National Republican., 1873-06-03
rnR WESTERN SLEEPING BEAUTY,
History Of tho Remarkable Pheuomcna---
Her Habits, Diet, Appearance and
weiaht-An IuterestinH sketch from the
Gjhicaao sIntsr-oreanO


weiGht-An Interesting sketch from the
Chicaao "Inter-scean.o
The Sleeping Beauty OF West Tennessee
IL already Of no little notoriety abroad, but
the many publications made Of this strangely
affected person are regarded as fctions and,
like the stories Of romance, founded on the
a1liction Of some eccentric individual. As
phenomenal subject, whether pertaining to
physical misfortune or an abnormal psycho.
logical condition, this sleeping beauty pre-
sents study that pcrplexes the highest med
lcal skill and mystihes the Investigations Of
the most eminent scholars.
MISS SUSAN eoDsEr
resides In oblon county, West Tennessee,
about twelve miles from tho Memphis and
Louisville railway, where her parents have
lived for thirty years, moving there from the
middle part OF this State. II Will bo twenty
four years next July since this person was
lrst afflicted When eight years Of age, she
was attacked with chills, and new physician,
who had recently come to the nelghborhood,
was called In to treat her. He tried several
remedies, but failed to restore the child's
health--abandoned further treatment Of his
patient until August isa9: ,. Finding ding, his
tered dose Of medicine which he afterward
said was composed Of ether, morphia, lauda-
mum and strychnia. The girls father followed
him from the room and askedi "What do you
think Of Susie this morning." To which he
replied THE dose that have given her Will
either kill or cure her, and II either Of us
had taken 1t we would have been In hell In
side Of half an hour" The father, trembling
with astonished terror, and maddened by the
demon words Of murderous quackery, as
saulted the physician and beat him severely.
In half an hour from the time the medicine
r.. .l.t N.Il l..N.. ak. uH.
normal condition which has been the subject
Of much unsatisfactory study and puzzle to
physicians. Her condition Is one In which
the phenomena are SO unusual that there IA
no case on record approaching IL and her
/ existence has not much OF that life which
humanity enjoys, for Il ls composed Of one
dark, unconscious slumber, lnterspersed 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 70 the pdiiidd mors. AZ sunset
each day she awakes from this dreamless
sleep, the time OF returning consciousness being
/ the same, even TO o second, every morn. The
\ efforts she makes seem like one coming from
death to life, for the waking Ia accompanied
/ by severe contortlon Of the features, diffl-
| Guilty In breathing, and n frown, indicating
great pain. During her waking moments her
| respiration ID regular and natural, and her
voice u soft and very pleasant In Its tones.
Beginning ming .a sS1S sss asaseI sas ressns sSi1s
awake only six minutes. While asleep she
breathes but once In six minutes, the respira-
/ tion being accompanied BY violent shaking
| Of tfe head, and the inspiration, as II were,
being characterized by rapid succession of
humming sounds, like that OF cylinder
yaiye, varying iu plumber frous eleven to ff-
teen, by which she initiates her lungs. When
the sounds reach fifteen each successive ef-
fort decreases until reduced TO the number
eleven, when she awakes suddenly, In the
aforementioned manner. During the inter-
val OF slx minutes between her breathing not
the slightest Indication Of pulsatlon can be
felt, aud the softest down applied to her nose
shows no sign Of moistur There ls, how
ever, at all tlmcs, asleep or awake, q nervous
twltching Of the body, as II the nerves aud
organs were uneasy and restless by the cruel
clasp Of strange fate. During these catalep-
tic states nothing will arouse her or break the
dread enchantment Of her unconscious sleep.
