Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1871-04-21
Once a Man and Twice a child. /"


the National Standard the following in
teresting sketch of the remarkable phe-
nomena attending the last years in the
life of the mother of Henrietta Sargent;
"The departure of my dear old friend
Henrietta Sargent has naturally revived
in my mind many memories connected
with our intercourse. Some Of them re-
late to psychological facts sufficiently Gu
rious to be worthy of record.
Her mother, woman of fine physical
organization, lived to an advanced age,
and during the latter part of her healthy
life, fell into state of dotage. For i've
years she required the same cares that
are necessarily bestowed upon ba be;
and during all that long period the pa
tent watchfulness and tender devotion OF
Henrietta and her sister Catherine were
beautiful to witness. The circumstances
herof progressiveim beciity werevery sin
gularand oftenrenderedh her extremely diff
icult to manage. Step by step she lived
backward through all the antecedent peri
DDS of her life, with vividness of impress
sion that rendered them perfect reality
to herself, to the entire exclusion of all
later epochs and each of these successive
states would continue for months. Her
husband had been dead many years, but
she was possessed by the idea that they
were recently married. Every day she
expected him home at a given hour, and
insisted upon having plate set for him.
At every sound Of the door-bell she
would say, There! He has come. Tell
them to serve up the dinner. His nom
appearance often made her very restless.
He is such a punctual man, something
must have happened to him. she would
say. Sometimes she would talk over az
fairs she had to communicate to him
when he came home, affairs long since
forgotten by every one. To that bridal
hallucinationsucceededa acting over again
J the tending of her babies. Later, shelived
in the midst of her grown up sons, and
was preparing for the weddings of her
daughters. The panorama of memory
kept moving on. After a while, hus-
band and children passed out of sight
Hes spirit went went away from Boston
entirely, and took up its abode on the
south shore of Massachusetts, where she
resided in her girlhood. The house where
her body was, seemed to her to be the
house where she had lived with her
mother. Then she receded into child
hood, and was studying her lessons for
school. She especially occupied herself
with her younger brother. She laid by
cakes and candy for him, and made him
divers satchels for his books. Early in
the morning she would inquire, Are
Benny face and hands washed I? Where
are his cap and comforter? He mustn't
be late at school, That also passed
away; and she became little child, at
; her mothers knee, calling for stories Of
Jack and Gill and Little Boy Blue
She did not know the daughters who
were tending upon her with such assid-
uous care, and when they read to her the
stories she desired, she would laugh in
the most infantile way, and ask to see
the pictures. Those little nursery books
would sometime keep her quietly anus
ed for hours. Thus the fame of life
fickered lower and lower, and at last
went out. ] saw her several times DUR
ing these successive retrograde stages of
f her life, and the completeness with which
she lived in them for the time was
marvel to me.
Some years before she began to slide
into the abnormal state have described
she had singular experience. One
morning she spoke of not feeling so well
as usual, but it was regarded by her.
self and others as merely slight devia-
ton from her customary good health.
But in the course of the day she sudden
ly tainted away. AS the nsual restoration
: produced no effect, the family physician
was summoned. No better success at
tended his efforts. The breath appear
ed to be entirely suspended, and the
, limbs remained rigid and cold. Her
, daughters feared she must be dead, and
the doctor began to be doubtful whether
animation world ever be restored. How
! long she continued in this state / do not
remember. But while they were watch
ing her with ever-deepening anxiety, she
gasped feebly, and after while opened
her eyes. When she had completely re-
covered, she told her daughters she had
been standing by them all the time, look
ing upon her lifeless body, and seeing all
they did to resuscitate it and she aston
/, ished them by repeating the minutest
details of all that had been said or done
r by them or the doctor during her pro-
longed state of utter insensibility."