The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1876-04-15
REM.i RK Bile C1SE.


4 Pennsylvania Farmer annually -iffocked
bY Mysterious and Horrible CONCLUSIONS.
correspondent of the New York
Herald, writing from Crawford county,
Pa, March 3D., says: One of the most
singular cases which has ever been ven
tllated in the public press has recently
come to my notice. The circumstances
are almost too singular for belief, and
were it not that their truth is vouched
Tor by numerous representative men OF
this section, among them prominent
minister of the gospel, would be consid
cred As almost too extravagant for even
the most fertile imagination. The fol-
lowing are the facts in the case, and a
wonderful tale they tell:
Mr.. William Hutchinson is welI-to-do
farmer residing about a mile from Spring
field, Erie county, Pa. During the
greater part of his life-he is now in the
vicinity of 30 years of age-he has re-
sided there, and has raised quite Il large
family of children. He was always re-
markably healthy man, never was trou-
bled with any disorder whatever, except
those incident to childhood, and is de-
vout Christian and well respected by all
who know him. One winters evening"
eighteen years ago, he was suddenly
seized with violent commissions. His vi
olence was such that it required the
united strength of five men to hold him.
His contortions are described as simply
horrible-evcry muscle in his body
seemed to writhe and twist, his limbs and
arms were flung about convulsivcly. his
face was contorted to hideous degree,
and, as one of my informants said, he
would assume all manner of shapes, ac-
tually tying himself into knot, until it
seemed as though every bone in his body
must break" These commissions lasted
nearly two hours, and finally passed off
leaving the victim in a state of uafeigned
bewilderment. He stated that he wa:
conscious during the whole time, but haG
no control overhimself. He experienced
no pain, and after they had left him fell
perfectly natural.
The following evening, at the sam,
hour, and in the same manner, the gen
tleman was again attacked. The same
involuntary exercises were gone through
with for two hours, the next night
and the next, and every night for up
ward of two weeks. Physicians wer'
called in, but they could not grasp thu
case, and their remedies were alike use
less Chloroform produced no mor'
effect upon him than so much water
Morphine, taken internally and injected
into the blood, proved as useless as tn
chloroform. They even piled him will
liquor and made him dead drunk, but a
soon as the hour arrived for his "visita
ton" the effects of the liquor disap
peared, and after " convulsing" for tn,
usual time he would emerge sober man
The remainder of the winter MI
Hutchinson was entirely free from thes
strange attacks, and during the followin
summer pursued his avocation as fal
mer in peace. The anniversary of hi
first attack finally arrived. The sam
performance was given as the year previ
Gus, and after the spasms had passed, MI
Hutchinson began to wonder what kind O
man he was These attacks lasted tn
same period as the year before, COMM
every evening at the same hour and re
manning with him for nearly two hours
and then they left him as suddenly a
before.
The years slipped by, but brought hin
no relief. Each succeeding anniversar
saw a return of his disease, if disease
can be called. No remedies could b
found to act on him during his "strue
giles" As last resort, and being pos
sessed of ample means, Mr.. Hutchiso
concluded to travel, to visit foreig
countries, and endeavor to shake it off il
that manner. He visited England, mad
a tour of Europe, went to the West In
dies, to Australia-in fact everywhere
but it constantly pursued him, maxim
its annual visits with punctuality whicl
exceeds that of an effice-holder drawin
his pay. He found that different eli
mates produced change in the date 0
its appearance, but none in its duration
or severity. In despair he returned hom
and has since resided on his farm, a dis
lance of fourteen miles from the plac
| from which I write, and there he live
now.
The sum and substance of the whOlei
| this: Here is a man, healthy, hearty ant
stout, who was suddenly taken with con
yulsions on the 18th of November, 1858
which lasted until on or about the 2Sth
Every year for eighteen wears he has beer
similarly attacked. Medicines are of NJ
| avail whatever He is as healthy ant
strong as ever, and entirely well with thu
| exception of these attacks. His convul
sions are terrible to witness; nothing
like them has ever before been seen, an6
| perhaps never will. He experiences NJ
pain while they are upon him, is per
fectly conscious all the time, knows
what is going OH, but cannot prevent it
THE CREDIT SYSTEM
Treating of the credit system of pur
chases as contrasted with the cash sys
tenn, recent writer says: The practice