Sharp County record., 1878-11-21

hpt was mistaken. The case KNOCKS
the bottom out of all the existing med
ical theses, and is, in a word, mlracu-
lous."
POSITIVELY NO DECEPTION.
"Did you ever" asked the reporter,
"make an experiment to satisfy your
professional accuracy in regard TO her
abstinence?"
I" Several times have given her emet-
les on purpose to discover the truth
but the result always confirmed. the
statement that she had taken no tood.
1t sounds strangely, but it is so. l have
taken every precaution against decep-
ton, sometimes going into the house at
II or y O'Clock at night, without being
announced, but have always found her
the same and lying in the same posi-
ton occupied by her for the entire pc
riod of her invalidity. The springs OF
her bedstead are actually worn out with
the constant pressure. My brethren in
the medical profession at first were in
clined to laugh at me and call me a
fool and Spiritualist when | told them
of the long abstinence and keen mental
powers OF my interesting patient. But
such as have been admitted to see her
are convinced. These are DR.. ArmiS-
ton, DR.. Elliott, and DR.. HutchiSon,
some of the best talent in the city, who
have seen and believed"
A THREAD OF ROMANCE.
The story of Miss Fansher's accident
and its melancholy consequences is
quite affecting. 1t is collected from the
various statements given by half a doz-
en- friends of the family to the Herald
reporter. interviewer with 1t IS a
thread of romance, a tale of early love
and courtship, of life embittered by a
cruel accident, Of patient waiting and a
final release of the suitor from his en-
gagement to marry another woman.
Mary's parents lived in sumptuous
dwelling on Washington Avenue,
Brooklyn, and were reported to be
wealthy. Their favorite daughter, Mol
lie, as She was called, was sent to Pro-
fessor Vests High School in Brooklyn
at an early age, and here developed
MANY brilliant qualities of mind and
heart which augured well for her tu,,
ture. At II she was pretty, petite and
well cultivated. As member OF the
Washington Avenue Baptist Sunday
school she met and learned to love a
classmate named John Taylor. An en-
gagement followed the intimacy OF the
Sunday-school class, and the young
people looked forward with buoyant
spirits to the bright life so soon to dawn
upon them.
THE ACCIDENT.
But fate decreed differently. While
getting off a Fulton Street car one day
in 1864, on her return home from
school, the young lady slipped and fell
backward. Her skirt caught on the
step unseen by the conductor, who start
ed the car on its way again. The poor
girl was dragged some 10 or 10 yards
before her cries were heard and the
brake applied. When picked up she
was insensible, and was carried, suffer-
ing intense agony from an injured spine,
to her home near by. Forty-eight hours
afterward she was seized with violent
spasm, which lasted for over two days.
Then came trance, when the sufferer
grew cold and rigid, with no evidence
of life beyond a warm spot under the
left breast, where feeble pulsations OF
her heart were detected by Dr.. Spier.
Only this gentleman believed she was
alive, and it was due to his constant as,
sertion of the girls ultimate recovery
that Miss Fansher was not buried
Despite the best medical help and the
application of restoratiyes no change
was brought about in the PATIENTS con,
dition until the tenth week, when the
strange suspension of life ceased and
breath was once more inhaled and
breathed forth from her lungs.
PARALYzED AND BLIND.
To their dismay the doctors then
found that Mollie had lost her sight and
the power of deglutition, the latter afflic'
ton rendering it impossible for her to
swallow food or even articulate by the
use of tongue or lip. Previous to her
trance moderate quantity of food had
been given her each day, but since then
she has not taken a mouthful OF life
sustaining food. Spasms and frances
alternated with alarming frequency
since Miss Fansher was first attacked.
First her limbs only became rigid and
disturbed at the caprice of her strange
malady, but as time passed her whole
frame would writhe as if in great pain,
requiring to be held by main force in
order to remain in the bed. She could
swallow nothing and lay utterly help
less until moved.
POSSESSED OF "SECOND SIGHT,"
Although one OF the most important
of the senses. that of seeing. was thus