The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1869-11-29
(From All Tie Year Around)
IWENIY-ONE MONTHS OF SILENCE
Continued

Continued.
DAYS succeeded days, and the lips Of
John Strong remained-as far as the
utterance of any artieulate sound went
Theoretically sealed. Not one of those
about him conld betray him into speech.
nor was he ever heard to mutter any
word or intelligent sound in his sleep.
Experiments of all kinds, in which the
body aud the mind were alike addressed,
were tried. The doctor-a man of great
resource and much iDgenuity-would,
for instance, wake the man suddenly IN
the middle of the night, and made him
get out of bed to attend patients who
needed assistance addressing him, at
that moment of sudden waking up,
with some words which required an
answer. Mr.. Strong was, however,
proof against these sudden surprises,
and was quite himself even when thus
abruptly reused in the middle of the
night. Not . word was to be got
out of him. Plenty of gesticNation,
abunda Mt evidence of attention and OF
a clear comprehension of what was re-
. quired of him; but no speech. 1t was
probable, the doctor thought, that if the
man could for time be deprived of
consciousness, he would in that cODdi-
ton be brought to say something more
or less ineligible. He determined to
get the dumb man under the influence OF
chloroform and try what could bs dsne
with him then. The chloroform was
applied accordingly; but the man by
resisting, firstits application at all and
then its influence when they did succeed
in applying it, managed to defeat the
doctors efforts in this line; the doctor
hesitating to incur the risk of admins
terins by main force dose strong
enough to render his patient incapable
of all resistance. An attempt was then
made to into1icate him, and, as he
refused to take sufficient amount of
spirit to bring about the desired end,
considerable dose of alcohol was cum
ningly introduced into the medicine he
was in the habit of taking; but he stead
lily refused, come what might, ta swal-
low single drop of the medicine so
craftily qualified.
The doctors wife had at this time in
her employment young woman, serv-
ing in the capacity of hOusemaia, who,
besides being gifted with considerable
personal attractions, was also endowed
with large share Of that capacity for
mischief, the possession of which persons
of misanthTophic turn of mind are
fond of ascribing to all members of the
sex which doubles our joys and divides
our sorrows. Having confided to this
young person the particulars of MIR.
Strong's case the astute doctor, q little
more than limiting that he looked upon
the whole thing In the light of q do"
requested her Hs last resource to come
TO the rescue. On a certain fine hot
afternoon i'll July the patient was sent
up to DR.. Curzon's house, OSteusibly to
do some work in tho doctors garden,
but really to encounter the fasciuations
of the doctors housemaid. During the
whole of that afternoon the full force of
those destinations was freely exercised
upon him, whatever he did aud wherever
he went. Did BE set himself to the
&C accomplishment of his allotted task
in the garden there was this dangerous
young person ready 10 help him with
his work, and even to do that work for
him. Did he, on the other hand, sit
down to rest himself in the shade, there
she was sitting beside him and CONVEX
sationaliy disposed. She piled him with
drsughts of beer when he was thirsty, i
and later in the evening made him
comfortable with tea and battered toast.
Strong drank the beer and ate the toast,
nay, he smiled upon her gratefully, and
expressed her 4eontentment by the
gesticulations which had by this time
become familiar to him. All these thugs
he did,but speak or utter sound lie did
not. .a.
,fet there was no sort of colloouial
snare which she did not lay for his com.
panlon; sometimes appealing to him for
s. directs W hen they were at work together,
and this in the most arrless manner, as
if she had forgotten the existence oil
, that iufirmity of his; at other times
adopting Indifferent line, and makipr
open ailnsion 10 il, frankly telling him
that she did not believe in its genuine
ness, and urging him to admit TO her in
confidence that it was all q sham. Then
she would be angry with him for his
obstinacy, and rate hum soundly, or
perhaps have recourse 10 ridicule, and
= laugh al him in the most aggrayating
. manner possible. But Private Strong
was proof againstit ALI He was deaf
to her entreaties, he smiled at her irri-
tation, he joined in the laugh against
himself when she was sarcastic. Finally
he retired triumphant from the eBcount-
or, having passed Il very pleasant after
noon, having eaten and drunk many
good things, aud leaving the question of
the real or fictitious nature of his
inhrmity exactly where it had been
when ne set ont in the morning to
spend the day in DR.. Cations flower
garden,
- The DUMB mans statement now beCan
TO be believed by many who had befnre
treated it with contempt. Bat the
handmsiden maintained stoutly her
conviction that Private Strong was
certainly shammipg, and was DO more
dumb than she was.
1t was soon after the failure of this
experiment and about four months sub
sequent to the time of Strong's first
attack that the writer of this brief
sLaet happening to be in the neigh
oornood OF Chatham, first heard the !
outline of the dumb mans story. Ill
was sson arranged that on particular
day, whichsuited the cen venience of all |
concerned, he, should go over to the
aepoe and pay visit to this singular |
person, In company with certain
Mll.sary officer and the regimental sSr.
This last named gentleman, as wa
'wstssd along ia the direcsion of the