The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1875-05-27

The effects of the third blow were
more serious than had been those of the
two previous, although, as before there
had been no abrasion. The shock was
sufficient to temporarily stun him, and
the subsequent nervous ~prostration was
such that he rode to his hotel in O coach,
and did not leave his room all the next
day.
There is no DOUBT that the mystery at
tending the assaults was already disturb
ing his mind.
On the Both DIR. Alva Morse was called
to attend him at the hotel.
Being an old acquaintance of the pa
tient, the Doctor succeeded in eliciting
all the facts which have here been stated.
The following is the report made at
the writer's request by the Doctor, soon
after:
al found the patient lying upon the
bed in q depressed condition. He had
not removed his clothes. A close exam
nation failed to discover any alarming
symptoms. Pulse natural; head cool;
pupils slightly dilated; no pain. There
was q confusion on the side of his face
as if from a blow. At first he seemed
disinclined to tell how he received it,
but finally told the following singular
story" Here follow the facts which
have been already given. "He expected
me to ridicule his statement, and was some
what surprised when 1 did not. Itoldhim
hat 1 thought I could advance a theory
that would explain his mystery. He
evinced a sudden interest that strength
ened my suspicion. IF you have any
idea of who is at the bottom of it, Doc
tor he exclaimed, 'Out with it He
then got up and appeared quite animated.
Il don't think anybody is at the bottom
of it, my dear SIR 1 replied, 'but your
self. I look upon the occurrences to
which you have attached a mysterious
Importance merely as the symptoms of a
not very rare and not very dangerous
nervous disease or group of diseases
which for want of a better name is called
hysteria. 1 don't think you have been
struck at all. That which you have be-
lieved to be a blow was a paroxysm, and
is one of the curious phenomena which
come on suddenly, without any promo
milton whatever, and occasionally takes
this exact FORM
"But,' he said, Il was kicked, liter
d11J hlChCu 1lOI1 OllO Dt1b VI llO lOOl1 u
another. You certainly do not mean tx
tell me that a morbid excitement of the
nervous system will operate dynamically
outside of myself in such a ann as K
throw me five or six feet and leave thu
marks of the blow upon my body!'
81 succeeded with great difficulty il
partially convincing him that his sense
had deceived him. That the sensations
caused by the paroxysm were those of
blow, and that he had added the othe
facts from his imagination. until W
have another witness of the attack
said, your description of it will no
convince a medical man, and when W
/ do then / think you will be convince,
that I am right I then strengthens,
my argument by narrating several SIM
lar cases in which women had believe
themselves to be suffering from a grea
, fall or a railroad accident, from both @
which they had escaped uniniured. Ad
vising him to keep somebody about hi1
continually for the next month and to re
lax somewhat of his business habits,
left him."
1t is necessary at this point to spea
somewhat more at length of Mr.. Surden'
social position and antecedents in orde
to better understand the remarkable OF
: currences which followed. He was 6
? this time twenty-eight years of age, an
( had been in business three years 6
9 a drug broker. His relatives live
e in and about Lowell. He came to Ne
York a mere lad and had worked himse
up to his present position from an ofiic,
Q boy by industry and shrewdness. Ri
D moral character was good among bus
ness-men, and there is no doubt that b
g was looked upon by all who knew him 6
r an honorable and upright man. III
. personal habits were not conspicuous
t irregular. He gave way at times to col
VITALITY, but was never known to be il
g ~toxicated, and he enjoyed life as youn
a men viii, without allowing its pleasure
to interfere with his health or his bus
e ness.
Among the chance acquaintance
Q formed in idle moments was O youn
f woman called O'Grady, who was engage
in the manufacture of artificial Frenc
flowers in West Washington place. Sh
Q had formerly been a figurante or bale
a girl, and it was said had been married b
an English pugilist, who died shortl
n afterward. The woman possessed a grea
deal of buxom Irish beauty, and attrac
G ed the attention of Surden. In appea
ance the broker was dark, of mediul
r size, weighing about one hundred an
fifty pounds. His manners were thos
of a gentleman of the world, and h
education was said to be good.
t. DIR. Morse's advice was followed, an
" the result showed it to be, for the time
g least, beneficial.
o Mr.. Surden kept his boy about him {
3 much as possible, and three weel
elapsed without any return of h
l. trouble; at the end of that time he la
a begun to hope that he had outgrown IL
Ie liability to the attacks. On the 22d
Is August he called at the house of O'Grad
s and spent the evening. The next NOR
ing, while employed in his office with b
boy, in removing the accumulated sar
d pies from the shelves, he was knocke
d suddenly off the chair upon which
was standing, some six feet into Il
is room, and fell covered with -four
ID sulphur, bismuth, Paris green, al
lg argols.
ne A marked change now took place
IS the life and habits of the subject of I'll
ey memoir. He neglected his business, b
came melancholy and taciturn, and Il
q, flesh. He was still under the treatme
1T of DR.. Morse, who insisted that the c
IN curence of the 22d of August was a
IS. other manifestation of nervous disordt
at and invited the attention of two 9th
eminent medical practitioners to it.
consultation was held on the 25th,
which were present three wellkno'
to physicians and the patient. The exa
Ic- nation took place in the parlor of t
Merchants Hotel. The conclusion
er rived at was that Mr.. Surden was suff
on ing from hysteria, whose symptoms We
tn convulsive and cratic, and that he nee
wo ed change of occupation, air and scel
he This decision by no means satisfied t
or subject. He persistently refused to |
ar- lieve that any disorder of the ner'
his could operate as a physical force outsi
ut of himself to throw him six feet. I
,se physicians regarded this stubbornly hi
on notion as an ~unfavorable symptom den
d. ing monomania. In accordance W