The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1881-03-18
A PHENOMENON.
A Young woman Who Has Not spoken
for Fifteen Years.


for Fifteen Years
The Butte (Montana) Miner tells the
following interesting story OF a young
woman who has refrained for fifteen
years from speaking; 1t is not gener-
ally known, but it is nevertheless fact,
that on Lower Willow creek not many
miles from Butte, resides r woman diff
ferent from all others of her sweet sex
She is probably the only woman. known
in ancient or modern times who, pos
sessing the natural feminine ability TO
talk, studiously abstaihs, with perse-
verance truly admirable, from expires.
sing herself on any subject. For fifteen
years, except on one occasion, she has
not uttered a word even 70 her nearest
relations. Her organs of articulation
are perfect, and the friends Of the strange
lady entertain not the slightest doubt Of
her speaking capabilities were she dis
posed TO exercise them.
II is the impression of those best ac-
quainted with the history of this phe-
nomenal woman that her absolute re-
fusal TO speak results from disappoint'
nent in love while she was yet in her
teens. Fifteen years ago, in the classic
State of Missouri, Miss NJ, then a
beautiful and accomplished girl Of six
teen summers, became the object of
Young neighbot's affection, which she
reciprocated with the full strength OF
her impressive soul. He told his love
and they became secretly engaged. But
the news was too good and ftaught with
too much future happiness to keep, and
IL was accordingly communicated to the
young girls parents. The parents, for
reasons which they doubtless considered
good and sufficient, sternly and re-
lentlessly withheld their consent for the
proposed union of two loving hearts.
More than this, they ordered the young
gallant to cease his attentions and their
decision was irrevocable. Soon after
this the family moved TO Montana, and
since the day OF their starting the young
lady, now grown to woman of thirty
years, but still eomely of form and fea-
ture anC apparently intelligent, has not
articulated as much as half dozen
words. Her long silenceis attributed TO
intense and abiding indignation at the
supposed cruelty of her parents in re-
fusing to permit her marriage, and prob
ably conceiving words to be useless and
inadequate to express the poignancy of
her suffering, she concluded never to
speak again, a resolution which she has
adhered to so far with remarkable per-
tinacity. She lives with her parents on
Willow creek, as before stated, occupies
arOom by herself, refuses to see strangers
and to all iDtents and purposes is abSo-
lutely dumb. Her memory is strong
and accurate for one who neither talks
nor reads nor takes other intellectual
exercise. Through the partition of her
room she will sometimes lis' EN- TO the
conversation of those in the adjoining
apartment, and occasionally, several
days after it has taken place, it will be
found on paper in her room written out
verbatim. A severe mental exertion is
necessary to accomplish this feat, and
the fact that she is capable of such ex-
ertion is regarded as sufficient evidence
of her entire sanity. 1t is reported that
several ranchers on Willow creek, con-
vinced of her determination never to
speak again, have ma te matrimonial ad-
vances, but have been spurned. On the
whole the case is an in nseresting one, the
more so as she is still young, beautiful
and intelligent.