The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-05-26
MINNIE LON BARD'S CURE.
THE GIRL VINO SAYS she RECO TERED
SIGHT THROUGH PRAYER.
what Many Relieve to he n Miracle, hut the
PhysIcinns who Treated the Gtrl Say
WINS Either HysterIa or MIrul Deception.

wns Either uysterIa or WnruI Deception.
On the morning Of Jan. 20, 1879 Miss Min
Mo Lombard ot Wilmington Del. tho dnughtor
ofpious parents md herself then one the con-
vcrts at Il Methodist revival meeting. professed
10 have boon suddenly restored to sight after
total blindness Of two years. She believed. rs
did her parents. that her recovery was immcdi-
ntoly duo to prayer Tho case WIS doubtless
spoken OF In every newspaper In the United
States. although the discussion concerning it
has since iecn confined mainly to tho religious
ncwspapc and it is said that there are few
persons in Wilmington who havo not received
letters OF inquiry regarding the girl. The let
ters that have boon sent TO the Lombards them
solves would MI bushel basket They bear
/ the postmarks Of almost every city between
Maine and California. Many OF them are ON
cal records OF proceedings in societies. and tho
| majority are from religious persons.
| Richard and Rhoda Lombard with their chill
| drcn Minnie and Stella live in Il modest two
story brick house at I'll jefferson street in the
| heart OF the city OF Wilmington. Tho orna-
ments on the walls indicate the strict religious
atmosphere ct tho household. Engraved por-
traits of Charles and John Wesley. an cngrav-
! ing picturing the Three Christian Graccs.
and framed cross Of stones and flowers hang
from the ceiling. and there are notices Of
|
peat the familiar legends " God Bless our
Happy Home" after storm. Sunshine"
Pcnce be Upon this House" and What Is
| Home Without n Mother ?" 4 great family
| Bible rests on a stand between the front win
dows. Mr.. Lombard is perhaps 80 years ~ age,
and dresses plainly Mrs Lombard Is u stout
brght-cyCd, mHtrgnly woman.
Mr.. and Mrs. Lombard ara New Bedford.
| Mass. people. ant IN 1862 moved rom ther' 20
Nn"and in South Jersey. Their life 10 Vine
4
New Bergen behind Jersey CITY. whore Mr.
Lombard followed his oreurWinn as earpcn-
ter in the car works. which were then i'm ou"rn-
ton there. Hero Minnie Lombard attained thu
age Of fourteen. and was nuptlrd In the West
| lily worshipped. Two years later Minnie was
stricken with iyphus fever, and for many weeks
she lowered ON the edge Of death. she Hie ll'tle
/ or notning, Severe hemorrhuGrS 81 me nose
addcd 10 her pain and weakness, ana per
physical condition was such. according TO her
| mothers story. that She actually tainted while
/ In bed under the mere cNcrtion Of keeping
awake and alive. She WAS taken 10 Maine Tor
/ her health. At the end Of the summer She re-
turned 10 West Bergen and in the spring ~
1876 the family moved 10 Nimin stton. Then /
was that her sight began 20 iail. Alter month
/ in Wills's Hospital In Philadelphia size became
totally blind. She was blind for two years.
The girls ear became SO sensitive TINT she
knew who approached the house, ur entered u.
or walked up the aisle in church, before taeir
steps or voices were heard hy others She
could her mother SAYS. hear Kitten walk ON "a
carpet She recognized people by touching
them. She worked elaborate worstcd notices,
embroidered amt Joined ingenl9us,y ratI re-
cevers and pictures M wor-ied These were
shown 10 the writer one IN particular was n
representation in cardboard and worstri ~ n
farmhouse and yard, about whlrn pirdS nut,
tered. children played. flowers bloomet, aud
cattle grazei. Perhaps the most remarkahle of
these productions Is a cross. composed ~ other
smaller crosses. which was cut out ~ card
board. the outlines OF the design being nN"d M
with "A mosaic OF very small and complicated
/ patterns. The accuracy OF proportion, mems
urement. and reproduction renders II dim'ull
70 believe that the hands Of the girl had NO aid
4 fr.t, kssr,4 "a har no
were many witnesses 10 the TACT that Minnie eat
! out every line of this design with her own
: hands and knife. and that she was Wholly ollhd
! at the time.
