The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1885-05-14

ID. +. LoNGENECKER, NJ. ID.
The case has excited much interest
during its entire progress. TIE NEWS,
without the data to disprove that the
claims of extraordinary development of
the tactile sense were true, has expected
and awaited some development in the
case. The development of this
sence o. touch 10 such an
extent as to enable the afflicted man 70
read printing by it, seemed superhuman.
1t was more than the most sanguine ever
expected from blind students after years
of training, raised letters being always
necessary to assist the latter in their
wonderful attachments. Mr.. Leibfried
communicated by writing on slate, and
received replies by means of letters
made on the palm of his hand. He rec
ognized people ostensibly by feeling
their hands, arms, faces, heads, one or
all, as the case might be. He knew
when it Numbered, and when 1t Iained.
In short, all that he did was so remarka-
BILE in a man without the use of the
senses, that the disciples of Mott were
beginning to claim Mr.. LeibfrIed
as a medium through which things
spiritual were making mysterious
communications with things temporal
In the face of all this and in considera-
ton of the tact that the patient has per-
sistently refused through it all to sub.
NIT to tests, We prefer rather to believe
that these things were communicated
through the eyes and ears, which were
always open and q much more direct
avenue of reaching the brain than
through part of the nervous system,
unaccustOmed 10 such usage, or than by
means of the spirits, since it is probable
that if the latter operated in this earthly
realm by direct manifestation they would
not waste time in mysterious
communications without communicate
ing anything. The report of the COM
mittee brings the matter to basis that
men can naturally believe. "Hasse's
theory" says Edward J. Bennington,
sis that hysteria arises from a nutritive
arrangement of the general nervous sys-
tenn, both central and perlpheral," and
he says further, "Hasse attributes these
cases to psychIcal rather than q phys
ical cause" This being true, and the
multitude of remarkable manifestation
of this disease-enough to fill volume
generally noted in women. but fire.
quentlY in men, being born in mind
it is not strange that in this case the pa
| tient should see and hear and persist in
affirming that he cannot do either. We
shall probably hear next that the patient
can talk. This and ali the above is said
without desire to assail the patient in
| any way. If 1t is due to a psychical
cause, and he sees, hears, and could
speak, and thinks he cannot, there is nc
deception. 1t Is disease as truly as is
malaria, but mot to be treated with
drugs" The physicians who con.
stituted the committee made but a briei
professional report. We learn, however
that their decision is based on facts sim.
liar to those we have heard from men
who have visited Mr.. Leipfrled, few OF
which we enumerate. On one occasion
a visitor sat with his hand on the knee OF
the patient while the latter wrote. Re-
peatedly the visitor was inattentIYe
turning his head as though viewing OBJ.
jects IN the room, and at each time the
patient tapped him on the hand
to call his attention to what
he had written, evidently hav-
ing seen the marks of lnsttentlon.
Being asked by one caller to extend his
tongue, he wrote sIgnifying his inability
to do so, but soon afterward when hand
ed glass of water, he put his finger into
1t and very naturally extended his tongue
to taste 1t. While writing he was no
uced to leave words unfinished or to
write them more distinctly, according to
remarks made BY those around hun,
designating that the meaning was under
stood without completion, or that the
word was indistinct, all indicative of the
patients power to hear. A visitor was
warned not to touch his left hand, as it
was very painful. The former sud-
denly extended his hand and said,
us this the hand that pains
him." and at the same time the patient
drew back his hand, though it had not
been touched. Did he see OF hearg The
case has excited much comment, and
been widely published, aud the above
comments are offered to satisfy ques-
tons that would naturally arise. The
instances are given as we haYe learned
or seen them. independent of the ply
sicians' report, but they are we'll authen
ticated.