Daily Republican., 1880-04-29
Astaeked ,, u. vnus' Bahgs--A
Convent school Broken UP.

COnvomt bcnoOh hEohem w.
! A singular calamity has bsfallen tn
IRA Mine Convent, . famous Catholi
,nstis ,tion In Brown county, Ohio
The trou, ,sle Is the breaking cut, in cpl
dsmic form, among the pupils, Of 81
Vitus' dance. The malady made IL
appearance two or three weeks ago, bu
was not considered ssrious until with
| In . few days, whep, finding that u
| had become epidemic, aud In one case
| at least had resulted fatally, the par
ents Of the pupils were requested TO re-
move their children.
The symptoms attending the first cas-,
were those usually accompanying this
disease; First, an involuntary melton
Of the shoulders, then growing Of ths
symptoms into the other portions of the
body, a contraction Of the muscles ol
the arms and face, q slight nausea and
headache. The physician Of the insti'
tuition, DR.. Hall, Of Fayetteville, was
called in and the ordinary prescription
for such cases administered. The pa.
tient, girl Of perhaps IL, stated that
she had never been subject to any at
tscks Of this nature, but that an elder
sister had teen SO troubled. On the
next day two more OF the pupils were
similarly attacked.
On the following day there were more
and as the days and weeks vent by,
more and more OF the inmates OF the
convent became subject to this strange
illness, until probably twenty or more
Of the pupils and dozen or more Of the
Sisters In attendance had been attack
ed with this strange and unaceountable
epidemic, for such it now appeared to be.
On Wednesday morning the doctor was
sent for in great haste, and on arriving
found ten new patients jerking and hop
ping and gaping and twisting their
faces into inconceivable shapes and
even while he was present two or three
more were taken with the strange
symptoms, and fell 70 jerking and
twisting In the same manner as those
who had preceded them In this singalsr
experience.
Then the dostos and the Sister, who
had been gradually growing alarmed,
took thorough fright, and the school
was called up, the portion able to an
swer 10 the call, was hurriedly dismiss
Cd, the daily onnlbus and barouche
and q convenient spring wagon pressed
ints service, and as many Of the pupils
% could bs got OF ON 90 short notice
hurried 70 the depot and sent 70 their
homes BY the first train.
With only q very few exceptions the
eases have been confined 10 the convent,
vet there have been enough outside 10
r ,ise question % 10 whether II was
peculiar to the community or this par
tieular building. There was In the
convent seventy pupils and a like num-
Der Of Sisters, who have charge OF the
various departments. In some Of them
it is much less violent than in others.
In some IL continues no more than an
hour; with others it Las c duration Of
two or three weeks.
One curious case is reported from
Chillicothe. One Of the pupils at the
convent, a young lady, had gone home
possessed OF this strange malady, and,
having recovered, as she supposed,
went to the church. During the services
she felt the disease returning, and
Oh ancing to look around, saw that two
little girls, standing just behind her
in church, had suddenly become aimi-
larIy affected.