The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-03-16
THE SLEEPING WONDER.
Mrs. Emma Althouse, After Sleeping Thirty
Five DAYS, Still Alive.

Five Days, Still Alive.
Attica On. " Special to st. Louis Globe Democrat
The case of Mrs. Emma Althouse, the
the sleeping wonder, becomes moro puz-
cling as time passes, for she is still alive
and hardly as feeble as she was couple of
weeks ago. Then she was given up as being
dead to all intents and purposes, and a
report was circulated that she was dead
Last evening, when the correspondent of
the Globe Democrat called at the little
nington Hill, a few rods from, the
postoffice, he was met by the sleep
er's sister, Miss Kittie Toms, who was
rather reluctant to talk about her sister,
beyond saying that she was not dead yet
Emma is very feeble but is able to whisper
to her attendants. and the death rigor has
relaxed so that she can move her head and
hands. although it is not possible for her to
sit up. Indeed, she has not risen from re-
cumbent position in over year. Her pres
life. There is a feecle flow IF blood, or
rather substituted substance, for it has
so deteriorated that it is unlike blood, ex-
cept that it has some of the DEMONSTRATING
properties of the real fluid. Her lungs re-
spond slowly and perfunctorily. except
when the patient is taken with coughing
fit. These spells are sometimes so severe
that they would be liable to rupture a
blood-vessel in healthy person. Mrs. Alt
house suffers the racking pain with helpless
suits in relief
Mrs Althouse has had no long maps since
Feb. 25 when she awakened from trance
lasting nearly twelve days. This had fol-
lowed her thirty-fve- day sleep, after brief
interval. When the sleeper came out of
this trance her fate seemed sealed. Even
the little liquid nourishment, which she
had previously absorbed when awake, could
not be given her naturally, and when an
attempt was made to feed her artificially
most of the lukewarm milk and water
would be rejected: DIR. Retel is thoroughly
astonished that the young woman has ex-
listed as long as she has, for she seems
always sure to either sleep or starve herself
to death without succeeding.
Mrs. Althouse's mental faculties at times
seem undimmed, but while awake sheis
frequently in what spiritualists would call
a trance condition. She seems to see scenes
happening elsewhere, and to be obliviOus of
her own condition. Recently some spirit
ualists came down from. Rochester, and
through the influence Of young .Attica
succeeded in entering the sick chamber, to
which few strangers have been admitted
since the sisters detected some men who
had attempted to poison the sleeper. They
tried to convince Mrs. ThOms, the sleeper's
mother, who is Just convalescing from q
broken leg, that Mrs. Althouse had missed
her mission, and ought to have been a spir-
itualistic medium. They accused her of be-
ing responsible for the girls helpless condi-
ton, which they said was due to her not
having received proper advice and aid from
splritualists, which could have been OBJ
tanned for the asking. AS Mrs. Thoms is
fully satisfied that her daughters ailment
is purely, physical, the spiritualists got lit
tie satisfaction.
The spiritualists have, however, become
greatly interested in the case, and woman
living near here offered to cure Mrs. Alt
house if the family would consent to pay
the expense of bringing in medium Eddy
from Boston to aid her. The offer never
reached the Toms family, for the person
who was asked to make it said nothing
about 1t. What the sleeper herself thinks
on the subject could not be learned, for
the sisters. who take turns watching the
sufferer. refuse to ask or allow such Ques-
tons to be asked. As near as they would
go toward it was to ask the patientif she ex-
pected to go into another long trance very
soon. She said she did not, but she could
not tell much about it. Her reply was in
such whisper that 1t was hardly audible
to the sister who asked the question. Mrs
Althouse was in such apparent prostra-
ton that even this questioning and the
effort at reply seemed cruel, She is
eighty-fve pounds.
Asked about the prospects, a doctor who
has made O study of the case said to me
Mrs. Althouse has had two long frances
one of thirty-three and the other of thirty
five days duration. There have been many
shorter ones. Whether. she was awake OIL
asleep, do not see how her system has
withstOOd the loss of vital power, which
has been going on over one and hall
year. l thought at first it was humbug
liberated condition of the stomach and al
the membranes of the abdominal cavity,
am told, but l am not treating her. and
don't know. do not see how she exists.