The New York herald., 1878-11-17
LIFE WITHOUT FOOD.
The Wonderful Existence and Intelli.
gence of MOllie Fancher.
NINE YEARS in A TRANCE.
An Extraordinary Statement Made
by DR.. Charles E. West.

About four weeks ago there published in tn
columns of the HERALD account of the extraor-
binary existence of Miss Mary j. Fancher. of Brook
lyn. who has subssted without food for many years.
The publication attracted considerable attention al
the tme and the following additional evidence bear
ing on the case. given by DIR. Charles f. West to
HERALD reporter yesterday will be found of peculiar
interest
MoLLIE FAScHEIs HISTORY
DR.. West said:-I first became acquainted with
Mary j. Fancher. known ..Molle" Fancher. septem-
ber 10. 1860 She then fourteen years of age and
brought to Brooklyn Heights Seminary. Of
which am the proprietor by her aunt. Mrs. Crosby.
She beautiful girl. of delicate constitution;
gentle and very pleasing. fine scholar and about
ready to graduate when advised her to leave school
account Of her health. She left in April.
1864, and took lessons in horseback rid-
ing. Unfortunately. she thrown and had
two or three Of her ribs broken She was
otherwise badly injured but recovered sufficiently.
however. to get about again. In 1865 she met
with another accident. On stepping from street
in Brooklyn her skirt caught and she
dragged the pavement b, ,ck By this acci-
dent her nervous system shattered that she
never recovered from its effects In the early part Of
1866 she would throw herself into all sorts Of contor
tions. She would bring her head and feet together
and roll over the floor like hoop.
OF February. When in this violent state it would
month she lost all her even the of touch
She was then given chloroform to relax her jaws
that she could take food which forced down her
throat, but her stomach would not bear it,
LIVING WITHOUT FOOD.
In May Of the same year she asked for food.
small piece of cracker and teaspoonful of punch
given her. This the first food she had
taken in weeks that she able to retain on
her stomach she lost her speech that same month.
The period. lev
would come and go. and when in one she was. to all
by pump into her stomach. which made her deadly
sick. AS result her throat closed and she wa4
unable to take any nourishment or utter sound.
her lying her right sde with her right arm folded
under her head. Her fingers were clinched
of the other hand. Her right hand and arm
paralyzed, and this true of her body generally
except her left She was in trance, sighed and
seemed to be in pain. These frances. at this period.
continued ten or twelve days For twelve years she
has lain in position for nine years in the rigid.
or parayzed state. her muscles only relaxing when
under the influence of chloroform. For the last three
years her muscles have veen in a flexible state. Her
extraordinary. During this long sickness there have
been times when she had not the of Of her
senses. For days she has been. to all appearances.
dead.
The slightest pulse could not be detected. There
evidence Of respiration. Her limbs
cold ice. and had it not been
for some beat in the region of her heart
years she has virtually lived without food.
Pieces fruit and water have been introduced into
her mouth but scarcely any of them ever made their
way to her stomach SO sensitive has been this organ
that it would not retain anything. 1t collapsed 50
that by placing the hand upon it the spine could
easily be felt. There was no place for food. Her
heart greatly enlarged Severe pains passed
from it through the left side and shoulder With the
exception of slight intervals she has been totally
blind. Her eyelids closed for nine years. When
she passed from the rigid to the limp state her eyes
opened remained eASring. On the Fourth Of July
last the eyelids closeo again. and have remained
so to the present time When first saw her she
she could read with five times the rapdity
Of by eyesight. She read by running her nngev
the printed page as well in darkness as in hgh
With this sense she could discriminate the pho
tographs Of friends, the faces of persons in the
room &c. She never sleeps. She does her most del
rest is taken in the trance state. which answers for
sleep She performs none Of the ordinary functions
Of life unless il be that Of breathing She receives
nothing and gives nothing. unless it il nsensibe
perspration. Her circulation of blood is sluggish,
hea She saws she Cannot die. for there is nothing
to die. Such, in brief. Is her bodily condition.
MENTAL ACTIVITY.
To me her mental state In extraordinary than
her physical She has the power of second sight. All
places alike open to her mental vision. Distance
nterposes no BARRIERS No retirement. however
cluded but yields to her penetrating vision. This
power, of course s confined 70 objects and persons
that interest her She will dictate the contents Of
scaled letters without single She will visit
tant towns and tell what they doing
entering the house of her aunt whether
quaintances strangers are instantly recognized:
Any article which has been mslaid she sees and
tells where it be found. She dscriminates the
most delicate shades of color. She works in en-
broidery and wax without any patterns. Her wax
flowers are marvels of beauty. She never studied
botany took lesson in wax work. and yet she
never makes mistake in the form of flower or leaf.
Holding her pen pencil in her left hand she writes
with extraordinary rapidity the letters being well
formed and legible. She wrote poem OF ten verses
in ~ many minutes. her thoughts flowing with
the rspdity OF lightning. In cutting velvet leaves
for pincushions she holds the scissors by tho
knuckles of thumb and finger OF left hand and bring
ing the velvet with thumb and finger of right hand
hands being behind her head-she cuts the leaves
sharp II they had been cut with die. In tho
early of her illness she cut two thousand OF
these To April 1871, she had used $500 ounces OF
worsteds. To December 1878. she had written $500
and letters When she passed from the rigid to
the limp condition. three years ago. she forgot all
that occurred during the nine years and began to talk
about matters at the time of the car accident The
nine years have been blank and still TO her.