The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-12-27
LIVING AS ANoTRsR GIRL.
Remarkable Psychic Transformation
OF Mary Venaum.
From The Cincinnati Enquirer.

remarkable Psychic Transformation
OF Mary Venaum.
From the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Or. Richard Hodgson is preparing for the
next Issue Of the London Journal of Fsgch-
zeal Research an exhaustive paper on the
case Of Mary Vennum, and il is a strange
story. Mary Vennum is a young girl, real
flesh and blood heroine. living to-day with
her parents in Rollins county, Kansas, and
Tor the present clothed in her right mind.
But In her fourteen years she has lived two
lives, two separate. individual existences.
tor almost a year this girl lived and
talked and ate as an entirely distinct psr-
sonalIty. 1t cannot be said that she
thought she was this other girl into whose
individuality her own had been transferred
Tor she was that other girl The Mary Koff
whom she became and remained for nearly
twelve months had died several years be-
fore. Yet where her life had been broken
by death Mary Vennum took il up, con-
tlnued its interrupted duties, went to hive in
her old home and could not be dragged
away.
She strongly resembled the dead girl, and
IN pity they let her live in the Kotf house
hold, hoping, too. that she would be cured
In time, for they thought that she was SUI
ferlng from a disease.
her STORY DREW HIM.
Her story finally got abroad, and it has
puzzled no end of students of such phenom-
ena- Finally DR.. Hodgsor, who Is the Sec
rotary of the English Psychical Society, has
had his attention called TO the girl. He has
gone carefully. step by step, over Mary
Nennum S whole life, and not only authen-
ticates all the strange details of this tale of
transformation, but has gathered much ad-
dltionaL material, which ne will weave into
his treatise.
Mary was subject to cataleptic fits; after
one OF these she didn't know her parents,
and began to talk of things about the kon
house and articles in II that her parents
knew nothing about. The Nennun family
took the girl to the f<offs, as she was al
ways pleading to be taken home.
There she stage perfectly content From
the moment she first stepped inside the door
she treated all the members of the house
hoId as old acquaintances. She understood
all their pecdliarities as If she had been
reared among them. She was perfectly
familiar with every piece of furniture and
every chair and picture, and seemed in every
way happy and contented.
A WONDERFUL INSIGHT.
Though she had never even visited the
place before, she Immediately recognized
every object that had belonged to the dead
girl, and called it her own. One day she
ran through the house several times as
though looking for something, aud she after
ward said to Mrs. Koff: mother, where is
Gyps | want to see MIN. L am afraid he
has not been properly cared for"
Gyp had been the favorite pet of Mary
Koff, and had been buried eleven years. His
| name had never been mentioned before
| Mary, and the Koffs never remember to
have spoken of HIM since their acquaintance
with the Vennums.
REAL THOUGHT TRANSPARENCY.
Many other instances of like nature are
| given by the doctor. Mr.. Hodgson claims
that he eau verify the story with the best
of testimony. He regards the affair as a re-
markable case Of thought transference, and
explains it thus "The girl was suffering
from frequent and acute attacks of cata-
| lepsy. While in this condition she was Wis
tied by Mr.. and Mrs. Kof. She reminded
them forcibly Of their departed daughter,
whom she resembled very much.
Their daughter had died of the same dis
order, and had displayed the same symp-
toms. What could be more natural then,
| If thought transference is ever possible
without the aid Of the senses, than that the
intense feelings toward their absent daugh-
ter, just aroused, should impress her person
ality upon the cataleptic childs and when
the communion between the different minds
had been once established independent OF
the senses, what should hinder the continu
ance for an indefinite period~