The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-02-21
F. Unger, Dog Dealer, Bitten
Fifty Times, Finally a
Victim of Rabies.
"BE KIND HE REQUESTS
HE GOES TO THE PAsrEUR iNSTI-
TUTE NEARING THE LAST TER.
RIsLE SPAsMs, BUT WAS FULL
OF COURAGE.

New York, Feb. 2l.-Realizing that
hope was useless after he had been
pronounced a sufferer from rabies,
Frederick Unger. for twenty years
dealer in dogs. died in New York Hos
pital.
To the moment when the last and
fatal spaSm caused his death, he knew
it had been inevitable. but accepted
the situation heroically and did not
waver in his determination to face the
end without a sign of fear. as he had
resolved when he recognized symp-
toms of rabies and went to a neighbor-
ing physician to have his own dag
nOSis verified.
For many years, Mr.. Unger. who
| was fifty-three years old. had scorned
infection by rabies. Although fifty
dogs had bitten him. it was not until
two months ago that rabid animal
wounded him. DR.. H. L. Barker of
Woodside, where Mr.. Unger lived. on
Thursday afternoon pronounced him a
victim of rabies.
| Knew Hope Had Passed.
Even then a CLEAN of hope sprang
up and Mr.. Unger followed DIR. Bark
er's instruction to go to the Pasteur
Institute that physicians there might
positively determine the accuracy of
the diagnosis.
AS soon as Dr. George G. Rambaud
director of the institute saw Mr.. I'm
ger he knew hope for him had passed
| nd hot To
treatment. Pity was the first feeling
for Mr.. Unger that DR.. Rambaud ex-
perienced but it quickly was replaced
| by admiration.
! Il know l have hydrophobia and
know that you can do nothing to cure
me. All l seek is relief from the suf-
fering l know must be endured" was
the greeting with which the victim
met the physician.
There was not a trace of fear. nor
the slightest sign of emotion. That he
knew he was to die was as evident to
the physician as were the unmistaka-
BILE symptoms of the disease.
BE kind to me-" added Mr. Unger,
land let me die as easily as possible -
DIR. Rambaud suggested that Mr..
Unger enter New York Hospital where
he might be under the constant care of
physicians and at the same time re-
ceive the institutes treatment. The
man had made the journey in COM
pany with his two daughters from
Woodside to the building of the in
stitute in West Twenty-third street in
a trolley car. apparently in the best OF
health. yet carrying within him the
knowledge that probably before an
other day passed he would be dead.
Mr.. Unger was unable to furnish a
comprehensive history of the case to
the physician. He earned his living
buying, selling and training dogs. He
was highly educated. spoke four Ian
guages, and is said to have been con-
nected with a family that once was
wealthy in Germany, where he was
born.
He Lived in Murder House.
When the patient realized that a
rabid animal had caused the infection
which must result in his death he tried
to remember the incident. The ply
sicians told him it must have been
about two months ago, but beyond rec.
ollecting that about that time he had
clipped more than twenty dogs, he
could remember nothing which might
throw light upon the infliction of the
fatal wound.
Mr.. Unger made his home in small
cottage in Second street, WOOdside
the building in which occurred the
murder, in 1897, of William Gulden
suppe. for which Martin Thorn died il
the electric chair while Mrs. Augusta
Mack was sent to prison.
In his business as a dealer in dog!
Mr.. Unger had become familiar will
the symptoms of hydrophobia. He
recognized instantly that the dreat
disease was threatening him when a