Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-05-31
a BLACK PHENOMENON.
A Astonishing Performances by a Negro
in Changing his Heart from One
to Another Portion of his
Body at Will.

Charleston Is. c. Journal Of Commerce,
9th: Pursuant to call from the medical So
ciety. some forty of the members of the fra
ternity met at noon, Saturday. in the library
room of the city hospital, for the purpose Of
investigating the practical phenomena of a
man possessed of the power of moving his
heart from its normal position to either of the
lower extremities of the stomach. The man
who was to perform this surprising feat was a
negro, styling himself DIR. Ezekiel Thomas
and halling from London, England, where he
claims to have undergone scIentIhcal observa-
ton time and again, as well as having ex-
hlbited himself In all the principal cities of
the United States, battling the medical abill-
ties of the most distinguished to comprehend
his powers. Promptlytat noon it was an
nounced that the subject was IN attendance
without the college grounds, and the meeting
was called to order by DIR. }. l.. An
crum, vice-president of the medical
society, who stated that the call was
made for the purpose of seeing exhibited be-
fore them the body of negro who protested
to perform certain wonderful phenomena.
That, in order to investigate the subject fuIly,
so as to be enabled to instruct the medical So
ciety on the subject, he would appoint COM
mittee of three to investigate, at some future
time, the body of the man, at their leisure,
to compile their reports and conclusions, to
report back to the fraternity, and that on
this committee, with the sanction of the meet
ing, he would appoint Drs. Middleton Michel,
Manning Simons and j. ?. Chazal. The
nominations thus made were unanimously
confirmed by the board. The chairman, DIR.
Anorum, then said that IAN exhibition of the
man would be made at the meeting now IN
session, and sent out and had
DR.. EZEKIEL THOMAS
invited in The doctor quickly obeyed the
call. and the form of a greasy, dirty negro
walked boldly into the library. He was
dressed In a dirty pair Of pants, ragged,
greasy coat, and dirty cotton shirt. With
out any ceremony, the doctor, who was a
short heavy-built negro, threw eff his coat
and began to prepare for the exhibition; he
next mounted the platform, pulled eff his
shirt, and exhibited his body in a nude state
from the waist up. Being now ready foc eX-
hibition, he commenced by displaying to the
fraternity the wonderful muscular power of
his stomach. By muscular contraction he
rolled and contorted his intestines, and made
them revolve first in one direction and then
in another at will. After ex hibIting this feat
he invited them to come forward and listen
to the beat of his heart in its natural posi-
ton. In order to convince them that it was
there, towels were obtained and put over his
skin, and the ears of the medical men, one
after another, were applied to his hearts
position and the beat heard. When all were
satisfied that it was there, by contortion of
the muscles in his stomach he removed his
intestines to the left side and dropped his
heart to the bottom of the right side.
The doctors sprang to their feet, covered the
skin with a towel and listened to the
heart beat In the right side of the stomach.
He then apparently drew his heart back to its
normal position, cleared the left side of the
intestines in similar way, and stopped his
heart on this side; here the doctors listened
for the heart again, and found it; this was re-
peated three or four times On each side, and
all were convinced of the strange power the
negro was possessed of. The next exhibition
was that of stopping the circulation of the
blood and the pulsations OF the heart, pulse
and arteries throughout the body. He called
on all first to examine him, and while they
held his pulse anu tiruir fingers tho ortar-
les III the neck, he called out ready, said
good bye, and in an instantall ceased to beat.
After this he performed the feat of breaking
a bar Of iron three quarters Of an inch in
diameter by striking 1t across the muscles Of
his powerful athletic arm. The hat was then
handed around for a collection. and the meet
ing adjourned to take up DR.. Ezekiel Thomas
at some future day.