The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1858-05-20

OAChahSC Woiuc LII passing COupl-
ments. Take your smiles and cheerful
words home with you, husbands, faith
ers and brothers. Your hearts are
cold and dark without them.
The Woman who Lives Without Eating.
We have, says the New York Post,
published several letters respecting this
extraordinary case of suffering; they
are important to scientific men, and
painfully interesting to all. The fol-
lowing is written by Rev. S. p. Will
liams to the Christian Adcocote
Mrs. Hayes is not yet dead. 1 have
seen her several times, and, after read
ing all that has appeared in the AdvO-
cate in regard to her, venture to COM
municate a few thoughts upon her case.
Before she passed into this peculiar and
affective condition, her health was for
some length of time extremely poor.
She ate but little, and that little occa-
stoned considerable amount of suffer
ing. Sometimes it threw her into
spasms. For nearly year before she
ceased to take refreshments altogether,
she lived wholly or nearly SO, upon the
juice of dried raspberries, until that
became a source Of great suffering.
Then, for a time, she took occasionally
a small quantity of cold water; and it
is now nearly year since she swal-
lowed any liquid, to the knowledge of
any one. Indeed, | have no doubt that
a teaspoonful of liquid put into her
mouth would be the occasion of her
death, unless the spasmodic action of
her throat should expel it. Any person
to see her ten minutes must be satisfied
that there is no deception in her case.
Her head and shoulders, one or the
other, are in perpetual motion. She is
frequently. thrown forward, until she is
naa-l. double1 ..sgnthcr.- and then the
head thrown back, and her neck liter
rally doubled, and the body forced back,
and the whole face, chin and all, en-
tirely buried in the pillow. This is
done several times successfully in less
time than | take in writing it.
The last time in the series the face
will remain nearly buried in the pillow,
and she does not breathe for ten or fif-
teen minutes. Once she remained 81
minutes without breathing. When this
is over, and the spasm passes off, she
struggles for breath, and her head is
rolled from side to side almost with the
velocity of lightning for moment or
two; the face becomes red with the
rush of blood to the head, and the skin
quite moist with perspiration. Then
the spasm subsidies into gentle motion
of the jaw and shoulder, keeping time,
as one would think, with the action of
the heart. Her skin about the face,
neck, chest and hands is delicate and
healthy as an infant. The pulsations
of her blood though exceedingly deli
cate, are quite regular. Her hair does
not grow, nor is it worn off her head,
as one would naturally suppose, except
a little just upon the crown. The ac-
ton and state of the lungs are perfectly
healthy. They have been thoroughly
examined by skillful physicians with
the aid of the stethoscope, and are sup
posed to be perfect Her nourishment
is derived from the atmosphere. The
last nutriment, indeed the last swallow
of water she was known to take, was
in the last of June, 1851. The last
time she was known to be conscious,
was last December. When she comes
out of these long spasms she seems to
cry for a moment, like an infant in dis
tress. AT such times her husband
thinks she may be conscious. 1t is
most distressing to hear it. She is not
above the ordinary laws of disease.
She has recently had thorough case
OF the mumps, precisely as others have
them. Her nails upon her fingers, like
her hair, does not grow at all.
Poor -SoIL.-An inquisitive Yankee
was standing at tavern door, in the
lower part of Jersey, watching fune
raj pass by. AT the head of it was q
large manure cart moving along very
slowly, and making no effort to turn out
for the procession. The Yankee was
astonished at this want of attention or
the part of the driver of said cart, and
turning to Philadelphian who was
standing by, he remaSked: -
" / guess the folks amt very perlitt
abeout here; to hum, where I live
they always turn out for a funeral"
"Oh, that's part of the procession
remarked the Pheladelphian, grayely
"Du tell Yeou don't say so
Heow?' exclaimed the astonished Yam
kee.
Why, you see its very poor, sandy
soil about here, and nothing comes nj
they plant, unless they manure it well
so, when they bury fellow, they throw
whole cart-load in the grave, to max,
hi,n rise at the judgement day.'
The Yankee mizzled.
J What did you hang that cat for
Isaac ?" asked the scool ma'am. 2
The boy looked up, and with a grav'
llo1lr q