The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1880-02-19
A Clergyman's Misfortune.

III The Rev. Marcus Ormond, D. D.. a
prominent clergyman of Western Penn
lsylvania, has been in this city for sew
teral days in hope fishing his wife
IN business, he having. been. incapaci-
tated by an apoplactic stroke, which has
Eleft him in a condition that has baffled
the skill of physicians to- explain salts
factorily. DR.. OTmond is one OF four
brothers, who are all Presbyterian
preachers. During the war. he was
tChaplain of the One Hundred and For
ty-eighth Pennsylvania Volunteers.
For several years, and up to the time Of
! his misfortune, besides attending to the
kduties of his church in. Washington
County, he has been leading lecturer
in the temperance cause. On March g.,
t1S78, he was at Washington, Pa, where
lie had delivered lecture. His home
Twas in Alexander, few miles distant.
At midnight he was awakened from a
sound sleep by friend, and told that
his residence in Alexander, with all its
! contents, had been destroyed, by fire.:
DIR. Ormond went home the next day,
and, while looking at the ruins of his
house, he received the news that a
friend for whom he had largely Endorsed
had failed. On March he was found
unconscious in his bed by his little
daughter. He remained in comatose
state for six weeks. When he regained
consciousness, it was weeks before he
could speak intenigibly. Then it was
found that he had lost all knowledge OF
reading and writing, and that, although
he seemed to recognize some of his old
| friends, he could not call any of them
by name. BY persistent effort DR.. Orr
mond's wife succeeded in teaching her
husband the alphabet, and, after some
months, he could read short sentences
of small words.~She also taught him
to write his name. which he did me-
chanically, copying the characters she
made, without having any impression
of them on his mind. Although he
could read little, he could not learn
to spell the simplest words. As he
improved in health, the names of his
children and of some of his friends re-
turned to him, but he could not tel
to whom the names belonged. If he
wanted one child, he would call it by
the name of another, and friends in
conversing with him. found him adj
dressing them by the names of Others.
Another popularity of his case was
the fact that, while he could not read,
write or spell, he could count and make
the most intricate calculations in his
head, being as unable to make fig
ure with pen or pencil as he was let
tiers. Probably the most curious cir
cumstancc of all was in his inclination
to do and say things contrary to what
he intended. If he said "down" he
meant up; for on he said off; for right,
left, and vice versa. He carried his
cane upside down, and did many 9th
er things by contraries, which. for a
long time, rendered it unsafe Tor him
to be left alone. Those peculiarities,
however, have disappeared, bat his in
ability to read, write and spell, and to
use only a limited number of words in
talking, still remains. DR.. Ormond' s
memory has also greatly improved. In
business affairs he is as shrewd as ever.
His fire and the loss occasioned by the
failure of his friend ruined him fnan-
cially, and since his intiiction his wife
has supported the family by doing mil.
linery work and dress-making. DR.. Or.
mond INDUCES in all kinds Of physical
exercises, but is not permitted much
mental labor. His physician says that
his death is probable at any moment,
and that it is doubtful if he ever fully
recovers.-Bradford (Pa.) Cor. N. Y.
Times