The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-02-12
SHE lHIRSTS FOR BLOOD.
Strange Malady Of a Young Girl Of
Atlanta.

The malady of a most remarkable
and distressing nature has recently
attacked the young daughter Of
Winthrop Davis, who owns one of the
largest sawmills in the vicinity OF
Atlanta. The young lady is in her
sixteenth year, and when in her nor
NAL health is of an amiable, rather
shrinking disposition, and possessed
of no small claim TIC beauty, besides
being intelligent and well advanced in
her studies. About three months ago
she fell into a low, melancholy state,
and displayed a singular aversion to
all society, refusing entirely to con-
verse attimes and exhibiting a sullen,
angry disposition when questioned or
demonstrated with.
All food was rejected for several
days until a piece of freshly killed
beef was accidentally brought into her
presence, when she threw herself upon
it with all the savage greediness OF a
fainished animal, and began to tear
and rend it with her teeth, sucking
the blood with a relish. Since then.
at periods varying from three to seven
days, she is seized with the same thirst
for blood, and when brought in sight
of it will drink it with avidity, in
spite of all efforts made to restrain
her. Such efforts are attended with
much danger, for during these attacks
she fails to recognize even the mem
bers of her family, and will snap and
bite at any n attempting to modest
her.
Her entire appearance undergoes a
change, her usually gentle expression
becoming inhumanly ~ferocious, her
eyes ~bloodshot and glaring, while her
jaws snap furiously and she keeps up
a hideous snarling and growing. Her
face becomes suffused with blood and
her hair bristles on her head like6hat
of an angry animal. Once satiated
with blood she falls into a deep sleep,
as If from intoxication, and on awak-
ening seems to have no remembrance
whatever of her singular attack, and
is once more her quiet, lady-like self,
only complaining of severe headache,
which frequently lasts until her next
seizure.
Physicians who have seen her are at
a loss to account for the cause of her
malady, and have up to the present
failed entirely to relieve her. By the
dOkNlCS I'll aCfCAaL3 otuS1A4pb 1SNO OCNAA
made to keep her from the sight of
blood, but the result is so distressing
that it is now thought best to allow
her to crafty her unnatural thirst.
Unable to do SO otherwise, she
attacked her own flesh, tearing it
without any apparent pain and suck
ing the blood.
On another occasion, when seeming
Iy herself, her attention was attracted
to a younger brother, who, having cut
his hand, entered the house for the
purpose of having the bleeding cash
bound up. She instantly leaped
across the room and without warning
seized the boys hnrt hand in her
mouth and bit him to the bone. 1t
was only with the greatest difficulty
that she could be made to release him
and when finally forced to let go gave
vent to her rage in hoarse cries or
rather screams, like a wild beast
cheated of its prey.
Mr.. Davis and his wife are persons
of education and refinement, and pro-
fess themselves entirely unable to ac-
count for their daughters peculiar
affection, as on both sides for genera
tions there has never been any intern
perance or mental disease.--Cte0etGnd
Times.