Omaha daily bee., 1889-07-06
WILL DIE LAUGHING,
A Curious Case of Paralysis of the
Muscles of the jaw.

Joseph Oscar johnson, who was sent
to the county county hospital the other
day, is most remarkable person, says
Macon, Ca, dispatch to the New York
Herald. His physician tells him that
he is destined to die with smile on his
lips. He is u paralytic. His left side
is entirely useless, making his locoipo-
tion slow and difficult, and rendering 1T
impossible for him to follow his trade,
that of locomotive engineer. The stroke
that has made him so unfortunate came
on him some two months ago while ho
was in the act Of laughing The
result was that the muscles Of the face
which are brought into play while
laughing we're either destroyed or
rendered so weak that he has no con-
troll over them whatever. His con-
dition is now that while he fain would
cry over his misfortunes he is compelled
to laugh. 1t is not Il broad and hearty
laugh, but " silent laugh, too quiet for
n roar and yet more than smile. 1t is
q sort of cross between u broad grin and
ha-ha-ha. During q recital of his
many troubles, which embrace every
species of ill-luck, he laughs as though
1t was all big joke, and in conse-
quenco his appeals for aid are mis-
Judged. His story is an interesting one,
especially so VIXEN he endeavored to
have us much fun rs Coal Oil Johnny.
MY name is Joseph Oscar johnson,
name enough to hang me-" he said,
'and when | reached my majority | fell
heir TO $4,000. I wanted to see the
world, and after trip over the United
States | took u notion to go to South
America. II was there that saw the
bread-fruit tree, and | reckon that
made the, most impression on me for
We been praying for the sight of
bread-fruit tree ever since. After |
spent all my money | settled in North
Carolina, where | married the daughter
of q smoking tobacco manufacturer, and
she's there now with five of my child
ren-poor things. Over here in Trenton,
in South Carolina, / was liking an IN
spirator on an engine when the stroke
came. The doctors say that | will
always laugh, that / will die laughing.
DO laugh at Jokes? Certainly | do,
and hear some every day so old that
they have whisliers on them, but am
compelled to laugh at 'em. Lord knows
| don't want to laugh. It's awful hard
on a fellow to have to laugh all the
time. Think of my telling my wife and
children good-by and listening to their
prayers for my recovery of health, and
vet laughing rs though it was some
funny stories they were telling me.
Think of the pleasures that can 7 en-
Joy. If go to church the congregation
puts me down as fool; and it is great
deal worse if go to the funeral of even
my best friends. / have been
kicked all over streets because ladies
thought l was laughing at them. l
spent II terrible night in the woods re-
Gently. The rain came down in floods,
and my crippled leg refused to carry
me to house I saw in the distance,
where l might obtain shelter. Next
morning, chilled through and through,
us hungry as wolf and suffering ex-
cruciatihg agony in every bone, |
crawled to the house and asked for q
bite of something to eat. The people
saw me laughing and would not believe
my story. | grew almost desperate, and
appealed to them for the love of heaven
to Relieve my distress, but they thought
was only joking and turned me away.
No, gentlemen, my laugh Is against
me-"
And then, us the tears poured from
his eyes while he thought over his trou-
| bles, he WAS laughing like hyena.