Year: 1875

The first time I began tosneeze, q friend told me to Ro and bathe my feet in hot water and 10 to bed. did so. Shortly after another friend told me to get up and take cold shower bath. I did that also. Within the hour, another friend assured me that it was policy to feed a cold and starve fever. I had both. So thought it best to i'll myself up for the cold, and let the fever starve awhile. In cases of this kind I seldom do things by halves: I ate pretty heartily. I conferred my GUS tom upon stranger, who had just opened a resturant on Cortlandt street, near the hotel, paying so much for full meal. He waited near in respectful silence until I had finished feeding my cold, when he in- quired If the people about New York were much afflicted with colds. told him I thought they were. He then went out and took in his sign. started ap towards the office, and on the way encountered an- other bosom friend. who told me that a quart of warm salt water would come as near curing a cold as anything in the world. I hardly thought had quite room for it, but I tried it anyhow. The result was surprising. I believe threw up my immortal soul Nyw, as give my experi- ence for the benefit of those of your friends who are troubled with this dis temper, l feel that they will see the pro- priety of my cautioning them against fol- lowing such portions of it as proved inef- ficient with me, and acting upon this con- vlction warn them against warm salt water. It may be a good remedy, but I think 1t IS rather too severe. If had an- other cold in the head, and there was no other course left me but to take either an @aFfhnnaRa Op vr0run co1t xwafar ~ro,11 take my chances on the earthquake. Af- ter this everybody in the hotel became in- terested, and I took all sorts of medicines hot lemonade, pepper tea, boneset, stewed Quaker, horehound syrup, onions and loaf sugar, lemons and brown sugar, vinegar and laudanum, five bottles fish bal sam, elght bottles cherry pectoral: and ten bottles of Uncle Sam's remedy, but all without effect. One of the prescriptions given by an old lady was-well, it was dreadful She mixed decoction con- posed of molasses, catnip, peppermint, aqua fortis, turpentine, kerosene and va rious other drugs, and instructed me to take Q wine-glassful of it every fifteen minutes. never took but one dose; that was enough. I had to take to my bed, and remain there for two entire days When felt a little better, more things were recommended. was desperate and willing to take to any. Plain gin was re- commended, then gin and molasses, then gin and onions. 1took all three. I de- tected no peculiar result, however, except that had acquired breath like turkey buzzard and had to change my boarding place. At this new place they suggested different remedy to any yet tried. A sheet bath was recommended. I had never refused remedy yet, and it seemed poor policy to commence then; therefore I de- termined to take sheet bath, though I had no idea what sort of an arrangement it was. It was administered tt midnight, and the weather was very frosty My back and breast were stripped, and sheet, lthere appeared to be thousand yards of iD soaked in ice water was wound around me until I resembled a swab for a colum- bad. It IS a cruel expedlent. When the chilly rag touches ones warm flesh it makes him start with sudden violence and gasp for breath, just as men do in the death agony. It froze the marrow in my bones and stopped the beatings of my heart. Thought my time had come.

 When recovered from this. friend re- plaster to my breast I believe that would have cured me effectually if it had not been for young Clemens. When went to bed I put the mustard plaster where could reach it when I should be ready for it. But young Clemens got hungry in the night and ate 1t up. never saw a child with such an appetite. I am confident that he would have eaten me if had been healthy. After all this experience you cannot wonder that dread going to New York