The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-05-29

cksers Completely.
One Mondey afternoon a boy, hand.
some and, well dressed, suddenly fell to
the floor of the postoffice corridor and
.ay as if dead. Several persons FASTENED
to carry hina into Postmaster Riley's pri.
vate Office, where he was stretched upon
table near the door. The postmaster
at once sent for the nearest physician,
DIR. Heron, and while awaiting his COM
ing directed and assisted in the work OF
restoring the lad to consciousness. All
efforts were in vain, and the boy lay with
his eyes closed and his breath coming
family and spasmodically through his
parted lips.
The postmaster found in the lads in
side pocket card, on which was writ
ten: IF l am taken sick send for my
father, - -, No. Sycamore
street." The boy is the son of very
wealthy merchant, and the grandson of
one of the pioneer citizens of Cincinnati.
The beautiful family homestead is near
Latonia, Ky. Postmaster Riley at once
sent for the father, who arrived stimuli
taneously with the doctors.
The father looketT at his boy sadly,
and shook his head, while the tears
coursed down his cheeks. The boy was
still in the same peculiar state of uncon-
seriousness. DR.. Heron was preparing
to supplement the simple restoratives
already applied, but the father told him
it was of no use. Said he:
"My boy has within the past year be-
come subject to fits of very remark.
able character. He is about to have one
Of these fits, and it will last an hour"
HISTORY OF THE BOY.
The character of the boys attack is in
deed strange. He is now about II years
old. About four years ago he was stu
dent in the preparatory department OF
Kenyon college, at Gambler, o. At that
time he had quarrel with one of his
fellow students, older than himself. The
quarrel resulted in fight which was
bitterly contested, and during which his
boy strained himself and overweight
his entire nervous system. Shortly after
ward he was sent to Colorado on visit.
One day he was out hunting with a
friend and was shot through the left
lung. The shooting is said to have been
accidental, but there has always been
a mystery about it, and the boy would
never tell what happened.
His nervous system, impaired by the
terrible fight, was completely unstrung
by the wound Some months afterward
the boy was seized with an epileptic at
tack, during which he acted over again
in detail the two great and unfortunate
events of his life.
About ten persons were standing about
the unconscious lad, who lay upon the
floor where his father had directed them
to put him. The father took away his
watch and his knife and left him his
handkerchief. In few moments the
boy began to writhe, and then followed
a scene which has probably never been
duplicated in the history of medicine.
THE TERRIBLE SCENE.
The boy proceeded to act out the Sghs
at Gambler. First he thrust out both
fists and struck several blows at the
empty air, Then came the graphing.
The lad seemed to be straining to throw
or shake off his unseen and mythical an
tagnnist. The muscles of his neck swell
ed out, his hands twitched, his face be.
came dark red from the rush of blood.
Now and then he would strike out with
all his might, and grit his teeth savagely
Finally he seemed to writhe and strain
more vigorously, but with less success
against his adversary. At last his back
was arched high from the floor upon
which he was lying, and then he sunk
back as if exhausted and overcome. He
had given perfect picture OF a terrific
athletic contest of a weak man against
stronger.
For few moments he lay very still,
and then began to act out the shooting
in Colorado. Suddenly he threw himself
along the floor, while his face writhed
with agony. He then clutched at his
breast in the left side, and his face grew
deathly white. His lips murmured, and
he was heard to say in a low, hoarso
voice: "Don't telegraph father that I'm
shot. Don't-don't-don't." Then he
muttered: 1T is bleeding. must stop
the blood" and ceasing to clutch at the
place where only scar now remains CT
a once terrible wound, he began to look
through his pockets. He soon found his
handkerchief, and raising himself upon
ais elbow pressed the cloth against his
breast, while his closed eyes seemed bent
upon it.
"Too large, too large he muttered,
and, putting the end Of the hanAherckief
in his mouth, he twisted it until he had
made sharp point. This he thrust
against his breast. His features relaxed,
a satisfied smile came over his face, and
he sank back into what seemed almost
as natural as sleep.
During all this time the father had
stood by with blanched face and eyes
streaming tears, watching every move
ment of the writhing body of his child
When the last act of the shooting trsSois
was over he gave sigh Of renef. sng
few minutes the boys eyes opened. In
five minutes more he was sitting up, and
in fifteen minutes he walked from the
Office with his father, apparently not the
least exhausted from what he had just
been through.-Cincinnati Commercial
Gazette.