The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1892-03-23
A REMARKABLE INVALID.
THE ALMOST INCREDIBLE STORY
OF MoLLIE FANCHER.
Lying in Bed i'm One Position For
Twenty-siX Years-EXtraordina
Powers of Mental Vision.

|
Fancher was taken by an aunt
Y i to the Brooklyn (N.Y.) Heights
Seminary as pupil. She was
a delicate and almost supernaturally
beautiful girl of II. Four years later,
as she was about to graduate with the
highest honors the school could confer,
her nervous system began to give way
alarmingly. She neither ate nor slept as
girl of her age should. She was or.
dered to rest and take a course of lessons
in equestrianism. One day, while out
with her ridingmaster, she was thrown
from her horse and sustained severe in
! juries, besides having some of her ribs
| broken. She recovered sufficiently to
get about again, but a year after her
mishap her skirt caught, as she was
alighting from street car, aud she was
dragged block over the pavement. The
second accident seemed to completely
shatter her nerves. Not long after it
she began to have strange contortlons.
She would bring her head and feet to-
gether and roll around the floor like a
hoop, or stand on her toes and spin like
top. Her violence was such in the
paroxysm that it took several persons to
take care of her. During the month of
February, 1886, all her senses left her.
Chloroform was administered to relax
her jaws and food was forced down her
throat. Her stomach refused to retain
it. She turned upon her right side in
bed and placed her right hand in behind
her head with the fingers pressed into
the palm. Then she became rigid and
remained SO nine years, without any
relaxation of the muscles except when
she was given chloroform. There were
many times during this period when she
showed no sign of life except slight
warmth in the region of her heart. Her
limbs were as cold as ice and she was
pulseless.
After that came time of awful an
guish, and thea the rigid muscles relaxed
of themselves and the senses OF touch
and hearing returned, with power to
speak. The inner sight of cairvoyance,
or second sight, came too. Of that
there is no doubt whatever. Miss
Fancher is not disposed to cultivate or
exert the subtle power, but to her mental
vision everything concerning those in
whom she is interested is revealed. She
can tell how friends far away are dressed
and what they are doing. Totally blind,
she will read the contents of sealed let
tiers without the slightest error. She
recognizes instantly persons who enter
her house, whether they are acquaint-
ances OF strangers. If anything is mislaid
she tells where it can be found. By
running her finger over print she can
read much faster than one who sees,
whether in light or darkness. Her mar
velous sense of touch enables her to dis
tinguish the photographs of friends with
her fingers. Holding pen or pencil in
her left hand she writes with almost
lightning-like rapidity, the letters being
well formed and perfectly legible. She
once wrote a melodious poem of ten
verses in less than ten minutes.
Her nine years of rigidity are an entire
blank to this strange beng, who is in
herself miracle of miracles. When the
aunt, who had been a mother to her,
died, she was left without resources, so
she had a little embroidery shop
opened on the first floor of her house,
and it has supplied all her wants.
Many of the articles sold are made
by her. She embroiders without pat
tern in many unique and beautiful de-
signs. She cuts velvet leaves for pin
cushions with both hands behind her
head as true as though they were cut
with die. She never studied botany
or took lesson in wax work, yet she
makes exquisite wax flowers, discrim-
mating the most delicate shades of color,
and never making a mistake in the form
of flower or leaf.
For well person endowed with every
sense all this would be wonderful. For
Miss Fancher it is apparently supernat,
utal. She is tirelessly industrious and
constant sufferer. She remains with her
right hand behind her head and never |
changes her position. She never sleeps.
When she rests she does so in u trance |
state. The only ordinary function of |
human existence she performs is that Of |
breathing. Her blood circulates very
sluggishly and she has very little animal
heat. Her sensitive nerves Graves the |
cold, however, and she will have no fire |
in her room at any season. Her food
consists of a few drops Of acid food juice
or bit Of pickle. She prefers the night
to work in and does her finest work
when half the world is wrapped in
slumber. Time and again she bas lain
for weeks like one dead, aud only been
brought back to life, as it were, by the
manipulations of her doctors. She
suffers untold agonies from THIRST,
but cannot drink because her
stomach will not retain liquid. No pen
could possibly give an adequate descrip-
ton OF what she endures. Her suiTerinrs
are indescribable and in her presence
science, even the most advanced, is thor
oughly bafIled.
For twenty-siX years Molie Fancher
has lain in her bed in one position. She
IS not by any means pitiful object to
look upon. She is not emaciatei. Owing
to her latest trouble-dropsy- face
and form are we'll rounded aud her com
plexion is the envy of all who see her.
Her hair is short and wavy and makes a
bonny frame for her lovely face. Her
eyes are closed and long silken lashes
curve down upon her checks. She
utters no complaint. A martvr of
martyrs she meets fate serenely and even
with cheerlulness. Life holds nothing
Tor her that she would not gladly re-
inquish, but she bears its mountainous
burden with patience and sweetness
huf mi a.. ]