The Portland daily press., 1891-04-15
CURED sY ELECTRICITY.
Something About Electric Cars That
VIII Please All But Doctors.

A story comes from the Eastern part.of
the state which holds out the hope that the
people Of Portland ultimately and the for
tunate people of Deering Immediately may
be the happiest of mankind. The coming
electric cars are the possible sources Of all
this good fortune.
vouched for by a Bangor paper, and concerns
Mrs. Isa Hartman, Of Cherryfeld. Me-, who
was a confirmed invalid eight weeks ago, but
now, to use her own picturesque statement,
Is completely cured, and as young as was
at 16, when could jump over fye-rail
fence without touching hand"
Without stopping to comment upon the
unusual and really phenomenal sprightll-
ness of Mrs. Hartman as damsel, 1t will
be sufficient to give the story Of her long de-
cline and the rapid cure by the electric car
treatment
Twelve years ago she was stout, fieshy,
red-faced healthy woman, the wife Of we'll
to-do farmer and capable Of doing all Of her
housework without:aid. One day In March,
1879, she went to her kitchen sink to get a
dish of water. AS she raised her hand she
felt tremor and sharp pain pass up and
down her left side. her head began to whirl
and she fell to the floor helpless.
For six months there was little change In
her condition. She could not speak or feed
herself at all. Then she gradually began ia
mend, and at the end of year was able to
be lifted out of bed and to sit In chair
bolstered up. In another year she gained
strength enough to articulate; but the use of
her left arm and leg did not come back; and
she and her friends supposed she was a
crippled paralytic for life. At least dozen
different doctors attended her first and last (;
and they all said she could never hope to be
any better.
For ten years she endured her malady
patiently, iwaitiDg for death to set her free.
From a woman weighing over 200 pounds
she fell away until she did not weigh a hun
dred. Last fall her appetite gave out; and
in spite Of tonics and the best Of care she be.
gan to sink rapidly. Having q married
daughter living down toward Hampden In
Bangor she went to see her two months ago,
hoping change would give her the relief
from dyspepsia which the doctors had failed
to do.
Her daughters house is near the southerly
limit Of the street railway track, and during
the pleasant days Of March she often took
her mother out to ride about the city. These
rides We're very exhausting at first, though
Mrs. Hartman insisted they did her good.
In about week her appetite showed mark
ed improvement, and she began to regain her
lost flesh, and what was still more remarka-
BILE her dead and paralyzed limbs became
less hard to handle.
pied the corner seat at the end OF the car,
while her daughter sat by her side to ward
off any danger that might happen to the In.
valid. Mrs. Hartman enjoyed these rides
very much. She talked and laughed more
than she had for years; and after she hac
ridden nearly two weeks she assured hel
daughter that she felt strange, piickinl
sensation in the hand and foot that wert
paralyzed, as IL they were asleep. As botf
limbs had been without sensation for years
1t was thought to be remarkable occurrence
and the rides were doubled.
Nothing but benefit came from these daily
street car rides, and the way Mrs. Hartman
grew better was surprise to her and d mir
acle to her friends. In five weeks she dis
carded her crutch for a cane. and in week
more she had no use for the cane, and went
alone without help.
All the time she had been taking no medi
cine. Yet her strength grew ana grew aud
grew. Her recovery was so alarming that
one Of Bangor's best physicians was called
In to see what allied her.
"She seems to be as wSsssizssvf >smy@sSsa
the doctor, ..anSSfdo not see any need Of my
aru. He was told the story Of her lat'
trouble, and asked to assign a cause for th'
cure.
TT was wholly due to the currents Of elec
| tricity passing through the car" he replied
"She Is naturally sensitive, and what to mos
| people would be too weak a current to b.
| felt, acted as tonic to her, and, coming whel
| 1t did, 1t led to her recovery. l should Civ
her plenty to eat, and take her out to ride OF
| every possible occasion. In two weeks tn
| last danger from paralysis will have disap
| peared, and she can go home a well woman.
The doctors prediction was verified. Shl
is perfectly well today, and looks fully II
years younger than she did when the stroke
overlook her II years ago.
Mrs. Harmon's wonderful cure suggests
new possibilities OF development Of the
street car business. The enterprising man
agement of the Portland street railway may
after electricity Is introduced, put on a spec
ial limited train for the cure of invalids
This train might, to signalize the notable
electric triumph over the rider Of tho White
Horse and to hurl the more complete def
ance into the teeth Of that redoubtable cav
alryman, be put on the Deering line where l
could pass the cemetery very frequently.