A week or 90 ago while In this con-
ton she was thrown violently from a
wagon. and the fall did not break her
| awful slumber, nor was she conscious OF the
coucusslon. although severely bruised. Upon
awakening at the regular hour she com
planned Of soreness In the limbs, but does not
know the cause or time OF its reception. To
show her utter insensbility to every physical
impression she was once before the 81. Louis
college Of physicians, who used every means,
even OF q cruel kind, such as pins, tire-heat,
as well as the various known chemical expe'
dlents, to arouse her from this state Of chronic
anrsthe.ia. But every remedy failed, and
wards, when awake, complaining very much
| Of soreness. The body retained the rough
treatment inflicted by the Esculaplans OF the
experimental science, but The mind knew J
soaid S hardly S,C endure he irsTs ' Fft
reach home. She wakes only twelve time
for 1--WE minutes during every - hours, whicl
| is one hour every day. She wakes hrst al
sun-up, or 0 o'clock In the morning. ther
! every hour until l2 noon. After this she
wakes hrst, at 8 o'clock In the afternoon
second, at O; then at .; and again ut u
| O'Clock, midnight. From this she wakes at
and o'clock In the morning, thence ever,
| hour until l2 o'clock, noon, which she la
continued to do for - years. The time o
I her waklngs, as before stated, are regular
even to- a second; and every Wednesday
: morning, precisely at 10 o'clock, she has
severe spasm, lasting few minutes, during
, which she requires several persons tohold he.
: Her diet consists Of coffee, little rice
, bread and milk, the two lest articles beinl
eaten at l2 o'clock. Another peculiar featur
OF her condition is, that she has never had aI
appetite since her prostration, and her foo
Is always suggested ey I. her mother; s, .,a o%,nI
requires but little food, which Il never rellshed
Her beauty Is Of no mean type. She has
7 | singularly sweet couutenhnce, clear com
0 ple1ion, penetrated with bluelsh veins. He
0 nose has nothing dist inctiye In Its shape o
, expression. II Is well shaped, and, In fact
|, the whole oonhguratlon OF her taSe T. pleas
. ing. Her eyes are large, and while they d
y not sparkle with that intense brilliancy whic
} flashes from those of the maniac, have rathe
, the calm soft beam OF resignation and plet
|, | which wo would expect 10 find In Magdh
: lcne. But there Is q glance Of Intelligence '
those eyes which once seen VIII not soon
forgotten. w. :
) Her fair Is dark brown color, and 81
!, takes great pride In having II cornbed an
d nicely arranged. At one time her locks wef
OF glossy luxuriAnce, but came out last sun
8 mer In consequence Of fever. Though sht
Z out from the beauties, the Joys and pleasure
! Of life, sho 10 not exempt from ordinary dii
n eases TO which others are liable. She ha
!. had the measles and also the whooplnL
t coagh. Violent as were the unnatural dill
tions OF the glottis, they were not sufficient
Q disturb her sleep, during which state n
d coughing was not so violent as when awak'
q Her usual weight Is ninety-nye podnd
d though recent neuralgia affections have Y
y duced this fiftecn pounds. Her age Ia thirtl
A four, but her face looks like that OF swc'
y sixteen. During her state Of lnsenslbillty 81
, lies on her right side and no effort can chang
n this position, II turned by physical yiolen'
20 the loft her muscles Immediately reboun
y her like coiled pprings to the other. Instant
upon awakening she turns on her left side
z II 10 rest. In consequence OF retaining u
II same position 80 long her left arm
:, paralyEed up to the elbow and Is destitute
+ sensibllty, though above this the limb is sens
of tive. All Of her functionsar regular In the
q operations as well rs well person. Awakir
y she instirctiyely catches her right wrist wi
:, her left hand Us she turns on her bacl
Id and rests the right hand on her breast Sin
her afiilction her nnger-nails and toe-nal
: have never grown, aud are tho same as II pc
70 riied In her early girlhood. This pecullari
OF Is all the more strange whoa IL IL remember
10 that her hair has grown as luxuriantly NJ
lt regularly as q healthy persons, and know
y that she has grown since the fatal period
"a her life, being now hye feet In length. Lengt
" we say, not height, as she has never been at
10 stand since the fatal August.
70 Her hands are OF pearly whiteness, the rig
~ one being clasped because OF the paralyl
stroke, though IL can DO opened after seye
rubbing, the friction, rs II were, causing
ng restoration Of circulation. Her hands q
ns small and well shaped, the fingers taperil
in so finely that they seem suited for the wicl
L.. n