Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-03-15
ATTlCA'S SLEEPING WOMAN.
The Physicians Astonished that She IL
Stfll Alive.

Attica N. Y, Special to the New York Sum- March IA
The case Of Mrs. Emma Althouse, the Sleep
ing wonder, becomes more puzzling as time
passes, for she is still alive and hardly as feeble
a. she was two weeks ago. Then she was given
up as dead, to all intents and purposes, and
report was circulated that she was dead. Last
evening, when the correspondent of the Sun
called at the little two-and-a-half story cottage
at the top of Bennington HILL few rods from
the post-office, he was met by the sleepers' sis
ter, Miss hate Toms, who was rather reluctant
to talk about her sister.
Emma is very feeble" she said, ''but is able
to whisper to her attendants, and the rigor has
relapsed 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 a recum-
bent postuis in over a year."
Her present condition Is almost that of IMAM
innate life. There il q feeble flow of blood, or
rather a substituted substance, for IL has 30 de.
Perforated that 1t is unlike blood except that it
has some Of its DEMONSTRATING properties. Her
lungs respond slowly and perfunctorily, except
when she is taken with q coughing At. These
spells are sometimes SO severe that they would
be likely to rupture bloodvessel in
healthy person. Mrs. Althouse has had no long
maps since February Is, when abe awakened
from trance lasting nearly twelve days. This
ID. a
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 arti6cially most of the lukewarm milk
and water would be rejected. Dr. Retel is as
tonished that the young woman has existed this
long.
Mrs. Althouse's mental faculties at times
seem undimmed, but while awake she is fire.
quently in what Spiritualists would call trance
condition. She seems to see scenes happening
elsewhere and to be oblivious Of her own con.
dition. Recently some Spiritualists came down
from Rochester, and through the influence of
young Attiea woman, who is acquainted with
the family, succeeded in entering the sick cham
Der. to which few strangers have been admitted
since the sisters detected some men who had
attempted 70 poison the sleeper. They tried to
convince Mrs. Toms, the sleeper's mother who
is Just conyalescing from a broken leg, that
Mrs. Althouse had missed her mission and
ought to have been spiritualistic medium
They accused her Of being responsible for the
girls helpless condition, which, they said. was
due to her not having received proper advice
and aid from the Spiritualists which could
have been obtained for the asking. Az Mrs.
ment is purely ply sical. the Spiritnalists got
little satisfaction.
The Spiritualists have however, become
greatly interested in the case, and a woman
uSing near mere 0nered 70 cure Mrs. AlthOuse
if the family would consent to pay the expense
of bringing 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 it. What the sleeper herself
thinks on this subject could not learn, for the
sisters, who take turns in watching the suf-
ferer. refuse to ask or allow such questions to
be asked. As near as they would 20 toward it
was to ask the patient il she expected 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 II was
hardly audible to the sister who asked the ques-
ton Mrs. Althouse was in such apparent pros
tration that even this questioning and the
effort at q reply seemed cruel She Is only skin
and bones and weighs about IS pounds. A doc
tor who has made q study Of the case, said:
Mrs. Althouse has had two long frances one
of thirty-three and the other of thirty Ave days
duration. There have been many shorter ones
Whether she was awake or asleep do not see
how her system has withstood the loss of vital
power which has been going on over eighteen
months. thought at first il was humbug,
but don't believe 90 now. Her ailment ID an
liberated condition Of the stomach and the
membranes Of the abdominal cavity, am told,
but am not treating her and don't know.
do not zee how she exists."