Morning journal and courier., 1880-05-19
Receives a Hard Knock.

The Cement Mira61e-The Parents Inter
 vfesved-A Majority and a Minority Re-
 port from the NTcNamara Homestead.
 The statement of wonderful cure of 8 paralytic and imbecile child in Norwich is not exactly borne out by the testimony of the child's parents. The child's name is Ellen McNamara, her age 12, and the alleged cure, as was stated, was effected in some incompre- hensible manner by means of piece of ce- ment obtained from the Knock church, Ire land. which arrived by mail Monday week, and which had been powdered, mixed with water and the mixture applied to the base of the girls head The father of the child is Mi chael McNamara, living on North Cliff street. Norwich. He was interviewed by a Norwich Rulletin representative Monday, and the child was shown. The father was enthusiastic in support of the claim that the child was cured. His enthusiasm met with decided and hearty rebuff from the childs mother, who overheard what the father was telling the representative of the press. The Bulle- tin says: s'One of the gentlemen kindly | guided us to the McNamara abode pretty little cottage house, containing sensible wife and large family of children. Wemet Mir. Michael McNamara at the door and he kindly invited us in and began to enthusiast cally proclaim that the story was all true as | could be proven by the little girl herself, and commanding the child to take the floor he l invited us to question her with respect to her 1 condition. s$ The child walked towhere we sat and stood staring vacantly at us while the father de- | clared: ssShe stands monument to the truth of my statements Ask her anything you please about 1t ]"
 1 We asked her several questions regarding her condition, which she answered in mono l syllables, corroborating MT. McNamara's l story 'sMary Ellen, show the gentleman l what cured you," commanded MT. McNamara 1 The child looked dazed and turned around once or twice, when an elder sister went to closet near by and produced a l piece of cement received by mail by Mr. l McNamara from a brother in Ireland on 1 Monday the 10th inst The cement was | from the walls of church in Knock, Ire- l land made famous by the recent proclama- 1 ton that the Blessed Virgin appeared there i; l and so much faith have some of the people in the miraculous influence of even the mani mate stones and Iifeless cement of the ediice | that they go hundreds of miles to get it and carry it to the maimed and afflicted. MT. McNamara's brother travelled 200 miles to procure this sacred relic for him.
 The little girl took the cement in her hand 1 lS. | you took that stone" said we; 'tyou took l the water in which it was soaked didn't
 you?" ssYes," she replied, q took the
 water"
 At this point Mrs. McNamara seemed to
 comprehend the meaning of the reporter s
 visit, and declared that nothing should be
 put in the paper about the child.
 MT. McNamara informed us-'I am the 1 man of the house. I am monarch of all I survey my possessions there are none to
 dispute, and I say it shall be printed"
 We informed the wife that it had already
 been sent over the country, and read to her the extract clipped from Boston paper. She
 said: ''That is an outrage. had sooner lost ten dollars than have had that report gone abroad. It is not true The child is
 not well. She is better now, as she has been several times in the five years last past. She
 still has fits. She was taken to the circus | Friday and it was too much for her. and she
 had two fits that night. On Saturday she
 was dragged out and overdone, and she had l two more and on Sunday she had another. The report is false, and you must not print it."
 MT. McNamara said ''That is nothing
 the child has been paralyzed for five years
 and has been having twenty-five fits every
 day and thirty fits every night. I tell you | she is cured"
 A young man, a cousin to the father, came in and said the child still had fits, and the l little girl said that she had it Sunday
 Mrs. McNamara affirmed that '9The man who 1 gave that to the press was full of liquor, an6
 that the man who believed it and sent it of by telegraph must have been soft headed 1 man.''
 At this point in the conversation we bade
 the party good night and left, satisfied tha
 the lady of the house was master of the situ ation.
 l Committee Annual Reports.
 The Committee on Annual Reports held { meeting in the Mayors office last evening tc
 consider the compiling of the City Year Bool