IT WAS MARY SHERLOCK’S WAKE.

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 9645, 2 July 1892, Page 4

IT WAS MARY SHERLOCK’S WAKE.

‘ There lays a hundred years o’ peace and happiness.’ It was the wake of Mary Sherlock, who had died of old ago; and it took place on the night of Thursday, March 19th, 1891, in the City of New York. The roem was crowded with men and women, old and young, and an aged junkman, who sat on a keg in the middle of the room, said to every new-comer, ‘There lays a hundred years of peace and happiness,’ to which the party responded in chorus, ‘ Faith, Mike, niver truer words did ye speak.’

For Grandma Sherlock had come to America from Ireland before any of them, and, no doubt, was at least 105 years old when she ended her long journey. But she was one of the old stock, and never knew what illness was.

How different is such a story as this, for instance, told by a woman ! ‘ X was never well in my life,’ she saye, ‘always weak and ailing, constantly sick, and troubled with giddiness and swimming in the head. People who did not know me would at times think X was tipsy, I always had a poor appetite, with bad taste in tho mouth in the morning, and pain after eating. I had great pain and tightness in the chest and side, and was languid and tired after the least exertion, so I was unable to do any work or get my own living. ‘As to side headache, I was seldom free from it, and often my heart would palpitate, so I had to stop and bold rnysoli, for fear of falling. X was nearly always under the doctor, and when I was so, something formed in my mouth that the doctor called “ ranula,” and I was confined in the Exeter Hoapitil 17 weeks with it.

‘From that time I was worse than ever and after eating the least morsel of food I heaved at the stomach and would sp.it up a sour fluid.

• Better and worse I continued until April, 1889, when I became much worse, and my abdomen swelled until it reached a great size, and a pain in Hie side and back made me scream out. Indeed, I was in such agony I could not etir hand or foot. Just then my neighbour, Mrs Harris, wife of Jushua Harris, the road contractor, came in, and I had to be carried to bed. So dreadful was the pain that I broke out into a heavy sweat, and a faintness cams over me. Mrs Harris stayed with me and poulticed me, but as I got no better ray mother, who lived at Eousdou, was sent for. She came at once, ond sent lor a doctor, as I was in terrible distress and fighting for breath. The doctor said ho could not tell what was the matter, and a second doctor was sent for from Seaton by tho clergyman, who thought I was dying. So critical was ray condition considered that prayers were made for me at the church.

‘ The swelling of tho bowels increased, and the doctor said if this swelling did not go down I could not get better, ns it must be a tumour. He seemed puzzled by my case and kept changing my medicine, but I got no relief. My brother and others who came to see me all believed me to be dying. ‘After two months of thisa lady named Mrs Stocker, who lived at Eousdon, came to see me and told me about a medicine called Mother Seigel’s Syrup, and said, 11 You try it, for it once saved my life.” ‘ I sent to Mr Gage, the grocer at Seaton, and got a bottle, and before I had taken all the contents I felt better, tho pain was easier, and the swelling I have spoken of gradually went away. After having taken three bottles I was able to move about, and now feel better than I ever did in my life before, and ara stronger than when I was a girl. But, oh, if I had known of Mother Seigel’s Syrup sooner, it would have saved me years of misery. (Signed) * Mrs Mary Hoaee. ‘ Combpyne, Axminster, Devon, February 16, 1891.’

. This was a, case of chronic indigestion and dyspepsia, with terrible constipation; the swelling was caused by matter in the intestines which had probably been slowly accumulating for months. In the meantime this festering mass filled the whole system with poison, causing all the other symptoms described. Women are subject to this far more than men, on account of their careless habits. It occasionally happens that surgical interference is necessary. There was no tumour of course, but in the end there might have been, had not Seigol’s Syrup removed the loathsome deposit before it was too late. What a pity that women (and men too) will not check the first symptoms of disease, and thus like Mary Sherlock, enjoy a hundred years of peace and happiness.