Roseland, La
Feb. 3, 1864
Dear Ones At Home,
No doubt you have been worrying because of no letter from La. Fact is, we have such sad news to relate we
have not felt like writing. Mrs. Payson
was buried one week ago Sunday & today William Collins was buried. It all seems terrible and hard to realize,
but it is all too true. Mrs. Payson went
to New Orleans to visit friends and took a severe cold (you know she always had
asthma) and was ill four days when they sent for Mr. P. He went down Friday night – Saturday morning
she felt so much better she told him to go out and attend to what business he
had at hand. He had not been gone but a
little while when he was telephoned that she was dead. She had been chatting with Mrs. Farrell and
seemed to be so much better, but before they knew it she has ceased to
breathe. She was buried in Amite the
next day (Sunday). That stroke nearly
broke up the household, but they could have managed till the next Friday – William
had this stroke of paralysis. He has not
been at all well all summer and has worked very hard. One night he took a dose of calomel &
next morning took oil as usual, but it was the week we had such wet cold days,
just terrible. He went all all the time and had his feet
soaking wet & cold. The day of Mrs.
Payson’s funeral he told Howard his back ached dreadfully and his tongue felt
thick & stiff. He got no better so
went to the doctor who gave him medicine.
Friday night the paralysis began. By Saturday P.M. he could not speak
nor use his left side. Wesie & I
went down Saturday, then Howard & I went Sunday and stayed till 9:30
P.M. He was perfectly conscious and was glad
to have Howard there. He would make a
noise in his throat when he wanted anything & motion a little with his
right hand. Then Teresa (his wife) would
ask him till she found out what he wanted.
I was not able to go down Monday & yesterday was intending to go but
my head was aching so badly, called for a friend to go with me. She could not go so I did not get down till
this afternoon, about twenty minutes after the funeral had left the house. You may think what a shock it was to me for
we thought all the time that William would get better as he was young & the
paralysis came from the calomel, but the doctor said he had worked so hard he
did not have vitality enough to live through it. It is all so dreadful & his wife is
nearly heartbroken. She has a baby not
two months old.
Mr. Payson has been sick ever since Mrs. Payson’s death and
was not able to attend William’s funeral.
You know he had “softening of the brain” before coming south and the Dr’s
said it was liable to prove fatal with any great shock. I do not know what they will do yet. They have so many berries out, so much
planted for garden, and no one to attend to it. Someone says the laws of La. are such that
Mr. Payson’s relatives can step in & take all the property (as it was all
in her name) but I do not know how that is.
William worked like a slave & Teresa has worked very hard ever since
she has been there. She certainly ought
to have something for it all. It will
seem strange to you, father, now to come down here; you would miss J.W. Smith .
Mrs. Payson & William.
We are glad you are all comparatively well and hope you
will take good care of each other. It is too bad about that poor old man - let us know if you found him & what you
did with him , etc. So
sorry Winfred cannot go to school yet, but he is a dear faithful boy and we are
proud of such a brother. How pleased we were with Arthur’s “dog operations”. Hope he may always be as successful. He has quite
a number of patients but “no pay”. Frank’s
letter was very interesting also. Had a
letter from Annie last week. We’re
getting along nicely.
Did we tell you that Howard has gone into the “step ladder”
business with Mr. Liebout? They get a carload
of ladders off Friday if all goes well.
Not much news in the Herald for you is there?
We are all glad about the new bonnet & cloak, Mama –
specks you look awful pretty in them, don’t she Papa?
Love to all,
Howard & Olive
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