The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-11-03

.l''NhNAhthA' itthsf ''V NShoN eat "a
territorial frauds, produced by designing
persons Others AFRO examples OF sub
jcctivc sensation, suggested by the con-
temptation OF the pains OF the cruciiiS.
ion. The case OF Mrs. StuckonborC, ii
genuine, seems 10 belong 10 this class.
Others and tlicgo are the most numcr-
ors-arc the irresponsible sclt.iniiction
OF Injuries by persons In the hystcriCo
catalcp,ic condition, u state easily rec
ognized. To this category appcrtain,
no doubt, tho numerous cases men
toned rs having occurred among the
nuns OF the franciscan and Dominican
orders in their anxiety to,.outdo one
another.
That many are intentional frauds,
produced on patients BY designing per-
sons, there can be no doubt.
Derjon in his work IA Grande
lIystcric Chez rtloHmc," published in
1856, quotes = case mentioned by NM.
Dourru and Eurot i'll the roges lloiica'c,
August29 1885, OF bloody sweat and
red letters marked OH tho arm OF II
sensitive while in tho hypnotic state by
simply tracing them with the finger
and willing them to appear. How
many dcCcptions can thus be practicel
by designing persons!
MAdiNArroN rLAYs \ FART.
That Imagination plays tho greatest
part in the production Of these various
phenomena noticed in bona idc
sticmati2ed persons there can also be
no doubt. It Is we'll known that no
proofs whatever exist in tho Gospels
that jesus feet We're laceratei with
naiia. nor cvon that his hands were
pierced. " was not customary 10
pierce the hands and foot OF those who
suffered punishment on The cross On.
cep: in the case OF great criminals. The
condemned were tied with rope, and
left to die from exposure, starvation
and fatigue brought on by the strained
position.
Not one Of the writer's OF the Gospels
states how Jesus was aiIiScd 10 the
cross. Luke in his 'Acta oil the Apos-
tlcs,' v, so, and X, 30, cmphaticaliy
says Jesus whom yo slew and hanged
on tree"
Tho mailing OF lis hands and feet is
altogether piece OF fancy work Of the
ar:ists who painted Tho cruciiixiOn.
This is most important factor in the
calculation OF The cases uEdcr consider
alton, Tor it is clear that ii JcsuB's hands
and feet were not wounded they did not
bleed and the stigmatl cannot be iac.
SMILES OF wotmds that never existed,
nor tho blood oozing IRON the hands
and feet OF tho stiSmatizcd and exact
representation OF tia. which never
flowed from the hands and feet OF Jesus.
Such pathological phenomena must
therefore be tho effect OF The patients
Imagination excited by the Hc0litcmpIa-
ton OF tho cruci.i. and images OF the
crucifxion.
Again. how to explain the pcriolicity
OF the phenomenon, which In all cases
presents itself OH Fridays? Very easily
again the play OF Imagination. There
is no mention anywhere in the Gospels
that the crucitlxion took place on that
day, which was unknown in the chrono-
logical arrangement OF time when these
writings were indted. But those IN
whom the stiGmata have appeared
knew nothing OF that. They had been
told it took place on Friday. They be-
lieved it; that was enough. Hence the
production Of the phenomenon on the
day they imagined the wounds to have
been inflicted.
As to the oozins OF blood through the
pores OF the skin under the strain OF
strong mental excitement, it is 4 dis
ease known to physicians rs hcma-
tidross blood swcatingl. a VOL known
example, related BY Luke in his gospel,
is TINT OF Jesus sweating blood III the
garden OF Gethsemane.
MRS. sTucEENBoRG's CASE.
Let lis now consider The case OF Mrs.
stuckcnborg, taking it Tor granted that
it is gcnuine-:hat is, that she is not a
sensitive acting under the will OF a
hypnotiZcr, who keeps in the back
ground. Then We are in the presence
OF n case OF self-unconscious hypnotiza-
ton, since We are told that SHE has good
health.
She is presented as being a devout
Catholic OF Il very religious and cnthusi-
astic temperament, living Incst OK
emplary life. She is about twenty-five
years old. She can neither read nor
write and is iairly intelligent. She ut
tends daily the services in the church
OF St. Cecilia, but has selected for her
conicssof, not Father Mackin, the past
or, but, for some reason, Father RalIc, 4
member OF tho Society OF Jesus, OF St.
Charles Borromeo's church. The room
in which she lives is adorned with in
Vulnerable religious cmblcms. Around
the walls there are at least twenty-five
or thirty Cruciiixes. Pictures OF the
cruciliction also abound. There is an
urn OF holy water and various other
insignia Of the church.
Her irsttraiico occurred las. Afay, but
it wac not until after the third attack
that she conildcd to her family that
she was a partakcr Of the passion Of
Christ. She said sho suffered all the
agonies OF crucliixion. Since then her
pastor and her confossor have been con.
slant attendants at the frances.
This ID certainly very clear cage, the
explanation OF which does not require
divine intervention. 1t will be noticed
first, that shc is OF very religious and
enthusiastic temperament; second, that
although fairly intelligent, she is ALSO
!utoly gnorant-cannot, therefore,
know, unless told, anything concerning
tho tradi:ionR OF Jcsus's crucilixion;
third, that although sho attends daily
at st. Cecilia church, the pastor is not
her conlessor-Why? fourth, that she
has had continually. every minute OF
the day, before her eyes, cruciiixes and
limoges Of the crncifxion, that leave
upon al impressiblc imagination, aided