The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1886-10-29
STRANGE RECOVER rs.


Quickly Gu cd.
One Of the diseases which were mos.
fre.u.ntiv simulated BY soldiers I'm for
mcl days was paralysis. 1t is probable
that tins was due first, to the fact tAa-
the deception was comparatively easy TO
practice, and secondly, to its being IL
those days diff u.t t. expose
1t Is certain that assumed paralysis
was often resorteJ to by malirGererSs
ana 81 is equally certain that the impOs-
ture was often successful.
Here j. a case in point.
a soldier pretended hat he had lost
the use OF his lower limbs. and for about
two years ne endured all that medical
skill and suspicion could suggest with
the view to enabling or forcing him to
return TO his duty.
On one occasion he was confined to a
small room, shelf we'll stored with
provisions being suspended over his
head. This was 50 fixed that he could
easily reach the food 10y standing upon
mis- legs, but not otherwise.
At the end of fOT,y-eght hours the
food was found not to have been touched.
He was now formally invalided, and
sent on board a transport bound for
England
While in the harbor an alarm was given
at midnight that the ship was on fire.
rush was made for the boats and when
the passengers were mustered on the
quay it was found that the paralytic in
dividual had not only saved himself, but
his trunk too.
Here is another case.
\ Ol.i.r persisted in asserting that he
had lost nearly all use OF his legs, owing
to some injury inflicted on his spine.
The story was suspected, aud he was
tested accordingly. But after a while
the patience and ingenuity OF his medl-
cal officer becoming exhausted, the man
end al IiEphgT0a
On day appointed he cTawled on
Crutches 10 the Office where he was TO re-
ceiye his discharge Having obtained
the document, he begged the officer to
read it to hlm and this was done twice.
Satisfied that it was all right, he took
the paper back, threw down his crUtChes,
darJed forward, capsiziug two men who
happened to be in his way, and dis
appeared, after taking a flying leap over
a car with a water CaSk which ObStructed
his line of retreat.
The pretensions of a malingerer to
paralysis in the following instance were
not so successful.
A deserter from the -- regiment
was tried by court martial and while in
prison declared that he had lost the use
OF his legs.
Both medical and moral mear were
tried in order TO test the truth OF his
statement Uut nothing came of them.
arms in the b, Pc of woJing his legs To
undertake their ordinary fuuctiOus-iu
vain.
After the lapse of fifteen months he
was transferred to a general hospital,
where he was confined in a solitary
prison ward.
one evening q hospital pupil, who
slept in room imm edIately over ,le
ward in which the man was confined,
thought he heard him walking about.
De atterward became cOuvuc. q Ot t..- /;
but although he tried his best TO prove
II, Lo was never successful la finding the
man on his 5yet.
At length he devised a plan for detect
ing the l.ug stor which with the sane
ton of the medical officers was carried
out. Tie -o4c- OF til aan s Ie-t ..e-.
rubbed with -Jvuase, t4- Pup. .lot,ag-
.. n~. lIs during ha process by
s.f g-#r S. OF course 3. i.lrN--
-u- +. noralss o.. what was
t...,tr .ir Of CowHaya began 10
.ars-.. lse ... the mll was Es.r- o
-,.' oa- q. ..t. and for The rest o. tho
rnl nn wa. walking about and craau-
ing He even u-Lauptcd to Escape -
climbing up q chimney London
Paper.