamina.
At length, after deep thought and the
most ~painstaking study, conscious that
there could be little further delay. DR..
Blank embraced the opportunity Of q
visit of Mr.. George Garvin, who had
been devoted to his brother through
out his illness, to have a conference
with the two men. 1t was with a
grave face that he informed them that
the case was most serious, and that
an operation was the one chance Of a
prOlongation of the patients life; that
he would be remiss in his duty if he
failed to impress o. them that, while
without the operation death must
speedily ensue, the performance OF that
operation might result fatally.
The sick man listened attentively
to the physician; and, while his face
saddened somewhat, there was neither
GILL HI ILLS III hol f1o4UlS 1dtiIAS
away Of his nerve, as he replied that
the information conveyed gave him no
surprise; that he had long known his
condition as we'll as an unprofessional
man could know 1t; that he was in the
hands OF his physician, and the issue
was i'll the hands Of God. Three days
later William Garvin was placed OH the
operating table, but enfeebled nature
was unable to bear the shock of the
ordeal, and he passed away some hours
later, never having regained conscious
ness
Being without family the body was
removed to rhe residence of his brother,
from which the funarIi services took
place.. AS one Of the attendants, who
were preparing the remains for the
coffin, was about TO draw a ring from
the dead ~an's fnoer. Mr. Georen Car