Minnie composed sketches and stories, some
! Of which were published in the Neihodis IN
! this city. These are written IN nrm hand, the
characters in straight and regular lines
After years illness Minnie was. Mrs; LON
bard says attacked with an almost fatal affection
OF the brain. and her friends hoped that II sh,
recovered her henlth she might incidcntally re-
ever as blind as ever. Throughout her AM o.
tions. however. she wns cheerful until TIE
; irces and birds AMI flowers and her aban Ion
mcnt % all hope ~ ever sr"iug them again
made her melancholy and she became. NJ h"i
r mother expresses H. rrbcilious" Sl" an.
j nounced herself nolonccr a Christian. and hrl
= | ulous mother grew alarmed She sought IA,
J ADVICE ~ her pustor, and prayers were offered
! in his church Tor the girls conversion.
A., During December OF lols ,and JanuHry q
; ! Church, nj which the girls parents Weri
! worshippers. and Minnie went forward win
]
= Of the church prayed for her long and earnestly
: IL was Mrs Lomhards impression that ih"~'
. prayers and others that followed were towarI
4 the end that her daughter sight might bee r"
u stored and she believed TINT the uu-tor also
7; prayed fer the girls recovery hnt ne Rev Dr.
: Cauldwell SAYS that this WINS not the fact,
, | The further history Of the r0ro, MS related h}
y Mrs. Lomhuri Is questioned 10y no one. Dir,
, Lombard had in her mind no other hope thar
. that her daughters vision might he restore 3
1 She felt influenced Boy astrange and wholly now
p; | sensation. MS though what Mefhodisis term IN,
. ! ~ lrrsruen " ulDu her. Her husband fell
% 2sth OF January last She went IN npr room
; devotion, The daughter also prayed hut aIar
from her parents. There was prayer 10y th'
5 spiritual IMPROVEMENT 4 sound nights slerI
followed, and. IN the morn ng. the dutios ~ th'
. household were resumed Minnie suifore,
from an unusually severe headache that morn
. ! ing. and rested on the lounge in the slttlul
. mother who was en- ployed at some duty IN the
I front room. heard Minnie say, Why. how
: what do you moan ?" Mrs. Lombard asked
! " It's so light % Minnie repeated.
Tho mother hosi"ned t. ,ihG room N whlcl
+ Mimic lay. Can You see 2 she asked eNeit
: "Yes. | can soc youw Minnie replied calmly
i "you We gof on your blark mcrinG dress " mar
: ticularizing the garment her mother worr. An.
10 then the daughter rambed on ln childish dr
J., light over the recovery of her sight How
strange everything looks, mother; dll Worl
5 that motto over thcre-nud that ourf Dil
n Why. I've never seen this room boforei have
/
= room IN Jersey City"
< III may Doe here sRid that tho girl lived In th
+ Wilmington house previous 20 the utter loss N
= her sight Her mother says. however, TINT he
: sight was so indistlnrt az that time ihut sh
G could not have famiiari2ed herself with tn
: aspect Of the housed
d Tho mother WAS spacchloss and doubted he
q senses. Minnie walked from the lounge an,
!, stood in front OF tie mirror.
Il ." wanllto see myself in the glass. Oh. HOY
I, shockingF she exclaimed, Nhht LOOKING
i creuture am without my hair"
II YES. mothor." she replied 10 Mrs. Lombard
Z who had again asked whether she rrully coul
= see. Iye got my sight. Glory to God, for b
q has restored it,"
a Then both mother md daughter laughed an
~ cried immodcrately by turns But UiterwarI
IL Mrs. Lombard says, peacciulness fell upo
- the house and for three or four days no one il
II it felt like talking aloud. Ia that time 1t wa
% perceived that Mnnie's spiritual MS well a
J; physical sight had been restored. She had re-
u gained perfect health. She walked O. Paste
= CHuidwell's, and he returned with her. and the
y all fell upon their knees in thanksgiving.
> The Lombarls have borne n good nam
=, wherever they have lived The Row Mr. Pit
O finger OF the First Methodist Church in Vine
=, land was pastor when Mrs Lombard was "
% in Nneand His recollection did not diile
II from that Of others in Nin"land, He fanrlr
= that the seemingly miraculous cure of the lllul