River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1890-12-25
GRIT AGAINST GRUB.

The Former Wins a Noteworthy Battle
Against the Psngs of Hunger-Succi. the
italian, Completes His self-Imposed Fast.
NEW YORK, Dec. 22.-Signor Succi.
the Italian faster, who began fast of
forty-five days ON Nov. at $40, ended
his task at $40 Saturday night The
little bundle of nerves, sinews and mus
Giles has accomplished what no one else
ever did or ever attempted. Other
fasters have gone forty days with
out food, but they were so weak
that they could not sit up. DIR. Tanner
could not sit mp after the tenth day. and
could not write his name after the fif-
teenth day. but Suc-i has scorned the
idea of weakening all through the weary
weeks. On his fifteenth day he rode
seven miles on lsrse-bacl1 and has
exercised every ~day since. The
doctors took the last examination
at o o'clock, the result of which
is az follows: Weight, l04g4; on Novem-
Der ) at $40, 1915: total loss of AZ
pounds, or less than a pound a day;
temperature, 9S.2; pulse, 81; respiration.
10; general condition, weak; tongue,
clear. moist and steady. The bulletin
was signed by the thirteen physicians
who have watched during the
fast. The worst attack of gastric
trouble that he hal during his fast
occurred at O'Clock Saturday. during
which his pain was SO acute that it was
feared that he would collapse, but his
indomitable viii power carried
him successfully through. From
o'clock until he took his first
cup of cocoa, at $40, his pain con-
tinued to be more or less acute.
1t was evident in many ways; by the
distortions of his face, which was
terribly shrunken; by his frequent
change OF position on the lounge upon
which he was reclining; by the nervous
tyitching of his wasted hands; by the
restless glare of his deep, sunlxen
eyes, ami in various other ways.
When the cocoa was prepared.
shortly after o'clock, Succi
got off the lounge and staggered to the
table where the nouirshiny diet was
placed. The spectacle he presented
was truly pitiable. He looked like
skeleton automaton, and when he
smiled it was simply CHASTITY. When he
slipped the cocoa there was a burst of
applause from the spectators.
During the forty-fve days of his fast
Succi drank 291 ounces of Croton water,
100 ounces of mineral water. and ate GA
ounces of ice. Resides this he took
71O drops of his elixir, which he AYERS
contained only 10 grains of opium. He
only took the elixir during thirty
days of the fast as he used more of it
during the first three and last four days.
[Succi has undergone the ordeal OF going
without food longer 10 more frequently than
any other man. II first fast was ia Italy
dozen years ago when he essayel and carried
out a fast OF thirty days This feat in a land
where eating is The principal industry at
once made MIN famous, and to
satisfy doubters he tasted thirty-five days.
Thirty-fiye times after that he showed to the
people OF Europe that he could do without food
as easily as they could draw breath. In
April OF last year he appeared in Lon
don and created q sensation by proposing to
fast for forty days. He began this fast
on St PatriclI's day and carried IL out sue
cessfully. On the day that he ended the un-
dertaking 10000 people saw him eat hearty
meal He lost thirty four pounds in that fast,
but regained 1t in two weeks He made 5000
in that under aking or about 81 500 more than
he has cleared in New York.
Other fasters have preceded Sncci in this
couatry. In 1878 Miss Mollie Fame her, OF
Brooklyn. attracted the attention of med
icll men and scientists by going with
out food for fifty days at least she
said she did - but when DIR. Hammond
offered 10 give her $1,000 IL she would
abstain for one month under surveillance
she declined the Offer Dr. Tanner who was
then practicing physician in q small Ohio
town, saw DIR. Hammond's offer TO the
Fancher woman and offered to bet that he
could abstain from food for a period
of forty days. The wager was made
and in February. 1880 DIR. Tanner be-
gan to do without food in Claren-
don Hall in this city. committee of ply
sicians who watched him declared that Tanner
had partaken OF nothing but water in the speci-
fled time In the presence Of 1900 people
he broke his fast. watermelon being his
first meal. Tanner refused to undertake the
feat second time and has never tried IT, OF
recent years the most famous fasters have
been 1.-THE Attica Sleeper and Mrs. Wuchter
the Allentown Pa paralytic, whose friends
say she went without food fOr 101 days