Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-10-13
THE MAGICAL FOUNTAIN.
A Young Woman on the Brink OF the
Grave Almost Instantaneously
Restored TO Health.
Plungipg Invalids into the Ice Cold waters
OF tho FountRin-A Shrine visited by
Thousands.

lsVuIutt AtkitI IN Aut oan IhntlrNN 1NNbuANAfs
The feast OF Our Lady OF Mount Carmel,
Friday, July l6, 1886, was the twenty
eighth anniversary Of the eighteenth and
last apparition in the grotto OF the rocks
OF Massabielle OF the Virgin Mary TO
Bernadette, the poor peasant child Of
Lourdes. The wonderful and interesting
legend OF the apparltions OF Lourdes has
so long passed into history, and is so
widely and universally known throughout
Chrstendom, that he who has not heard
OF the fountain of the grotto OF Lourdes,
In the Pyrenees, and It's real or supposed
miraculous cures, must most assuredly
have been leading a Rip Van Wrinkle ex-
iStence in some lakewood forest during
the last quarter OF a century. / shall no
linger, therefore, 10 enter into any details
regarding its origin, but proceed at once
to give your readers short account Of
most remarkable cure effected by the use
of It's waters on July lG, Of and of
which |, with hundreds of others, was a
witness. Since my arrival at Lourdes |
had been much Impressed by the remarkn-
able evidences TO be seen OF the intense
faith OF thousands Of people in the super
natural origin Of the fountain and the
lulIhkuAOuN GuAtH MOIhtu Nv lIb MhLtIH.
Being on the spot ! vas extremely anx-
ious to witness some clear proof, as II is
but natural one should desire, in such
matters, to see and vouch for oneself
But / certainly had no idea that my wish
would so soon be gratlfied. Though the
weather has been very wet and unpropi-
tious for several days past, still the an
nlversary feast had attracted, as is usual
on that day, hundreds Of pilgrims and Wis
itors from near and far to the now world
famous grotto. Among the many ar
rivals on that eventful morning my atten-
tlon was quickly drawn TO group who
had driven up close to the grotto In car
rage containing sick person lying at
full length on mattress. She proved to
be young woman, twenty-five years Of
age, though looking much younger.
have seen many sick persons in my
lifetime, but | can truthiully say that
do not remember ever seeing one more
corpse-like in appearance. Sne was lifted
gently from the carnage and carried into |
one OF the bathrooms adjoining the |
grotto. The water from the fountain is
led into them through an iron pipe, and |
they are so arranged that sick persons can |
be easily immersed in the water in its |
natural state and temperature, which is |
icy cold. II was about O'Clock In the |
afternoon when she was carried, help |
less and apparently almost lifeless, into |
the bathroom, and in less than an hour
af.erward she was able TO walk unalded |
from the baths To the grotto, distance
OF couple hundred feet. Though able TO |
stand and walk, she was still evidently
very weak, and was placed sitting in a
in front OF the statue of the
Virgin In the niche over the grotto. She
remained there for over two hours, hum
dreds OF persons continually circllng and
pressing round to see and question her
She kept her eyes fixed on the statue and
seemed full OF JOY and gratitude for her
release from life OF pain and agony, and
when at last the time came for her depart
ure for home shall never forget the deep
look OF affection and gratitude In those
large, dark eyes as, with the tears stream
Ing down her thin wan cheeks, she gave
one last, long gaze upward to the beauti-
ful face of the Virgin. There was some
thing painful In the sight-it seemed SO
like the tearing away of loving child
from her mothers arms When she
reached the carriage In which sne had ar
rived, and in which still lay the mattress
on which she bad lain during her Journey
to the grotto, one Of the fathers asked her
II she still felt cured and able TO walk.
"fes, certainly, father" she smilingly
answered, and Immediately got up out OF
the invalid's chair in which she was sit
ting and in presence Of the large crowd
OF people assembled to see her off, walked
aud moved easily to and fro, and, un-
aided, climbed up into the carriage. "This |
Is undoubtedly most remarkable and
miraculous cure,n said a gentleman
standing near. at is certainly q very
wonderful and instantaneous cure,n re-
piled the priest, "but before IL can be pro- |
nounced upon as miraculous cure IL |
will have to be submitted to the medical |
tests and examinations usual In such |
cases, and the testimony Of the physicians |
who have attended the case and other wit |
nesses will have to be procurod.n
shall now let the Countess de Puy, an |
English lady married TO a French noble |
man, and who has for years devoted her !
self wholly to the care and service OF the |
sick brought to battle in the water of the |
grotto, relate in her own words what took |
place on this occasion In the bathroom.
AS this devoted lady has had great exper-
fence In the baths, 1t Is left to her iudg-
ment In great measure whether II be
prudent or not to allow the sick person
NhNNA eiN ndhtls ne sudden SHOCK
she said, in reply to my question, ''is GER
tainly very trying, as the water Is SO cold
STILL | have never known OF any acct
dent occurring in the baths, although
nave seen persons afflicted with almost
every ailment our poor humanity is heir
TO placed In them. But this y:ung
woman seemed In such a dying condition
that was afraid to allow her to be placed
IN the bath, so we simply sponged her
body over with the water. We had
hardly finished doing so when she said
she felt that she could stand by herself.
told her to try, and she Immediately
stood erect without support, and asked to
De dressed, as she felt she was able to
walk, We did not know how TO comply
with her wishes, as she had been brought
without shoes or stockings or any other
article OF clothing except the long white
gown In which she had lain in the car
rage, wrapped up in blankets. Fortu-
nateiy we had a pair of slippers in the
room, and some kind friends ran quickly
and brought the other necessary articles