The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-04-21

a REMARKABLB CASE OF SUP
POSED CATALEPsY.

Tho Victim, Mrs. Martha Louise
Hambleton, the Wife Of q Well
known Physlclau-The Husband Re.
fuses to Bs!ieve That She is Dead,
Despite the Beliefof Other Physicians
to the Contrary.
WAsHINGToN, April 20.-A very res
markable case OF supposed catiIapsy, or
trance, has given tho Washington doctors
and the Washington health Office a great
deal Of concern since Sunday. The victim
Is Mrs. Martha Louise Hambleton, wife of
DR.. James B. Hambleton, practioing ply
sician Of this city, but formerly Of Atlanta.
On last Saturday night Mrs. HambIeton
died very suddenly Of disease popularity
known as heart failure. Along with her
husband and well grown son, she occu-
pied suite Of rooms on III" street, not
far from the treasury building.
1t appears that Mrs. ;Hambleton
was subject to catelapsy from her
girlhood days. and she has beon known
to remain in trance for hours at a time.
These attacks warned her that she was SUBJ
ject to intermentalive during one of these
spOlis Of suspended animation, and she
frequently requested hor husband in the
event of her supposed death to keep her
body above ground until he was fully salts
fed that life was extinct. This request DIR.
Hambleton is religiously carrying ous to-
day, although any number Of physicians,
including the health officer, have lsbored to
convince him that his poor wife is CORPSE.
A LOOK AT THE REMAINS.
The MORNING NEWS correspondent called
at the quarters OF the doctor tonight and
was permitted to look upon the remains.
The body had been removed from casker
In which it had rested all morning and was
stretched upon bed. The face indicated
that death had touched it, but strange to
relate tho limbs. hands, feet and 10 fact ell
parts of the body were as pliaple as ie the
woman wns alive The case has attracted
good deal Of local attention and any number
OF doctors have visited the chamber In which
the remains lie. DR.. Hambeton, the
bereaved husband. refuses TO believe
his wife 10 dead. He Is q man Of iron nerve
and there ia no talnt of insanity n his
makeup. Ho declares that his wife ia
sleeping aud that she will come back to
him III due time. Even the health officers,
accustomed as they are to the varied death
events Of great city, have not had the
heart to separate the suffering husband
AFohi lho pOo4 CAoJ baat He Las toVbu as Il5
belpmate.
RORN IN GEORGIA.
Mrs. Hamilton was born In Georgia,
Her father was Col Benjamin EARLY,
rich and influential citizen
OF Dade county, who died
about the beginning Of the war and
who left vast estate in oanfodorate money
and securities, which bis administrator,
with singular foresight, invested in cotton
| stored in various depots in the Red river
section Of Louisiana
DR.. Hambleton is a Nirgiuian by birth
and went 60 Atlanta in 1859 and soon after,
being Of a literary turn and an ardent saces-
sion!st, he established the Southern Con-
federdcH a newspaper devoted to the prin-
ciple Of states rights. This sheet he edited
until the war was Oh, when be
sold 1t to Adair and Hanlesler and
joined the army as surgeon
Of the ThirtY-nfth Gergia infantry, COM
manded by Col. (aflerwerd Brlgader Gem
eraD Edward l.. Thomas OF Covington.
When the war was ended he moved 10 this
city TO prosecute claim against the gov-
ernment for the recovery OF the cotton the
federal troops had captured belonging ia
Col Early's estate, the amount OF his claim,
as estimated, beng above 81 ,O00, 600. His
wife was the only heir OF her fathers props
erty, Ter two brothers having lost their
lives in the army, both being members OF
the Iweuty,trst Georgia infantry.