The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1883-02-20


ical world is reported at 632 East
Walnut street. near Clay. La little
back room in the second story of an
old frame rOokery that stands on this
site there lives young girl in a state
that can scatcely, ON general prin-
ciples, be called living. She has been
in a comatose condition for a long
time, but it was only recently that
the attention of physicians has been
attracted to her. Her case has elected
a great deal of attention, and has be-
come topic Of discussion In medical
circles. She was discussed in seine of
the colleges yesterday, ard her mala-
DIV is pronounced irremediab Die and TN.
accountable. Cases somewhat like it
have been reported from afar. but
this is the first that las been known
locally.
The girl is about Is years old. is
feeble-minded, and has been what is
termed .oOd-looking. though every
trace of such lines have been blotted
out Dy her malady. Her name is
Mary Aria. and Stree Christmas day
size has neither eaten, drank or per-
formed any of the daily functions of
nature. Both her own mother, who
has been constant attendant on her,
aud the other inmates of the house.
attest the truth of the statement. All
the organs of nature, except the heart
and lungs, seem to have become clog
ged, and even these two perform their
duties sluggishly. Christmas day,
her mother states she ate large din
ner, and displayed an unusually large
appetite Since her infancy she has
been subject to costiveness. Her spell
came on during sleep, for she retired
i'm her usual eXuberance and ami
NAL spirits. The next morning, when
her mother went to wake her, she
found her on her back with her eve
lids open aud the balls rolled back
showing the whites in CLASSY, death
like stare. Her first impression was
that she was in spasm. but
all the usual modes of resort i'm such
cases failed to bring her to life. She
was perfectly timber and senseless. her
limbs lying in any position in which
they might be placed. Her skin was
of normal. temperature, but dry as
parchment and without feeling. Her
teeth were clencbed and could rot be
pried apart. Every endeavor was
used to arouse her. but all proved
fruitless. Her pulse was beating feeb-
lv and her breast rose and fell in soft
respiration. She Law i'm the same con-
.litiOn and in the same position for
several weeks. Her widowed mother
kept close watch over the wreck of
her only support, for the girl had
prior to her illness been working at
wooden mill. and noticed from dav to
dav the gradual wasting away of her
body till it became, in the course of
her long starvation. deprived of all
fat and MUSCLES mere skeleton.
The poor woman. together with her
neighbOrs, nursed the girl as best they
could, looking and hoping every day
to see her breathe her last. They
have been kept in long suspense, for
the girl still ekes out her miserable
existence aud there is no telling how
long she may last. As she never ex-
erts herself even so much as to change
her position in bed. the drain upon
her system is very small, being mere
" that necessary to keep the heart
beating. Yesterday the mother of the
girl visited one of the medical colleges
and asked the students to do some.
thing for her. Last night a number
of them visited the house and applied
an electric battery. Every cell was
put on before the slightest twitching
was noticed in the muscles that have
become like marble. When the full
power of electrical current was brought
to bear upon her, her eye-balIs rolled
about in that state of absolute aston
:shment one would imagine to possess
a person Just raised from the grave.
Her mouth was opened and some Wet
uals were placed beside her. but only
to be dashed into the face of TIE near
est student to his great discontinue.
A Commercial reporter called to see
her last night hardly expecting to find
the true case worse than the report
that reached bis ears. In almost ev-
cry particular she resembles an Egyp-
tian mummy except that she breathes.
She has neither the pallid hue of
dead person, nor that peculiar color of
one healthy in life, but is of a deep
saffron, like one in the yellow jaumdice
A great many curious prisons visited
her yesterday. and there is no means
of Judging how long she may live i'm