Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-02-23
SIX WEEKS WITHOUT FOoD.
"a Woman Who has Eaten Nothing and
Drank Little Since Jan. !.

"a Woman Who has Eaten Nothing and
Drank Little Since Jan. !.
Bloomsbury n. j. is a small village on
the line of the New Jersey Central Rail-
road, about seven miles from Philipsburg,
the border station between New Jersey
and Pennsylvania. Mrs. Crandall came
to the village about eight years ago from
the interior of New York State. She is a
native CT Ireland and about GA years of
age. Four years ago she tell while pass
ing through a doorway leading into her
yard and struck her back violently
upon door sill, receiving a per-
manent injury to the spine.
Since then her body has been
bent forward, and she has been able to
walk only with the aid of erutches. Soon
after her fall, having no means of sup
port, she became charge upon the town
ship and has since lived with Overseer
Laire, who has an extension ON the side
Of his house in which the town paupers
are kept. When admitted to the poor
house she was somewhat above the aver.
age weight, and soon began to accumu-
late flesh with great rapidlty. This habit
continued, and when taken sick about
three months ago she had become
so tat as to be hardly able to move, and
was estimated to weigh at least $50
pounds. She complained when she first
became i'll of severe pains in the abdomen
and of nausea, but insisted upon getting
up from her bed every day until about 2
months ago, when she became so weak
that she was unable to move from her cot.
Her symptoms indicated a rather severe
attack of Inflammation of the lining men,
branes of the stomach. DR.. j. >. Linda
berry, who attends cases of sickness at
the pOOr-hOuse. prescribed some tOnics
for Mrs. Crandall, but the treatment did
not have much effect.
On Jan. 7 she was fed some beef soup
for her monday meal by OVerseer Laire.
After eating few spOOnfuls she was at
tackled with a sudden faintness, fell upon
her pillow and Immediately began to
VOmit not only what she had eaten, but
also large quantity of dark green fluid.
The next time food was offered to her bv
the nurse she said:
Il will never eat again."
When the nurse insisted that she must
eat if she wanted to get well, she replied:
Il can live without it. When l get
hungry Pll let you know"
Since that time-43 days ago-she has
not taken a particle of food. She not only
refuses to eat, but on seeing food will be
attacked by violent spasms, which are
followed by severe retchings and a period
of apparently suspended animation. The
room in which she is kept is small. Her
cot is in one corner of it, and diagonally
across the room is another cot, in which
a young girl has lain for some weeks sick
with pneumonia. The sight of feeding
this other patient has caused Mrs. Gran
dali great agony, and a screen was placed
between the cots.
She is still stout, though it is estimated
that she has lost $50 pounds. Her face,
surmounted by snow white hair, was
deathly pale. When asked if she would
like piece of chicken. a shudder passed
over her body and she did not answer.
When any portion of her body was touched
she shrunk away and indicated pain.
Her feet and legs to the knees are and
have been icy cold to the touch. Her
flesh is fiabby and the skin a mass of
wrinkles.
Overseer Laire and the nurses are con-
sldered trustworthy people, and their
statements that no food has been taken
by Mrs. Crandall sine Jan. are believed
by the townspeOple. DIR. Lindaberry es-
Inmates that Mrs. CrandalPs body con-
tains enough flesh to keep her alive 80
days longer without food.