The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-05-20
HE HAMILTON MIRACLE.
The CASE INVESTIGATED BY A GLOBE
REPORTER.
THE FACTS FULLY VERIFIED.
One of the Most Remarkable Cases on
Record.

clans Permanently Disabled Fully Re-
covers-Fac-simile of the Check for
$1,000 Paid by Royal Templars of
Temperancefor Total DisabiI-
ity-Hundreds of Visitors
TORONTO DAILY GLOBE, July 25.-This
is an age of doubt; especially in regard
to cures by patent medicines, and not
without reason. for too often have the
sick and their near and dear loved ones
been deceived by highly recommended
nostrums that were swallowed to be of
less avail than as much water. The old,
old fable of the boy and the wolf applies
also too frequently to many of the speci-
fic connections for curing the ills that
flesh is heir to; and when a real cure is
effected by a genuine remedy those who
might be benefited fight shy of it, saying,
lit was cure, cure, so often before that
won't try it." When such state of
affairs exists it is advisable that assur-
ance should be made doubly sure.
A few weeks ago marvellous and al
most miraculous cure was made known
to Canadians through the medium of the
Hamilton newspapers. 1t was stated
that Mr.. John Marshall, well-known
resident of Hamilton, by the aid of DR..
Williams Pink Pills for Pale People,
had been snatched from the very jaws of
death, placed upon his feet and enabled
to mingle with his fellow citizens with
more than renewed health and strength
and even brighter spirits than he had ex-
perienced for years before. This re-
markable statement naturally excited
the wonder of almost a continent. Some
believed, most people doubted, although
the facts were placed so clearly as to
ward off the slightest suspicion of fraud.
To investigate the very extraordinary
cure and place before the people of
Canada and the United States verificat-
ion or otherwise of it was the special
mission of a Globe reporter a few days
ago. A close inquiry into the circum-
stances first showed that Mr.. John
Marshall, whose residence is 25 Little
William street. in the northeast portion
of the city, while employed as foreman
for the Canadian Oil Company, five
years ago, fell upon the edge of an oil
vat and hurt his back. Thinking little
of the affair, MI. Marshall continued to
work on, but after a few months he
became ill, gradually got worse, and in
August, four years ago, became stricken
with the dread disease, locomotor
sGaxy-a disease attacking the nerves
and rendering that portion of the system
attacked perfectly helpless, proclaimed
by the physicians to be incurable-which
left him from the waist downwards
without feeling and utterly unable to
move his lower limbs. All he was able
to do was to raise himself by the aid of
sticks and crutches and drag himself
around the house and occasionally to
the corner of the street on fine days.
His legs were without feeling pins and
even knives were stuck into them with
out the sick man experiencing any
inconvenience. He could take a walk
ing stick and beat his legs until the
blows resounded throug the house and
yet he felt nothing. During all these
years of torture Mr.. Marshall consulted
every doctor of ability in the city; tried
every form of treatment and took almost
every kind of patent medicine, but
without receiving one little of relief.
The agony was frequently SO intense
that he was obliged to take morphine
pills in order to receive reasonable
amount of sleep.
AS the months and years passed by, al
though the doctors continued to treat
him in various ways, they plainly told
the suffering man that he could not get
better, the disease was set down in the
works of specialists as incurable. The
doomed man was member of the
United Empire Council, No. 100, Royal
Templars Of Temperance, and under the
| discouraging circumstances he though it
advisable to apply for the payment of
the total disability claim Of $1,000
allowed by the order on it's insurance
policy. Application was accordingly
made, but before the claim was granted
| the patient had to offer conclusive proof
of his total disability to the chief ex-
| aminer, and Mr.. Marshall was sent to
Toronto for a special electrical treat
ment. 1t proved no more successful
than the others that had preceded it and
a number of city doctors and the chief
medical examiner of the order signed the
medical certificate of total disability and