The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-07-31
A WORKER OF MIRACLES.
vpENoH PEASANT WHO HAS
CREATED A SENSATION.

NE ,,,rrespondent London GLOBE
=. ,rorld.bave been surprising hadstne i'm
- nassed over without the reappear-
&c - +ba nbenomenon known as the mir
acla worker. The last time ne croPpeu ~
- IN the person of the ZouaVe jacob, VINO
-, -. paris upside down with MS perform
'u' - ,,-Iav it is q young man in the coun-
a. y, has suddenly discovered hlmseIi 10
~ a.sossad of supernatural powers AT
oe p - ,ras treated as a myth, but the rush
=. 49, cradulous and superstitlous 90 see
Vi w -, e,raat that there can be no longer
arv doubt Of his existence Nip"Yn90
Montent is about IS years OF age Vi pow
arfr1 bnild. with large blue eyes anu I"olp
800 ,,,ustache. He is what the lauies Cn4
-, hum He lives in the hlpuIit.n
lH 49, - R,ulassers. in the lsiaLd on O4e
snot dear to the romanclstS VI w 0iu
sch0ol not far from La hocHelAe .b;id-o,
H. Youngest of a family OF nIno and
Ooe of his sisters is III Iu al balm,
G;Y,saIf is said to have had ~ "a LEU ''I
ne n.i,Te when only 10 years old. Al pres
~ hoords and lodges with larIner
enU ~ Fleurv for whom ne mas
ha uleu - an ordinary laborer for some
~ 80 now that be has become miracle,
Iline, III he is regarded by his landlord ana
in15IoJv ss a superior being ana Is allo"eo
=. - his consultations IN theIr Oess Eooin-
That diversity Of opinion conce, nin9 nis
IedI ,'atrral. some say be Is sorcerer,
oui1 saint. but nearly all profess TO De-
49, in his miraculous gifts, and SICK per
80 from all parts are tiocklng TO undergo
s s1;aoare Which consists chiefly in touching
mir n hands or feet and making the sign OF
the cross. " -, 1910 10
Oiaron 10 interview Montaut. The task, 1t
anDears, was not easy, owing to the opposi-
ton of Nine. Fleury, VINO IS taxing Tue
greatest care If him, and is afraid that MS
occnlt poWers may be deteriorated by com
ingint1 TOO close a contact with vulgar out
eifsrs He found the miracle worker
enjoying a plate of soup and wine ike
co1,mon mortal. Four or five invalids were
,vaiting TO be operated on. The journalist
desired to be present at the
sgt sit is too late to-day" re-
ni1ed the good landady. "Alphonse
has already worked too much To-Day
and Won must all come again tomorrow"
But the interviewer was not to be baked,
and asked to have a short chat with Mon
taut After further hesitation she con-
sented and here is what he said; ~ under
stand perfectly what l do. 1t is thanks TO
the power which Providence has given me.
That power was revealed to me in vision
when was still very young, but tue voice
which told me | could cure sickness Ill
formed me at the same time that | was yet
TOO Young and too feeble to make use or
the gift. At the age of IA | announced to
Mime. Fleury thai ! should cure her of an
infrmity from which sue suffered and for
which she had in vain consulted more than
twenty doctors. Ga attaining l4A years
new vision which l had assured
me that | should soon be
able to exercise the power
bestowed on me by the Almighty. As soon
Us | felt strong enough | began to work.
have never studied medicine and am igno-
rant of the maladies brought before me
and yet there is not a single illness l cannot
curl. My only book of medicine is this,
and he took up from the table an old copy
Of the New Testament. 1t was evident
from his conversation that he did not know
anyehiug about medicine, but it was alsC
evident from certain mysterious phrases hC
dropped that he had heard of books OF
magnetism and the like. The only explana
ton ne would give of his power was that i
was "a kind of fluid which first hypnotizeC
and then cured his patients. At times h
spoke IN the oracular mood, and was so In
coherent that the journalist failed to under
stand what he uttered. And SO the inter
view ended
The journalist, however, managed to OF
tain further information from a gendarm
who has been ordered to make an inquir
into the subject. ut is really marvellous,
said he. You must see it to believe it. !
few hours ago there were six women seate
in the room. Montaut made them laugh 0
cry, just as he pleased. OIe Of then
while waiting at the door for her turn, wa
seized with nervous fit. He had only t
pass his hand over her face and she immed
ately became calm and sensible. 1t is a
nonsense to talk about fraud The affai
Is clearly genuine. When l entere
the room he offered to undress hi1
self to show that he had not &C
an electric pile hidden in b
clothes" There Is nothing very novel
this, save to the simple mind of the villae
gendarme. Wonderful cures, however, al
reported all the same. Among them ma
be mentioned man whe had suffered froI
/ rheumatism for seventeen years, and VIII
mad been cured after one or two visits
the miracle wonder; another man has had
lame leg set all right after one touch of h
hand; scrofulous girl has been turnt
INTO beauty and an old weman who hi
walked on crutches for fifteen years CO
now run race with anybody of her az
Montaut scorns everything in the shape
Physlc; his treatment is purely magnet
he looks at his patient full IN the face,
tells him at once what is his ailment, al
Then, taking him by both hands and placir
his feet on thoss of the invalid,
makes a few cabalis'ic signs or passes ov
The affected part and exclaims: "Go, Y,
are lealed." And the most miraculous DC
Gion OF the operation is that the patier
beheve Themselves cured, or at least co
aderably relieved. and go away joyful.
is SAID that no fewer than q hundred perso
apply to him daily. Some disbelievers ha
trled to catch him by feigning sickness, b
IN Vain-he detects them a once. He ney
asks Tor fees, but accepts what is offer
nm, whether in money or kind. His fal
mas tecome such that the hamlet is unaI
10 provide accOmm dalton for the influx
SICK pilgrims, and new hotels are being r
up and wineshops established; in short,
whole Island is in state of feverish col
motion
As matter of course, the legal authc
. .ieS nave got their eyes on him, and YOU
mohtaut Is afraid they will put stou
us dolngs, for his science does not includ
knowledge of the way to avoid the artie
VI Vhe code relative to the unla W full pras
oi medicine. But he affects TO have as
SION and is willing to suffer for it if 1 a
sary. 50 far the doctors have not Ii to
complaint against him. They alem-
thlnk that his miracles will die outs will
serves ere long, and that their psln the
return to them wiser if not bet1ay, not
meanwhile he is the lion of but also
only throughout his native dishe is the
G Y the Paris boulevards, whtaut, like
TnrNSsn 80