Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1888-02-11
A MIND CURE DOCTOR.

CASE OF CONSUMPTION BRINGS Iii
MANY PATIENTS.
st. Louis Globe Democrat: The tu
story Of how | became a mind-cure ply
stefan will be found both instructive an
entertaining entertaining because
had a lively time and got fired" fror
the profession in dynamite style; instruc
tive because there are so many peopl
working the same racket who are smar
enough to make a success of it, as | wa
not. 1t was in the early spring that
struck the thriving New Englnnd city o.
W. was not thriving myself at thu
time and the indications were that if
didn't begin to thrive before long there
would be IN early grave beneath the
weeping chestnuts with its headboard
marked II. Fielding"
Just as the skinny fingers Of fate began
TO point with awful accuracy toward
starvation. | got the inspiration which
brought me TO W. My simple but ele-
giant plan was TO become a mind-cure doc.
tor. Why not? | knew nothing about
medicine, except that a whisky cocktail
was n good thing to take in the morning,
hut the cure by faith needs no drugs.
Certainly had faith enough, | had been
living on it ever since my creditgave out.
The only other requisites. as | had been
told. were check, good clothes, and a
soulful eye. Nature had provided me
with the first and last and with their aic
| got the second out Of a confiding tailor
Thus equipped | arrived in w, anC
ltrnI M, L.. =. mich \ N....l ,
trunlful of bricks as security for rent.
The experiment started off with n
boom. One of the local papers alluded to
me las o handsome young fraud" and in
two days j had several wealthy patients.
They were mostly elderly married ladies
who had been gcnteel mvalids for ,lany
years. Ordinary common sense told me
that there was nothing the matter with
them. and as / told them so in the de-
lightfully vacuous language Of the pro
f~ession, my conscience assured me that !
was playing the game on the dead level.
Fees OF satisfactory size were forthcom-
ing, and | ate three square meals a day
with JOY in my soul. About twice Il
week on the average | was exposed by
the papers, and as they charged me moth
ing for the advertisement | began to re-
gard the editors as jolly good fellows. |
obtaiIcl a number Of tirst-class, genuine
testimonials from ladies who preferred
the novel charm of being miraculously
cured to the worn out pleasure of being
in%curable. Mrs. j. Blank dash allowed
her pale but attractive countenance to be
pictured in the papers with the signed
statmcnt that she had been a victim to
melaucholia and indigestion for five years,
and had eaten her first hearty meal since
taking nv treatment, and had been in
good health ever since. 1t was not only
true-it wasn't half the truth. In the
first place it was ten years since she had be-
come an invalid-only she didn't want TO
give her age away; and, secondly, after
being persuaded that there was more fun
in n wonderful rejuvcnation through men
tai science she went out and had n cham
payne supper with her husband and want
ed TO try kicking the globes off the chan
.delier afterwards, because l had said that
she must take 'judicious exercise" Mr..
j. Blank Dash was a Jolly fellow who APP
preciated the great blessing of health in
his family, and he came round the next
day after the champagne supper with a
big head and u big check. He didn't
mind the head a bit, and ! was glad TO
get the check.
You're the most palpable delusion !
ever saw" said he, but I'm much
Obliged to you all the same. I'm q hum
mcr from Hummersville myself, and ] like
a wife who can share my innocent amuse-
ments, We're going to keep open house
three nights a week in the future, with Il
poker game in the parlor aud a free lunch
in he dining room. Come up and see
MS"
This was very kind, but my Joy be-
came full when Miss Winnie Whitman
Wheeler Became my patient. Winnie
was u youthful poctess. but she differed
from the rest of them in that she was
pretty and well dressed. She came to
any Office accompanied by an aun of
comfortable proportions, who went
TO sleep in my large arm chair as soon rs
| began to talk about the beliefs of dis
ease" and the unreality Of consumption,
Group w~hooping cough and other un-
comfortable but widespread decisions. 1t
appeared that the poetess had a belief
OF gently melancholy" 1t attacked her
in the evening as she gaZed upon the
mellow hucS OF the sunset and other natu-
raj phenomena. | asked if it had ever
broken out on her anywhere, and she re-
piled that it hadn't. but that in the early
spring she had suffered from "A cough
which annoyed her for fully two days and
greatly frightened her aunt. She feared
that she must be going into a decline. |
mentally observed that she was the
healthiest creature on the face Of the
footstool; but my newly awakened pro-
fessional instinct told me that she would
make a good patient. stole a glance at
the aunt. who continued to sleep at the
rate Of forty miles an hour. and then sug-
gcsted that we begin treatment at once.
"Iou fear a belief of consumption"
said !. Now. you must sit right down
by me until yon are convinced that there
is no such thing as consumption in the
world"
So we cuddlcd up in n nice, broad win.
dow seat and proceeded to put our minds
on the subject before us.
THE best way to do it, said l.. SIS to
think OF something wholly different.
FEe.e Is also a great deal in personal in
tiucnce of All occult nature, which | will
explain at q future time. Suppose you
give me your hand-that way; thanks.
Now we will talk of social matters. What
is the season going to be like in W
this ycarg'
A conversation followed which would
have been animated but for the danger OF