The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1871-10-14
A MODERN MIRACLE.
A Dying Woman's Vision of the Bles-
sed Virgin-Snatched from The
Jaws of DeatL-Let the Skeptical
Medical Faculty Refute this TeSti-
mOny il they Can.
From the New York Sun. |

IcliditT dl TIE COW cit VI tltt plSttiS
of Mercy in.that city. Theresa, who
is 22 years old, was reared i'll the
st. Vincent German Ophan Asylum,
and was adopted at the age OF 10
years by Il Mr.. Schafer and his wife,
with whom she still lives. The par
ticulars of the remarkable case are
briefly given in the following state
ment, which has been published by
the three physicians who were her
principal attendants. Drs. lMnall
and papin are the regular physicians
OF the convent iniirlnary, while DIR.
Cooper had treated her at home, and
continued to visit her after entrance
into the intirmary.
MEDICAL. STATEMENT.
Theresa Schafcr was admitted as
an outdoor patient Of the Female
Clinic' of the Sisters OF Mercy, in
April, 1871, on the recommendation
of DR.. W. Fl. Cooper, who had been
her medical adviser for some time
previously. The history of the case,
as related by the patient, and con
frmed by DR.. Cooper, is briefly as
follows: For two years she had been
in bad health, gradually getting
worse, and though she had employed
six or eight medical men, she had
derived little orno benefit from treat
ment.
At the time Of admission she COM
planned of great pain over the region
of her liver, general debility, and oc-
casionally severe attacks of inter
mittent fever. Upon examination,
great tenderness was found over the
abdomen; and in the region Of the
liver there was a large and well-de-
fined tumor extending low in the alb
dominal cavity, which was exceed
ingly painful when manipulated.
The various medical men who ex-
amined her agreed Il believe without
exceptionD that the tumor was con-
nected with the liver, and several
were under the impression that the
organs were seriously involved as
to the exact character of the tumor,
it was of course impossible to deter
mine. Among the physicians who
examined her | may mention Drs.
Papin, NJ. A. Pallen, E. Charles
Boisliniere, Y. I'll. Bond, W. II. Coo
per. J. Dulaney, and others.
Various methods of treatment were
suggested, tried, and were of no
avail. In the mean time the patient
was evidently sinking, and at last
was unable to leave the house of the
Sisters Of Mercy, where she took a
bed.
On the morning of Saturday, Aug.
2G, I was consulted by the sister in
charge to know if the last rites of
the church should not be performed,
or rather to learn if the patient was
not dying, so that the sacrament
might be given. I found her in an
unconscious and evidently in dying
condition. 1T was my impression
that she might survive as much as
twenty -four hours, hardly more.
I left the house Immediately after,
and on the following morning I again
visited the institution, and found the
patient entirely well. On Monday
Aug. %, she was examined by Drs.
Papin, Cooper, Quarles and myself
the tumor was gone, the functions
of the body We're evidently in a per,
fectly healthy condition and properly
performed, and the patient was well,
NJ. YARNALL, M. D.,
North Ninth street.
ST. Louis, Mo-, Sept. 8, 1871.
So far as the above came under
my observation it is correct.
w. H. COOPER.
I saw Theresa Schafer the day be,
fore she recovered, [ am satisfied she
was then in a dying condition, and
that no human skill could cure her
I saw her again the Monday follow:
ing, i. e., two days after her cure.
examined her then thoroughly, in
the presence of Drs. Cooper, Quarles
| and Yarnall. She was perfectly well
and no traces of her disease left.
DIR. TIMOTHY L. PAPIN.
The explanation of this sudden and
MIRACULOUS RECOVERY,
as given by Father Tschieder in the
columns of the Western Watchman
is to the effect that when the sick
Girl had become convinced thai
earthly help was of no avail, she in
voked supernatural assistance. To
gether with the Sisters of Mercy, hel
nurses, she made novena in hono1
of Blessed Margaret Mary Alacoque
hoping to obtain Of God the recover,
of her health through the interces
sion of that saint. Although III
answer was vouchafed to this mine
days prayer, Theresa did not there
fore give up her confidence in God
There was at the same time in tn
infrmary another sufferer, Magdalel
Himstadt, with whom she commen
ced, without telling any one else,
lsecond novena in honor of the Bles
sed Virgin, reciting every day th
Litanies of the Immaculate Heart G
Mary.
In the first days of this novena
, Theresa seemed to suffer less, b,l
toward the end she became yer
{ much worse. For ten days she ha
), eaten scarcely anything; she coul
, not sleep without the help Of med
E cine; she had the greatest difficult
: in her natural functions, and wa