Morning journal and courier., 1881-03-04
Price Four Gents.
A Family of Daughters.

4 A Family of Daughters. | Tine Strange Mafady AfHictfng Thesn- II Ineffective Attempts to Relieve Them.
 I lcorrespondence of the Philadelphia Times]
 Frenchtown, N. J., Feb. 29th Straight
 across the Delaware from here, ' among the hills which run parallel with the
 river for many miles, lives family concern
 ing whom the strangest stories are told The
 I father and sons are farmers, and all live in a l large, substantial house few yards from the
 road to Doylestown. They are all chronic
 laughers, having an afaiction of the muscles
 of the mouth and throat which eompels
 them to give vent to apparent merriment at
 stated intervals The nalady first appeared
 in the father about 10 years ago. He was
 usually very quiet man, enjoying fun, but
 manifesting his enjoyment without much
 noise. He was seated at the dinner-table one
 day in the Spring of the year, eating steali- l ly and not engaged in any of the converse.
 tion which the others members of the family I were carrying on. Suddenly, without any
 cause, he burst into 8 loud fit of laughter, so | extremely different from his accustomed laugh that all were attracted by it at once. | When asked what was the reason for his sud den outburst he made no reply, but con- I tinued his merriment. Some of the boys
 thought he had mysteries and pounded him
 on the back, but it did no good. After l few moments he made motions for pencil I and paper, and wrote that he was unable to l control his risibles,. and asked them to send I for adoctor.
 | The rural physician came, but could give | no remedy that stopped the laughter. Peal I after peal of what sounded like the heartiest l kind of fun came from him, and nothing l would avail to prevent it. The doctor finally I came to the conclusion that he was the | victim of a nervous attack, and, leaving 8 | nervine, departed. The father continul 1 laughing until about sundown, when he sud
 denly stopped and fell on the floor com | pletely. prostrated. He soon grew better, 1 however, ate hearty supper, and spent the of the old trouble appearing, he went to l bed a6d was soon fast asleep Along about ? o'clock in the morning, however, his wife | was awakened by his laughter, and the | same symptoms manifested themselves as on l the afternoon previous. He kept it up urs l til o'clock, laughing loud and strong. At o'clock the noise suddenly ceased and did I not return again until dinner time Thus it l continued, recurring each day shortly after l noon and in the night about ? o'clock, and l has ever since. As the week passed he grew | so accustomed to the disease that he was caused very little inconvenience by it. He l did not get tired out as at first, and soon was able to go about his work-sowing seed and planting corn, digging vegetables, and water ing the cattle-while laughing immoderately. He could not talk while under one of these spells, but carried slate and pencil around I with him, after the fashion of deaf and dumb person.
 The trouble was very regular in its coming and going, and only occasionally broke forth
 at unlocked for seasons Once the old man
 was taken in church. just when the minister
 was exhorting his hearers in the most solemn
 strains, and spoiled the effect of the discourse
 besides disturbing the equilibrium of the
 clergyman. Another time he was found by
 one of his neighbors along the road, lying be-
 meath bag of four, laughing at 8 terrific
 rate. He had been taken while driving home
 from the mill, and the suddenness of the
 sounds frightened the horse, causing it to
 run away and dump tn man and part of his
 load out in the road. For IS months the father was the only one of the household affiic-
 ted with the malady. Several of them had complained from time to time of an in- clination to join the father in the laugh but none of them did so until nearly two years after he was taken, when Susie, the youngest child, suddenly burst into similar fit during one of her fathers attacks. From that time on she has laughed at about the same hours her father does. One by one, the remaining members fell victims to the strange complaint, until three years ago there was but one left free, and that was Charles, the oldest son. His long exemption led him to believe he would escape the contagion. But he was mistaken, and it is said he had his first attack while petitioning for the hand of a Harris burg damsel. So frightened was the lady by the queer behavior of her suitor that she ran from the room, and it was weeks before the proper explanations could induce her to him again. She is now one of the family here, and, escaping the malady, never minds the hideous chorus of laughter which twice day resounds through the house or grou nds. It is regarded as rather strange that none of the neighbors should have caught the infec ton, but such is the case, although many of them mingle constantly with the family.
 Everything possible has been done to al- leviate or remove the nalndy, but without perceptibie effect. Several eminent physicians from the leading cities have visited the home and grown interested in the case. They all confess themselves baff1ed, and want one or two of the family to go to the city, where they can receive constant treatment. This they refuse to do. Their peculiar trouble so noticeable and odd, has made them sensitive, and they will not travel where they will be to public scrutiny and remark They go to church or the store in the village close by and attend social gatherings occasionally in the neighborhood in the eve ming, but only among lifelong friends. People within radius of a few miles are so accustomed to the thing that they never mind or mention it. Consequently very few peo- pie outside of the immediate vicinity, and the physicians who have attended them, are cog nizant of the circumstances.
 The years of lncessant laughter have told somewhat on the faces of the family, but not so as to be very noticeable There are scores of lines under the eyes and above the checks caused by the drawing up of the skin Then their mouths have become wider, and they keep them closed with difficulty. The most marked result of the disease, how ever, is in the voice. The entire family talk in the same tone, resembling as nearly as anything the voice of an alto singer. Males and females have the same infection and in donation. Most of them have more or less trouble with their eyes, several having be- come very near-s1ghted. The pupils have and the entire eyeball is diminished n size. This is accounted for by the con- traction of the eyes while laughing and the effort required in working or reading while an attack. Very little physical annoyance is caused the laughers. They cad and write, sleep and work without any rouble. The only thing they seem unable 0 do while attacked is to eat, and that can oe readily understood. Several grandchl lren have been born and in all but one in tance they were taken soon after birth with tated attacks at the same hours as their pa ents. Of course they do not laugh as the ,lder ones do, but they crow and express all he signs of baby glee twice day, and never ny while in that state.