Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1883-02-15
A LIVING ooErsr.
A Girl who Has Been Like Marble for
Six Weeks.
She Has Not Moved nor Eaten Any
thing Since Christmas.


A very interesting ease T. The iped-
ieai world Il reported ni SIX Essss Wal
nSit street, 0esr Clay ID bitAe back
roon Ia the ssecond story 81 an old
frame rookery that stands on the site
ihere lives young girl in q state that
can keAroeiy. on general principles, be
called living. rhe has been in q com
Rtose condition for q long iirpe. but II
was oniy recently that the attention 81
physicians has l,esr attracted "a her.
Her ease hAs elected Efeai deal az
attention, and has hs-,onc topic %
discussion ia medical circles. she
WAS discussed ia sutne q the tsoileey
yesterday. aud her naalady j. -
ncuDced jrreinesiishie AID psat ~ isv
able. Cases @omswhai Ill I'D eaeslss
been reported frona afsr, Asss nls Is
the FIRST that has besn kno& locally
The girl u about eighteen years ODD,
IL feeiiis tFaiiiissd. and igas iAyen WHIST ls
termed good booking thuul.b every
trace ~ such lines has be-n hiosted teii
by her tnaiady Her rsFne Il Mary
ARIA, aud since Christmas isy siae has
neither eaten. drank, nor performed
any ~ the daily funeg3vns ~ nature.
Both hef own mother, who has bteD
q constant attendant upon heT, aur
other iniiaasts ~ tlle hQase, attest Inc
truth 81 the statement An the or
rans ~ nature except The hears and
fungs sce;n - have BECOME elogEed
aud even these two pefofln their duties
slgggisbly Christmas day. bier moth
~ states she ste q large dinner aud
displayed an unusually large appetite.
-iueN her infancy Sac hae htefs SO ss3
70 cosiiyeness Her -nell came Oh dur
ing sleep, for she retired so hSf usuai c1-
uberarce and animal sij riih. jhe next
morning when her mother went "a
wake her. sile found her on her 3aSil
With laer eyelids OPEN AMI iBe balls
rolled back showing the whites ia 8
CLASSY, deatb-like stare Her first ina
precision was that rhe WAS in "a eIasaa
but all the usual modes 0f resort la
such eases failed u bring her 10 life.
she was perfectly Timber and sense
leSs, her limbs lying Ia ANY position ia
which they might be placed. Her
skin WAS 81 the normal temperature,
but dry as parchment and without
feeling. Her teeth were cienehed aud
could not be pried apart. Every en-
deAyur was used 10 arouse her. but all
proved fruitless. Her pulse was beat
Ing feeDly aud her breast rose and fell
ia soft respiration. She hay in the same
position aud ia the same condition for
several weeks. Her widowed mother
kept close watch over the wreck 4
her Gully support, for the girl had prior
u her sicSnes. been working az wool
len mill. and noticed from day 10 day
the wasting away of her body til IL
became. ia the course Of her long star
walton. derived OF all Eat aud muscles
IA mere skeleton. The poor woman.
together with the neighbors, nufsed
the girl IA best they could, looking aud
hoping every day 10 zee her breathe
her last. They have been kept In long
suspense. for the girl still ekes out her
miserable existence and there il no tell
ing how long she viii last. As
she never eser,s herself even %
much as 10 change ner position
In bed. the drain upon her system
IL very small, being that necessary 20
keep the heart beating. Yesterday
the mother OF the girl visited one oil
medical colleges and asked the stu
dents To do something for her. Last
night "A number of them visited the
house and applied an electric battery.
Every cell was put on before the slight
eat twitching was noticed In the mus
cles that have become like marble.
When the full power of the electrical
current was brought 10 bear upon her,
her cyeballs rolled about in that state
OF absolute astonishment one would
imagine TO possess n person just raised
from the grave. Her mouth WIS
opened and some victuals were placed
beside her. but only Ia be dashed into
the face of the nearest student. 10 his
great discontinue. A Commercial re-
porter called Ia sle her hast night
hardly expecting to find the true ease
worse than the report that reached his
ear. In almost every particular she
resembles an Egyptian mummy except
that she hrcathes. She has neither the
pallid hue of n dead person, nor that
peculiar color of one in health, but il
of "A deep saffron, like one with the
yellow ianndicc, A great many curl
oils persons visited her yesterday, and
there IL no means of Judging how long
she may live In her tpance-lll<e state