Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-06-19

cases in which success at last crowns
lhelr labors. A convict sentenced to
seven years penal servitude kept his RIGHT
hnee oent SO as not to touch the ground
Win MS foot during all that period, and on
account OF his infirmity, was exempt from
tle usuai KINDS OF convict labor, and en-
ployed at work which he could do in a
suing posture. When being discharged
at the expiry of his period of involuntary
service, he coolly observed to an Official !.
VIII try to put down my leg: it NAV be
OF use to me now" He was as rood as
MS word. threw away his crutch. and
walked Oft with firm stepl With some
the temptation to give an airing to the
littie secret which they have been
Obliged to keep so long close, and which
mas stood them in such good part is
wholly irresistible. Without this flaunt-
ing OF their impOsture in the face of their
Vlctims, some rascals would deem their
triumph only half achieved A trooper
VINO pretended he had lost the use of his
right arm, after resisting for length of
tlme the most testing hospital discipline,
at last succeeded in procuring his dis
charge. When he was leaving the regi-
ment, and fairly seated On the top of the
coach, he waved the paralytic arm in
triumph, and cheered at the success of his
stratagem. An Irish soldier, reported I'M
MT Tor service from loss of power of the
lower limbs, arranged for a more dramatic
avOWal OF his deceit. Having obtained
his discharge, he caused himself to be
taken on afleld-day in cart to the Phoenix
Park, Dublin, in front of his regiment,
which was drawn up in line He had the
cart driven under tree, on which he
hung his clutches, jumped suddenly with
agility out of the cart, sprung three times
from the ground before the faces of his
astonished comrades, then turned his
back to the regiment, and after a series of
expressive gestures, which we cannot par
ticularly describe, scampered off at full
speed! In a case of deception once prac
tised in New York court of sessions,
there seems to have been no pre- arran ge
ment of the denouement which occurred.
man who had been for some time in
prison awaiting his trial for perjury, had
paralytic seizure few days before the
period fixed for the trial, ana one of his
sides was thus rendered completely power
less. In this helpless condition he was
carried on bed from prison into court.
During the trial he became so faint that a
recess was granted to enable him to re-
cover, the prosecuting attorney kindly
lending his assistance in conveying him
out OF court. The sight of an intrm
felloW-beIng trembling on the brink of the
grave had a visible influence on the court
and the jury. The evidence, however, was
conclusive, and the jury convicted him.
The court, in view of his speedily being
called to a higher tribunal, instead of
sentencing tn fha St,f
imposed "a small fine, which his brother,
who manifested the utmost fraternal soil
citude, promptly paid The next day the
prosecuting attorney met the fellow, APP
parently in good health, on the street.
The latter laughingly told him that he
had recovered, and dropping his arm, and
contracting his leg, hoped off, leaving
the learned counsel to his own reflections.
1t is, however, rare thing NOWADAYS
Tor clinical artist to at ain his end and
enjoy the full truitiOn of his labOrs. In
most cases he has no other reward than
the pleasure received from the exercise of
art This aesthetic satisfaction would need
to be great to enable him to bear even the
ordinary prosaic hardships and discom-
forts Of his lot. But in addition to these,
he Is sometimes overtaken by species of
poetlcal Justice in the shape of penalty
paid in kind. The feigned disease, in
fact, occasionally becomes a real one.
Montaigne mentions some curious in
stances OF this occurring within his own
experience. 1t is chiefly in Stimulating the
class of nervous diseases that the danger
lies of this avenging Nemesis The CON
tinued repetition of the manifestations of
the affection seems eventually to make an
lneradicable impression Oh the nervous
centers. Two French sailors taken pris-
oners by the English in the wars of the
First Napoleon, successfully feigned in
sanity for six months, and at the end of
that period got the reward of their clever
deception by recovering their liberty; but
1t was at the expense of their reason,
which was really gone The means
adopted to stimulate one disease have
sometimes produced another of more
serious kind. Soldiers have so persistent
ly kept up state Of irritation in facti-
tlOus sore as to bring on a disease which
required amputation OF the limb Others
have lost their sight by the methods taken
to induce a temporary inflammation in
the eye. The historian Robertson mentions
case which, whether true or not, is at
all events physiologically possible. He
says that Pope Julius Ill feigned sick
ness to avoid holding consistory, and in
order to give the greater color Of proba-
bllity to his illness, he not only confined
himself to his apartment, but changed his
diet and usual mode Of life. BY persisting
in this plan, however, he contracted real
disease, from which he died in a few
days.-Chambers's Journal