The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1876-06-08
A Strange Story.

markable, ii not the most incredible -
record. 1t is thus related: =
Some years since shfp-carpenter !.
Sunderland, England, turned lectm,ss
His name was Anthony j. Oliver, and n.
subject of his lecture was mesmer;s, ~
He was great reader and an extranrJ;
nary mesmeric operator, and when Il.
made his first appearance in public rs
manifestations of the Odylic force asto,,
ished his audience. His progress thrmra.
the towns of the north of England wss
one continued harvest of shekels, ola
and young Of both sexes-doctors. fsv
yers, clergymen and scientists-we,,t y,
scott at, but were spell bound by, his ues
merlc power. Among others in Newcas.
tie, Miss Jennie Robson was profound
admirer of MIR. Oliver So great was Iii
influence over her that by the force Of FL
will he could, at the distance of a mile !,
over, induce the mesmeric sleep and com.
pei her to proceed to him. This ertraa,.
binary fact was demonstrated in the nres
ence of a committee of scientific exnertr
when collision was out of the Question
On one of these occasions she climbed !
garden wall seven feet in height and fell
| headforemost to the ground. She wa
taken up senseless and medical. attend.
ance was summoned, but in vain. She
| lay for six weeks in condition Dor.
dering upon death. just here il NAV he
well to digress for a moment. Mr.. Oliver
afterward studied medicine in the Newcas.
| tie College of Medicine After the war
| ended in these United States he, with
number of his English friends, settled IN
| Virginia, where he met with violent
death. ;, When Miss Robson returned 10
consciousness she was blind and deaf and
she continued 50 for five or six weeks
| The sense of hearing returned suddenly.
but sight returned more gradually, but in
the end perfectly. The most extraordi.
nary feature of the case, however, was
| the fact that she had lost all recollection
of her former life. She did not know
letter of the alphabet, and she could not
| play an air on the pianO-forte. Her father
and mother were strangers to her. HG
| pet dog was angrily thrust away. She
was Ignorant OF the use of knives and
forks. She was simply newborn In.
FAINT, with this difference: that she couhl
acquire knowledge rapidly. Her educa.
| ton was commenced anew. ArithmetI,
| history, geography, French and music
were eagerly studied, and new circletf
friends was gradually formed. Herr,
| again, there was an abnormal fastidioul
ness. The friends of her former self were
distasteful, and young gentleman who
| had loved her and whom she had treated
with cruel ridicule suddenly became her
| prime favOrite. 1t soon became known
that Mr.. George Henderson and Miss Jen.
ME Robson were engaged. The young
! mans parents consulted DIR. Glib, u
| doctor consulted DIR. Forbes WinslUN,
and the young people were urgently I'd.
vised to postpone the nuptials. Parental
opposition precipitated the union. A run
| away match made them man and wife, in
May, 1856 AT the birth of the first son the
poor mother remained unconscious for
three weeks. Similar symptoms followed
the birth of daughter, in 1860. One
morning she awoke in her former natural
state, without any intimation from mem.
DRY or consciousness that anything TN
usual had happened. The four years of
her married life were to her as though
they had never been. She shrieked with
rage when her husband approached. She
designated her children " somebody's lit
tie brats." The house was strange to her.
She did not recognize her own dresses or
her own handwriting. She took up life
again at the precise point where she had
left it when she fell into the mesmefic
slumber and tried to scale the garden wall.
Existence with her husband was unens
durable and she was taken back to her
mother. Parental interference resulted u
judicial separation between the hus-
band and wife.
Miss Jennie Robson, as she again called
herself, was annoyed by any reference TO
her abnormal individuality, and her
parents yielded to her entreaties to leave
the town and settle in the south Of En-
gland. Near Dartmouth she gained all
her former health and spirits. Possessing
graceful form and pretty face, she soon
became the focus of masculine admira-
ton, and finally a wealthy young farmer
offered his hand. Pere Robson, inNpite
of Jennie's tears and entreaties, insisted
that Frederick Hood should be informed
of her previous mental derangemens1nd
marriage. The poor fellow was too deep-
ly in love to fear consequences. Then
new obstacle arose in legal form. her
husband heard of her intended marriage,
and threatened Frederick Hood ana
Jennie with proceedings if the match
was consummated. Whereupon Mr. Hood
with Jennie emigrated to this county
Soon after the pair proceeded to spun.
, ern Minnesota and established them.
selves on fruitful farm. But alas!
misfortune overlook them. In August
last Mr. Hood was out driving with hls
, wife in buggy, when the horse ran AWAY,
the vehicle was upset, and Mrs. Hood was
thrown violently to the ground. rlcelv-
ing Severe confusion on the back u Wy
head. She remained unconscious iof tNo
: weeks. When she recovered conscious,
ness it was even as he feared. isle dld
not know me from ADAM" as be eA-
, presses it, "and could no more convince
her that was her husband than 1 could
stop the earth in its orbit IN heDeyef
he approached her she reprlsed hint win