Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1858-05-01

TnE WogAs VINO LIVES WITHOUT ELTIN6.-
We have published several letters respecting
this extraordinary case Of suffering; they aTe
important IN scientific men, and painfully in
teresting to all The following is written by
Rev. S. P. Williams, 10 the Caristian id
voeqte
",Irs. Hayes is not yet dead. ! have seen
her several times. And after reading all that
has appeared in the Advocate in regard to her,
venture to communicate few thoughts upon her
case. Before she passed into this peculiar ard
affective condition, her health was for some
length of time extremely poor. She ate but
little, and that little, occasioned consideTa-
bic amount of suffering. Sometimes it
threw her into spaSms. For nearly year
before she ceased 10 partake refreshments alto
gether, she lived wholly, or nearly so, upon the
Juice Of dried rasPberries. Then, for time,
She took occasionally, malt-quantity Of cold
water; aud il is now nearly year, since she
! sw allOwed any liquid, 10 the knowledge Of any
one. Indeed have no doubt that teaSpOonIuI
Of liquid put into her mouth would ne the occA-
sion Of her death, unless the sPasmoh'c actinh
/ Of her throat should expel it ANY person to
see her ton minutes must be satisfied that there
I is no deception in her case. her head aud
| shoulders. one or the other, are in perpetual
motion. She is frequently thrown forward,
until she is neariy doubled together, and then
the head tbr0wn back, and the whole face, chin
and all edtirely buried in the pillow. This Is
done several times successfully in less time
tbsn take in writing it. The last time
I'm the series the face will remain nearly buried
in the pillow, and she does not breathe for ten
or fifteen minutes Once she remained sixty
two 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 mo
meut two; the face becomes red with the rush
Of blood to the head, and the skin quite moist
with perspirution. Then the spasm subSide;
into a gentle motion of the jaw and shoulder,
keeping time, az one would think, with the nc
ton of the heart. Her skin about the face, necl;
chest and hands is delicate and healthy as the
skin of un infant. The pulSations of her blood
about the chest. neck, hehd and arms, though
exceedingly delicate, are quite regular. Her
hair does not grow, nor is it worn off her head,
as one would naturally suppose, except little
just upon the crown. The action Of the liver is
entirely suspended, of course. The action aud
state Of the lungs are perfectly healthy. They
have been thoroughly examined by skilFul ply
sicans with the mid Of stethoscope, and ure
supposed TO be perfect Her nourishment is
wholly from the atmosphere The last nutri.
ment, indeed the last swallow Of water she was
known to TAKE, was in the last of June, 1857
The last time she was known TO be conscious
was last December When she comes out Of
these long spaSnis she seems to cry for mo
iuent, like an infantin distress AT such times
her husband thinks she may be conscious. 1t
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, do not grow at all.