The Knickerbocker, Vol. 10, No. 4, October 1837 — John Shaqi
The Knickerbocker, Vol. 10, No. 4, October 1837Various
History
The Knickerbocker, Vol. 10, No. 4, October 1837
Various
Periodicals
Having smothered the flames, and put
him in charge of some of the by-standers, who had now generously
volunteered their assistance, I went to take a view of the other. I
found him lying in the dirt, without any fire on his person, (it had
been put out by others,) and rolling ceaselessly from side to side.
When spoken to, he answered in a hurried and impatient manner.
Having made a rude litter out of boards, we had them laid on it, and
carried to the hospital. As we emerged from the rear gate, the crowd,
who had learned the nature of the occurrence, made way, and we were
soon at the corner, around which the store was situated, from whence
these unfortunate individuals had issued in the rear. Here their
mother joined us. She made no violent manifestations of grief, as
the litter went along, but walked by its side, occasionally coming
nearer, and addressing a word to her sons, as they seemed to be more
sharply tortured.
Having deposited them in one of the wards of the hospital, reserved
for the reception of such cases, the first dressings were put on,
and a slight anodyne and cordial were administered to them both,
as they were greatly prostrated, especially the one who seemed to
be the younger. Bottles of hot water, and bags filled with heated
sand, were applied around their extremities. It was not long before
one of them was restored to his natural warmth, and to a full sense
of his wretchedness. But the other never recovered from the shock
given to his nervous system, and rapidly sunk, as will be seen. His
senses were in full activity, until near the last, and with a little
agitation, attributable to the severity of his bodily injury, and
to the prospect of the near approach of death, there was a degree
of emotion, which was not to be assigned to so obvious a cause, and
which led to the belief that something lay heavily on his mind, which
he wished, yet hesitated to declare. His father appeared but once,
and going to his bed, whispered a few words in his ear, and left him.
He seemed not less distressed after this visit.
His mother came frequently, but was unable to remain constantly,
or even a considerable part of the time, by his bed-side, from the
distress which the view of his calamitous situation, and his terrible
writhings under the agony of his burns, produced in her mind. She
said very few words to him; and those only in the way of soothing
and comforting his momentary distresses; but sat by the side of his
low bed, and at every half unconscious toss that tore off strips
of skin from his body, and exposed patches of the bleeding surface
to the view of the mother, she raised up her arms and face, in the
most pitiable excess of grief that the mind is capable of imagining.
She might have been a study to the unhallowed gaze of an ambitious
devotee of sculpture.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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