The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1882-09-02
Richard Moore's MaIady.


fore the medical profession in this city
is to be found on Madison Street, four
doors above Nineteenth, on the south
side, the subject being Richard Moore,
who for over thirty years has been a
piano-moyer in this city.
The affection is very strange one,
and seems wholly confined to his mouth,
over which he has not the slightest con-
troll. and his teeth keep up constant
chattering and clashing together, and,
without any guiding on his part or with
out the slightest movement of his body,
will commence and chatter together in
perfect tune, as if playing a musical
composition. The sounds which they
produce vary continually. and bear the
exact resemblance of a performer play
ing medley on pair Of bones. A re-
porter heard Of the strange case and
went to investigate the matter. Several
inquiries and directions finally landed
him in front of a neat, two-story frame
house, surrounded by fruit yard, in
which several flower beds were carefully
arranged; the place. however, bearing a
singularly still and deserted appearance.
The window shades were tightly closed,
the gate fastened with double bolt, and
the door, over which beautiful vine
crept and trailed, seemed secured against
all intruders. In answer to ring at the
door, an old negress, very Clearly
dressed, and with face marked by deep
furrows,-a as If from watching and work
ing, opened the door, and, with look
of wonderment in her face, invited the
visitor to enter. An inquiry as TO the
nature of the call, started her on the
subject, and she talked very freely. but
with a certain air of restraint. as if deal
ing with something she could not ex-
plain.
''It's goin' unto three years since he's
been that way" she commenced, land
nobody knows what's come over him.
His mouth keeps goin' all the time. and
plays all sorts Of tunes, and his head
ways up and down as if he hadn't any
thing to do with it at all. We've had
four or five doctors, and all of them
seem to think something different about
it, but / don't know, and sometimes
think that Dicks belief of it is about the
best He always has been a religious
man, and ever since he was boy he's
led class in Sunday-school, and since
this came on him he thinks that it's sent
by the devil, who, he says is always tor
menting him, and has got him. He
always talks about dyin' and being pos
sessed of the devil, and don't know but
he's right. But wait minnit and III
bring him ill.," and she passed quickly
out into the hall, and called her husband
by name. In few minutes a shutting
step was heard coming down the stairs,
and in another instant a peculiar sound
could be detected, as of some one clat-
tering pair Of bones together, as the
old man entered the room, slowly and
feebly, leaning on his cane, and, with
his head hanging down on his breast, he
presented q striking appearance. His
frame. naturally very large and power
full. was wasted away almost to Q
skeleton, and his clothes hung loosely
from his shoulders. His cheeks were
thin and hollow, and unusually pale for
a negro. His eyes, which were very
large, and possessing the intense black
ness of his race, were deeply sunken in
their sockets and overshadowed by bushy
gray eyebrows. His hair was rather long
and of a peculiar silver color, streaked
here and there with thread of black,
and thin beard of the same description
shaded the lower part of his face. He
was plainly dressed in suit of jeans,
which seemed two sizes too large for
his shrunken form. He came into
the room hesitatingly, and his
large eyes glanced uneasily out
from under his bushy eyebrows with a
furtive quickness, as if Of one expecting
TO undergo some trying ordeal. The
thing most striking about his appear
ance was the look of intense suffering,
which seemed settled and rooted into his
face until it became part OF his natural
appearance. He seated himself without
saying a word, and placing his cane
across hislegs rubbed his hands nervous
ly together and let his head drop back
TO its old position on his breast. His
quietncss was but momentary, however,
and nervous twitching of the muscles
of his face announced the appearance of
an attack. The nervous action gradu-
ally increased. until his whole face
seemed to work under its influence, and
his teeth commenced TO chatter, softly at
first, as il he was seized with cold chill,
and increasing it in loudness until it
could be heard some distance off. The
regularity in fact, perfect harmony
with which his teeth clashed together
was remarkable, and would have done
credit to any performer on the bones
While no particular tune was played. the
sound produced appeared very familiar
to the listener, and seemed a medley of
all the old familiar hymns. The chatter
ing. with only few minutes intermis-
sion, was kept up constantly, and while
undergoing a particularly severe attack.
the sufferer would roll his eyes wildly,
rub his hands together and moan pitt
fully, occasionally passing his hands over
his face rs if to stop the throbbing visi-
BILE in every vein. Even when asleep. it
is exactly the same, and when seized in
the middle of the night he will dash his
head against the bed. and clench his
hands in agony.