Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-03-28
NOTHING TO EAT.
Kate Dsncyas, The Girl who subslsts
NIthout Eating.
From the springfield Republican,


From the Springfield Republican,
One OF those anomalous and In
credible cases which are reported al.
most constantly in one quarter of the
world or another-the story Of life
prolonged apparently without the
taking of sustenance-is alleged to
exist in this city. The subject is Ka-
tie Donovan, q girl twenty.one years
of age, and the circumstances which
have brought her to her present con-
dition we give below, promising that
we tell the story as twas told to us.
She Was employed in the first part Of
1869 nfhe rag and cotton waste con-
| Germ of VIM. 8. Arms, and just three
years ago last Wednesday, met an ac-
cident there which has Influenced her
whole life since. Another girl gave
| her a push In sport, and she fell upon
a barrel. striking upon her right side
and the other girl falling upon
| her. She did not think at the
time that she was hurt much, but
| felt some inward pain and, as Is now
evident, received internal injury.
From that time she commenced
throwing up her food, but remained
at her work until the following Sat
urday afternoon, when abe was
| Obliged to give up and take to her
| bed. Since that hour she has been
bed-ridden, and the trouble which
manifested itself at the outset has
been constantly increasing. At first
she was fed with about her usual
food, but this proved 80 repuisIve to
her stomach that it was gradually re-
duced both in quantity and quality
until she subSisted wholly on jellleS.
Meantime q large number OF physf-
clans were called in succession TO pre-
scribe for her, but acknowledged that
they could do nothing for her, and
generally predicted that she would
live but a short time. Their medi-
cines were expelled from her stomach
as promptly as food YVES, and
her case seemed hopeless. But
she continued to survive for
months without medical aid, and
and has been seen by no physician
for nearly two years, except last
July, when her father, John Donovan,
a workman at WatsOn's died, when
the physician declared that she must
quickly follow. At that time she was
able to take a little lemonade, but
that, as well as stimuIants Of all kinds
and food in every form, being rejected
by her stomach she has since beengub- /
sisted-such is the extraordinary
claim-upon water alone, and very
little of that. OF course this is too
much for belief, but it should be said
those who know Mrs. Donovan best
"a good many very respectable PEG.
pe-do believe it. They say that they
have found her, in an acquaintance Of
a dozen years or more, a woman OF
strict honesty and t~ruthfulness, and
she would certainly appear incapable
OF carrying on a long course Of fraud.
The motive for such q course, ifshe
has adopted it, was not pecuniary
profit. as she has not sought to give
has.sfictions publicity, and has never
asked or taken money from visitors,
although q YasherWoman with six
children, most OF them dependent on
her for support. She lives in an up
stairs tenement IN q little court open
ing out of Liberty street, and the
place, though in an Irish quarter, is
scrupuIOusly neat, in all her part OF it.
The girl who lives without eating is
a respectfully furnished little room,
the window curtain Of which is kept
Town, as Is said, to favor her eyes.
She appears TO experience no discOm-
iort, however, when it is raised, and
he light discloses q black-eyed and
black haired girl, with eOmely features
md fair conn exion. She is not ema-
as would be supposed after such
extraordinary abstinence from food,
Iut her coUntenance has a peculiarly /
transparent, almost eorpse,ike sp- {
rearance. She is able to turn a little
bed, but her strength is very grad q
ally waning, and with the cough she
OW has, it would seem, as i5 seemed
wO years ago, that her stay upon .
arth must be brief. Her mind ap-
ears to be clear, although she speaks
ut little, and that in q whisper.