Connecticut western news., 1878-08-01
5. THE MAINE JUMPERS.
Some aPec cul liarities of the Canadian French- men in Nlaine-Given to Jumping.


 + men in Nlaine-Csiven to Jumping. | .. A correspondent writes from Newport, Maine, of the Jumping Canadians in that locality :-"I have seen good many Jumping Frenchmen. Their in- voluntary acts are not limited to jump ing. Tell one of them to strike 8 person near him and he will do so immediately, or he will hit any other object. have seen one of them snaite posts or the side of building so that blood flowed from his wounded hand. When one is sur prised by the shout of 'Throw it ? he will hing an axe, knife, or any other article without regard to consequences. It seems unconscious muscular action. saw one once at the Lake jump into the water from log on which he was standing. Some are worse than others. When commanded to do 8 thing they act more rapidly and forcibly if given l quick, smart blow on the back. It seems impossible for them to help it, or they would not do acts endangering their own and other peoples lives.
 One of them, known everywhere in these parts by a wildly descriptive nickname, Twill vomit whenever anybody,
 "for the fun of it," goes through the motions of vomiting; last summer he almost killed one of a gang of boys who had followed him around and compelled him to disgorge his meals.
 There is only one thing that jumpers can be kept at-shaking hands. A good many are so impossible that they will shake hands all day, if somebody-any- body-commands them to. I have seen two of them standing together, when a bystander would yell, "Shake P They would grasp each others hands, shake, and let go; when the word "shake P was repeated they would repeat the ope- ration, and so on, as long as there was anybody to call off. I have seen this I several times; once two couples were kept going by the same. Command. Ltis very funny, and yet painful. The jump CTS shake like two automatons their I faces turn ashen pale their limbs trem-
 ble; their eyes are fixed and glassy; a cold sweat breaks out on them, and as
 they gaze at one another with q helpless
 stare they look as if they were mesmer-
 ized. .... ... ..
 These jumpers are very subject to de-
 lusions. Fling rope over the head o1
 one and nothing will convince him that
 he is not Tn the coils of snake. He
 will scream, grovel on the ground, teal his clothes in his efforts to get away, and manifest every sign of extreme terror. II There is jumper in Greenville named
 Ed. Lanais, who, whenever he is touched by any one, will bray like mule, utter
 ing the most discordant sounds. A ma
 gician. sword-swallower and ventrilo
 quist came along here in March, and {
 man bent on fun gave Ed. Lanais dol
 lar to go to the show with him. It broke
 up the performance.
 "There are some jumpers ln that stage, 7" said postmaster to me; "set me stir them up." And, instead ot throwing the mailbag on top as usual he flung it into the interior. There wal wild scream, and five jumpers came literally tumbling out head first, appa , rently careless whether it killed them ol
 not Then they turned from pale to red dragged out the offending mailbag kicked it contemptuously, laughed, ant climbed back into their warm seats. Few here have ever seen the wives ant children of these creatures, althougl , they are reported to have more than thu U conventional number of both in tn woods far to the north, where they spen' , most of their time. I do not know therefore, whether either women or chil - dren are afflicted with the peculiar habi or malady called Jumping.
 lam equally unable to explain it's ori gin. It is evidently nervous disease Il It is perhaps induced by constant teas ing. It is said that these jumpers jun their children, so as to cultivate tn ' same disposition in them. They ce, T tainly jump one another most outra U geously. When a number of them ar together they never let each other alon 6 for two minutes at time. This is tn 8 great amusement of their lives. T l. jump one another from logs into tn O river is considered about the jollies
 sport imaginable.