The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-09-03
CATALEPTIC FRANCES.
Claimed by Some Scientists That They
Can Be Cured at VIII.

From the st, Louis PostDispatch.
Mind readers seem frequently TO fall
into cataleptic conditions which, in some
instances, resemble death, in others
violent convulsion, in which the muscles
of the body are contracted to an exag-
gerated degree.
Bishop frequently became subject to the
attacks of the disease, and some of his
friends claim that when the post-mortem
was made upon his body he was not dead
but in a Cataleptic trance. In other
words, that the post-mortem was an ante
norton.
One familiar with the conditions in
hypnotism and catalepsy would not credit
the statement that MIR. A. McIvor 1yn-
dali was hypnotized by Patrick Jules
Wallace, even admitting that that pct
uresque gentleman has power TO hypno-
| tie. The cataleptic frances of Bishop
| and other mind-readcrs were never at
| tributed to any outside exciting cause
People in private life are subject to the
same ailment, and many remarkable ca
| SEES are recorded. Perhaps the most re-
markable known case is that of Colonel
| Townshend of London
This gentleman could induce a fit Of
catalepsy at will When he did so he as
sumed every appearance of death. The
| pulSations of the heart became imperCep-
| tiole, and it was impossible TO discern
any respiratory action His face became
| colorless, and his entire frame rigid, in
which state he would continue for several
hours, when all symptoms would wear
away.
A case recorded by Plutarch would
seem 10 support the theory that during
such periods of protracted iusensibility
the spirit of the sleeper, freed from the
| body, wanders away TO realms and scenes
| not conceivable by the ordinary senses
| A man canned Thespius, he tells us, fell
| from a great hight and was picked up to
| all appearances dead There were no ex-
ternal wounds about him, but the physi-
| clans were satisfied of the fact of his de-
| cease.
| Arrangements were made for his bur
ial, but on the third day after his fall he
| revived, much TO the CONSERVATION of
| his friends, In a short time ii became
| quite evident that the whole tenor of the
! mans life had changed Previously his
| character was that of reprobate and a
| vicious man, butafter his insensibility he
ever followed after virtue On being
asked the reason Of the.change Thespius
related that during his long sleep his
spirit had been liberated from his body,
| ard had scared away to a strange land
whore it had joined arwhole company Of
other spirits. His past life was disclosed
to him in all its hideousness, and the
glorious capabilities which were before
him were revealed in such manner as
TO make him ambitious of attaining them
DIR. Passavant also records an instance
Of peassfnt boy who revived after being
supposed to be dead for several days
The boy bitterly resented his being called
back to life, and informed those who
gathered about him that he had been in
beautiful place, and had associated and
conversed with his deceased relatives
| Before his insensibility his faculties were
not even ordinarily brilliant, hut after
ward he conversed and. prayed with sur
prising eloquence.
II cannot be doubted that in numerous
cases Of cataleptic trance the apparently
lifeless patient has been acquainted with
all the arrangements being made for his
interment Several instances are re
corded in which, although the body pre-
sented every appearance Of death, the
patient was conscious of everything going
on around him, but absolutely unable to
raise a limb or in any way communicate
with those near his bed.
DIR. Binns mentions the case of girl
who lay in this state for a considera BILE
time and then revived She actually
heard every word that was said around
her, but was unable to give the slightest
evidence of her continued vitality. She
afterwards said that her horror was
simply indescribable. She had endeav-
ored 10 shout and to move, but in vain.
At length her state of mind, when she
was being prepared for burial, was such
aS to cause her to break out in a profuse
perspiration, and she recovered. She de-
scribed the sensation very much in the
same way as the somnambulists say they
feel-her soul, she said, seemed 10 have
so power to act upon her body. II
seemed to be in the body and out Of it at
the same time.
Several remarkable narrow escapes
from being buried alive are mentioned
A Mr.. G.. who had been i'll for some time,
fell into what was thought to be his last
sleep The medical attendant however, had
suspicions in lIissOwn mind, which he did
not care to communicate to the mans
family for fear of arousing false hopes.
He, therefore, put of his sanction to the
burial nom day TO day, much to the in
dignation Of the supposed dead mans
mother On the fifth day, however, the
doctor had the qualification of seeing his
patient revive. Mr.. c. some time after
ward had recurrence Of the malady,
this time lasting seven days.
In Ireland the custom used to prevail Of
burying the dead as soon after their GER
titled decease as possible. II is very
probable that many were thus buried
alive. 1t is related that a certain DIR
Walker, of Dublin. entertained such
strong views upon this question that he
never wearied Of discoursing upon it., and
even wrote a pamphlet embodying his
views, which was widely circulated.
While conversing one day with his friend,
Mrs. Bethany, a celebrated actress, the
Flady informed him that she herself would
take care that he should not be COM
mitted TO the cold embrace of mother
earth until indisputable evidence was
forthcoming of his death, provided his
death preceded hers. Some time after
wards the doctor contracted a fever, Of
wlich it was supposed he died.
In spite of the opposition he had raised
TO the prevailing custom he was buried
the day following. Mrs. Bellamy was at
the time in Ireland, and, hearing of his
death and burial, she FASTENED to Dublin
and al once had the hndv ayhln1ad Her