The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-07-12
Correspondence Philadelphia Times J


ished a session OF about three hours In
the presence Of DIR. Tanner. the great
faster. To one who first enters the ball
where this singular proceeding Is going
on the impression is that, regarded strictly
| as a show, IL Is the most unintcrcsting thng
ever set before the public. The first i'm
pulse is 10 look for moment and then run
| away In horror. The second impulse Is
10 stay and see what viii come OF IT,.
Then there is a strange fascination which
throws one INTO sympathy with the pro-
frcssional watchers and walters. and
compels attention for awhile. CIareu-
don Hall is spacious building on
Thirteenth street near Fourth avenue. Its
large auditorium Is used for balls and lee
lures. and Is well lighted and freely fur
nished with windows. There are no ua-
pleasant sights, smells. or sounds around
| IL, II we may except the noise OF the man
over the way who practices on the cornct.
! The building was formerly used by the
! New York Medical College, and is now in
possession OF the United States Medical
! College, whose professor OF anatomy, DR..
! ruttle. was in charge during my visit. DR..
/ Tanner, the faster, occupies the large hall
and sde-room. the latter fronting on the
street ana atinrdIng him opportunity to take
/ tine fresh air bv putting The head OF his cot
out the window. Here he spends good
deal Of his time, and here found him
when went in. DR.. Adrian Y. Reed. Of the
| Neurological Society, VAS watching on ac-
count OF that Society. Several other medl-
/ cil gentlemen were taking notes OF the pro-
greSs Of the fast. Two or three dozen spec
tatorS were present, about half Of whom
were men VINO had hobbies and seemed to
! live ny riding them. The rest were people
who were brought bv curiosity. Some of
them were skepticS and wanted 10 talk.
There were two learned looking ladies IN
snectacles, one Of whom cOntidentlally in
formed me that she could fast as long as DR..
Tanner could. | believed every word she
said. and told her so. She looked as If she
had been brought up on fasting. Or. Tan
ner objects to being talked TO. 80 many
rattle.brained cOnversatIonalistS talked to
him the first three or four days that their
clatter exhausted blm. They asked all
sorts Of foolish questions. Principal among
these were: Are YOU feeling any weaker
than YOU did," and DO YOU think YOU
can hold out for the whole forty days :"
No wonder the poor man asked for Il rest.
WHO rHE DOCTOR Is.
DR.. III. :. Tanner Is an EugliShman by
birth, aud came 10 this country when seven
teen wears old. He is well-Dreseryed spe-
cimen of neryOuS-SaDguine man, with eX-
ces>iyely stroDg wjll.pOWer. lie has IRON
gray hair and sharp features. and looks
much more like Yankee than an English
man. Before he began his fast he weighed
157 hounds. He has lost fourteen pounds
. in nine DAYS. The tenth day OF his fast
commenced at noon Yesterday. As he lay
r on a very awkward and uncomfortable cot
2 with hard straw mattress. he wore thin
! aipaca coat, black pantalOons. white
e. stockings, which hung IN loose folds
about his ankles, and q pair OF dOar-and-
. a-half embroidered slippers. He makes no
4 attempt al dress parade. but looks like q
man who means business from beginning to
+ end, and who is determined to succeed. At
: first be appeared weary and lansuid. as if
e he wanted to sleep aud could not. Presently
somebody spoke to him, and his eyes bright
e lened up and showed 4 very wide-awake
=. man. His gargling Of mouth aud throat
: with cold water was done several times IN
r pre>euce Of the audience. One OF the at
3 PENDANTS carefully measured out four ounces
of water This DR.. Tanner returned TO a
G bowl after using it, thus showing that he
had not swallowed any. The statement has
gone out that he rcfrains from swallowing
water because II he did 80 without eating food
= it would dsintegrate the lining Of throat
} ard stomach. Such statement. being
: sheer nonsense. was made by somebody
who knew nothing Of the subject. The
reason the decor refrainS from taking wa
Ter is that the test may he all the more Sc
we're After awhile 1t wes announced that
lady was I'm the hail who would play on
the piano. This was pleasing intelligence,
for the exhibition was becoming monOto-
nous to the spectators, and must have been
more 20 10 the faster himself. "Tell her |
want church music" said be. Word was
brought in that the lady was not an adept
in church music. but that she could
plav almost anything else. He cheer
fully agreed to let her play what
ever she pleased. Then we all won
dered how he would climb down from his
couch, which was elevated on high tables,
50 as TO rest its end on the windOw->ill. To
the asIoniShment OF all the spectators be
hopped down as himbly as squirrel or rae
coon and ran out into the large ball with a
far lighter step than any man could who had
Just eaten a big dinner. Nobody would
have said that man who had Just entered
on his tenth day Of fasting could he eX-
pected 10 be 80 spry. The lady proved to
be a skilled musician, and at the close Of
her first piece Tanner clapped his hands as
tUlhusldSLlCdlll as II hN !u1t bSNh IL" ""
turkey.
no DOUBT OF HIS ABSTINENCE.
Ia the large hall DR.. Tanner is separated
by wooden railing from the spectators, and
nobody is allowed 10 shake hands with him.
This nsures the absence Of condensed beef
and other edibles. As regards his total aO-
stinence from food there is no doubt. The
watchers are all gentlemen who are well
known in their profession, and concerning
whom there is no fear OF collision. the
hall is in good hands and well man.
aged, and there ATE no concealed trap
doors through which food could be
thrust TO him. A large cut Of roast
beef reached bin to-day by mail, but
he handed it 10 the doctors. He spends
portion OF his time in sitting in an uncOm-
fOitable-lOoklng caDe-seat rockng-chair,
with his feet on the railing. He rocks more
or less vigorously. Somebody ought to
send him il more luxurious chair. Yester-
day afternoon a yender of patent bed ham.
mocks sent him handy cOntrivance on
which TO lie, instead OF using the dismal
looking cot he has been stretching himself
upon. He received it gratefuIv, and when
stretched upon it was as pleased as ever
boy was with new toy.
Dr. Tanners fast ltlS now lasted longer
than the medical men said it would. lie
has shown 10 symptoms either OF insanity
or OF physical decay. He keeps up bis
spirits, and is a. determined rs when he
! began. His eyes sometimes show dizziness.
but hardly more than the eyes OF ordinarily
! sleepy persons. His voice is clear and his
answers, when he makes them at all, keen
and quick. He says he has entirely over
| come his desire for food. Had he at FIRST
announced his intention to fast for ten DAYS