Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1885-11-21
a SLEEPING GIRL.
Nebraska Furnishes n Sensation-Al-
most Dead and Yet Alive.

~--- HN-
Nebraska Furnishes n SENSATIONAL
most Dead N Yet Alive.
Columbus, Neb., Nov. 18-A most re-
markahle case of trance sleeping. catal-
epsy or similar mysterious malady is re-
ported from a. farm house six miles
northeast of this place. The victim of
tie physical phenomenon is Miss Min
ME Dishner, daughter of John Dishner,
a well-to-do farmer. She is, or was, a
handsome and intelligeps girl, twenty
one years old, and a general favorite in
the neighborhood. The facts, as related,
are that Monday morning, October 26th,
Miss Minnie arose and assisted with the
washing, but about o 20 complained OF
q severe headache, accompanied by an
unusual drowslness. which became 30
oppressive that she found it difficult to
move about, aud which finally overcome
her altogether. e
She lay down and at once dropped off
into o heavy sleep. After several hours
her mother attempted to awaken the
girl. hut this latter appeared as though
bound b. an irresistible stupor. Her
mother called and shook her again and
again without effect, the girl seeming to
hear and make an effort to rise, but
helpleasly.
As if by q prodigious exertion of will
power, however, she at last struggled to
her feet, opened her eyes, which before
seemed Theoretically seaicd, and endeay-
ored to speak. Her lips moved, and the
muscles OF her face worked copvulsively,
but no word was uttered Once or
twice Miss Minnie raised q hand with o
spasmlike motion, and her body twitoh.
ed from head to foot, but abe was pow.
erless to stir from the spot On which she
stood.
And q few more violent muscular, and
evidently mental struggles as well, she
again dropped back on the bed. Her
eyelids slowly dropped, the muscles re-
taxing gradually. until the eyes were
completely closed. At the same time
her body became rigid as SO much wood.
and 1.-THE extremities became cold rs
stone.
Her parents, alarmed by this singular
condition, at once summoned the family
physician, who Treated the case lightly,
declaring the girl was simply FRUSTRATED
from overwork and nervous excitement,
and he said abe would be about all right
the next day.
b he called .aas next dag, however,
Miss Minnie was in exactly the same
state, except that her face had assumed
q more death like pallor, and the ex-
tremities seemed colder than before. The
parents now became almost frantic, be-
lieving Miss Minnie was dead, and the
old doctor acknowledged he could in no
way account for the remarkable case.
He called in another physiclan, who.
made q careful examination, but could
reach no definite or positive agreement
as TO the exact nature OF the girls CON
dition.
They sll de cid sd that she was In some
kind OF q trance, but frankly confessed
they could not thoroughly ana1yze the
symptoms, none Of them having seen
anything of the kind before. The best
medical authorities within reach were
then summoned, but with no satisfao-
tory results for the parents.
livery effort was made to. revive the
t~ranoebound girl without avail, and Dur
ing the interim OF over three weeks from
the time b was taken down until the
present she has lain an rigid and cold az
marble, and with every appearance, to
the spectator unacqnainted with the
Anoect ~ ~ kSSs 6u0 Ahu ubltI0E par
taken Of food. spoken d syllable nor NOV
q muscle in all this time.
But perhaps the most wonderful and
peculiar feature of the case is that with
IN the last few days Miss Minnie has at
intervals been subject to crying spells;
at least great tears have trickIed from
her motionless eyes aud coursed down
her ~lifeless. cheeks.
This strange feature of the case, to-
gether with the beating Of her pulse and
her breathing, both faint yet perceptible,
has been the only sign Of physical life.
1t is believed by the doctors that the
tears are signs Of a speedy termination
OF her trance sleep, eisher for better or
wose.
The family, alarmed beyond measure
at the daughter condition, and DESTROYS
OF avoiding unpleasant notoriety, have
been aAsidnons in preventing the cir
onmstances from reaching their neigh
bors. sN5one has been allowed to see
the PROSTATE girl, the answer to all in
qulries being that she had gone away on
. visit. The facts. however, leaked out
to-day from one Of the consulting doc
tors.