The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-12-06
THE PRESS.
Facts in the Ratcliff Case.
rFrom the New York SUM-

first met Miss Borgier at tea-party in
the town of R, where | was attending
medical lectures. She was a tall girl, not
nretty: her face would have been insipid but
for the restlessness of her eyes. They were
neither bright nor expressive, but she kept
them so constantly in motion that they
seemed to catch and reflect light from
thousand sources. Whenever, as rarely hap
pened, she fixed them even for a few seconds
upon one object, the fictitious brilliancy dis
appeared, and they became dull and SOM
nolent / am unable to say what was the
color of Miss Borgier's eyes.
After tea | was one of a group OF people
whom our host, the Rev. Mr.. Tinker, sought
to entertain with portfolio of photographs
of places in the Holy Land. While endeav-
oring to appear interested in his descriptions
and explanations, all of which had heard
before. [ became aware that Miss Borger
was honoring me with steady regard. My
gaze encountered hers and | found that L
could not, for the life of me, withdraw my
own eyes from the encounter. Then had
singular experience. the phenomena OF which
I noted with professional accuracy L 1eit
the slight construction of the muscles OF my
face, the numbness of the nerves that pre-
cedes physical stupor induced by narcotic
agency. Although was obliged to struggle
against the physical sense of drowsiness, my
mental faculties Wee more than ordinarily
activs. Her eyes seemed to torpify my body
while they stimulated my mind, as opium
does. Entirely conscious of my present sur
roundings, and particularly alert to the Rev.
Mr.. Tinker's narrative of the ride from Jop-
pa, accompanied him on that journey, not
as one who listens to travellers tale, but as
one who himself travels the road. When,
finally we reached the point where the Rev.
Mr.. Tinker's donkey makes the last sharp
turn around the rock that has been cutting
off the view ahead, and the Rev. Mr.. Tinker
beholds with amazement and JOY the glorl-
GUS panorama of Jerusalem spread out be-
fore him. saw it all with remarkable vivid
ness. 1 saw Jerusalem in Miss Borgiers
eyes.
I tacitly thanked fortune when her eyes
resumed their habitual dance around the
room, releasing me from what had become
rather humiliating captivity. Once free from
their strange influence, l laughed at my
weakness.
"Pshawr' I said to myself. "You are
fine subject for young woman OF mesmerlc
talents to practice upon"
'sWho is Miss Borgier" l demanded OF
the Rev. Mr.. Tinker's wife, at the first OPP
portunity.
'Why, she is Deacon Borgiers daughter"
replied that good person with some surprise.
''And who is Deacon Borgier?"
ga most excellent man; one of the pillars
OI INV QuSDduu COuSTCSdtioHs IhO jung
people laugh at what they call his torpidity,
and say that he has been walking about
town in his sleep for twenty years; but as
sure you that there is not sincerer more
fervent Chris"
I turned abruptly around, leaving Mrs.
Tinker more astonished than ever, for
knew that the subject of my inquiries was
looking at me again. She sat in one corner
of the room, apart from the rest OF the COM
T etr iv1,f seated
self at her side.
"That is right" she said. 81 wished you
to come. Did you enjoy your journey to Je-
rusalemY'
eyes, thanks to you"
''Perhaps. But you can repay the obliga-
ton. 1 am told that you are DR.. Mack's as
sistant in surgery at the college. There is
clinic to-morrow l want ,;1 TO attend IT,
She laughed "No, as spectator. You
must find way to crafty my curiosity"
l expressed as politely as possible, my as
constituent at so extraordinary fancy on
the part of young lady, and limited at the
scandal which her appearance in the amphl-
theater would create. She Immediately Of
fered to disguise herself in male attire.
explained that the nature OF the relations be-
tween the medical college and the patients
who consented to submit to surgical treat
ment before the class were such that it would
be dishonorabe thing for me to connive at
the admission of any outsider, male or fe-
male That argument made no impression
upon her mind. 1 was forced to decline
peremptorily to serve her in the affair. ''Very
well," she said: II must find some other
way.''
At the clinic the next day took pains to
satisfy myself that Miss Borgier had not sur
reptitiously intruded. The students of the
class came in at the hour noisy and careless
as usual, and seated themselves in the lower
tiers of chairs around the operating table.
They produced their note books and began
to sharpen lead pencils. Miss Borgier was
certainly not among them. Every face in
the lecture-room was familiar to me.
locked the door that opened into the hall
way, and then searched the ante-room on
the other side of the amphitheater. There
were dozen or more patients, nervous and
detected, waiting for treatment and attended
by friends hardly less frightened than them
selves. But neither Miss Borgier nor any
body resembling Miss Borgier was OF the
number.
DR.. Mack now briskly entered by his pri-
yate door. He glanced sharply at the table
on which his instruments were arranged,
ready for use, and, having assured himself
that everything was in its place, began the
clinical lecture. There were the usual
minor operations-two or three for strabs-
mus, one for cataract, the excision Of sever
al cysts and tumors, large and small, the am
putation of railway brakeman's crushed
thumb. As the cases were disposed OF, at
tended the patients back to the ante-room
and placed them in the care of their friends.
Last came poor old lady named Wilson,
whose leg had been drawn up for years by a
rheumatic affection, so that the joint of
the knee had ossified. 1t was one of those
cases where the necessary treatment is al
most brutal in its simplicity. The limb had
to be Strengthened by the application of main
force. Mrs. Wilson obstinately refused to
take advantage of anasthesia. She was placed
on her back upon the operating table, with
pillow beneath her head. The geniculated
limb showed DETECTION of twenty or TWEEN
ty-five degrees from right line. AS al
ready remarked, this DETECTION had to be
corrected by direct, forcible pressure down
ward upon the knee.
With the assistance of young surgeon of
great physical strength, DR.. Mack proceeded
to apply the pressure. The operation is one
of the most circulating that can be inn
agined. 1 was stationed at the head of the
patient, in order to hold her shoulders should
she struggle. But observed that marked
change had come over her since we estab-
lished her upon the table. Very much agi-
tated at first, she had become perfectly calm.
AS she passively lay there, her eyes directed
upward with liked gaze, Inc eyelluS neaVy
as if with approaching slumber, the face
tranquil, it was hard to realize that this wo-
man had already crossed the threshold of an
experience of cruel pain.
had no time, however, to give more than
thought to her wonderful courage. The
harsh operation had begun. The surgeon
and his assistant were steadily and with in
creasing force bearing down upon the rigid
knee. Perhaps the Spanish Inquisition
never devised method of inficting physi-
cal torture more intense than that which
this woman was now undergoing, yet not a
muscle of her face quivered. She breathed
easily and regularly, her features retained
their placid expression, and, at the moment
when her sufferings must have been the
most agonizing, saw her eyes close, as if in
peaceful sleep.
At the same instant the tremendous
force exerted upon the knee produced its
natural effect The ossified joint yielded,
and, with sckening notes.-the indescrib-
able sound of the crunching and gritting of
the bones of living person, sound so
frightful that 1 have seen old surgeons, with
sensibilities hardened by long experience,
turn pale at hearing 1.-THE crooked limb be-
came as straight as its mate.