The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-06-20
THE SLEEPING GIRL.
= Full and Complete History of the
Most Singular Case Of Modern Times.

1.-The Sleeping Beauty Of West
Tennessee is already of no little
notoriety abroad, but the many
publications made of this strange
ly affected person are regarded as
fictions, and like the stories of ro-
nance founded on the affiiction of
some eccentric individual. AS n
phenomenal subject, whether per-
tanning TO physical misfortune, or
abnormal psychological condition,
this sleeping beauty presents
study that perplexes the highest
medical skill and mystifies the in
vestigations of the most eminent
scholars.
MISS SUSAN GODSEY
resides in Obion county, West
Tennessee, about twelve miles
from the Memphis and Louisville
railway, where her parents have
lived for thirty years, moving
there from the middle part of this
State. 1t will be twenty-four
years next July since this person
was first afflicted. When eight
years of age she was attacked
with chills, and new physician,
who had recently come to the
neighborhood, was called in to
treat her. He tried several RENE
dies, but failed to restore the
child's health-abandoned further
treatment of his patient until Aug
ust l, 1S49. Finding his remedies
unavailing, the physician admins
tered q dose of medicine which he
afterward said was composed of
ether, morphia, laudanum and
strychnine. The girls father fol
lowed the physician from the room
and asked: "What do you think
of Susie this morning?" To which
he replied: "The dose that Ihaye
given her will either kill or cure
her, and if either OF us had taken
it we would have been in hell in
side of half an hour" The faith
er, trembling with astonished ter
ror, and maddened by the demon
work of murderous quackery, as
saulted the physician and beat
him severely. In half an hour
from the time the medicine was
administered the girl fell into the
abnormal condition which has
been the subject of much unsatis-
factory study and puzzle to physi-
clans. Her condition is one in
which the phenomena are SO I'M
usual that there is no case on re-
cord approaching it, and her ex-
istence has not much Of that life
which humanity enjoys, for it is
composed of one dark, uncon-
scious slumbeI; interspersed with
no visions of fancy, and no dreams
of beauty and light, illustrating in
its dread gloom what the Roman
meant in believing sleep itself so
near akin to the pGltidu mOrs. AT
sunrise each day she awakes from
this dreamless. sleep, the time of
returning consciousness being the
same, even to q second every morn.
The effort she makes seem like
one coming from death to life, for
the waking is accompanied by a
severe contortion of the features,
difficulty in breathing, and a
frown, indicating great pain. Dur
ing her waking moments her res
piration is regular and natural,
and her voice is soft and very
pleasant in its tones. beginning
at sun-Hp, she awakes every hour
until II o'clock, noon, and re-
mains awake only six minutes.
While asleep she breathes but
once in six minutes, the respira-
tion being accompanied by q VIC
lent shaking of the head, and the
inspiration, as It were, being char
acterized by q rapid succession oil
humming sounds, like that of q
cylinder valve, varying in number
from eleven to fifteen, by which
she initiates her lungs. When the
sounds reach fifteen each success
siye effort decreases until reduced
to the number eleven, when she
awakes suddenly, in the above
mentioned manner. During the
interval of six minutes between
her breathing, not the slightest
indication of pulsation can bt
felt, and the softest down applied
to her nose shows no sign of mois
turc. There is, however, at al
times, asleep or awake, nervou:
twitching of the body, as if thu
nerves and organs were uneasy
and restless by the cruel clasp o
strange fate. During these cata
!, leptic states nothing will arous'
her or break the dread enchant
ment of her unconscious sleep. 4
week or SO ago while in this con
dition she was thrown violently
: from n wagon, and the fall did no
, break her awful slumber, nor wa
Z she conscious of the conclusion
although severely bruised. Upol
: awakening at the regular houl
: she complained of soreness in tn
5 limbs, but does not know tn
5 cause or time of its reception. t
e show her utter insensibility t
7 every physical impression, she wa
/ once before the st. Louis colieg
: of physicians, who used ever
q means, even of a cruel kind, sue
: as pins, fire heat, as well as til
: various known chemical exped
: ents, to arouse her from this stat
:, of chronic anaesthesia. But ever
e remedy failed and she was inser
:, sible to every application, afte
5 ward when awake complainin
e very much of soreness. The bod
d retained the rough treatment il
$ ficted by the Esculapians of tt