The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1894-04-13
A STRANGE PATIENT.
The Remarkable Experience of a
London Specialist

About two years ago there came 10
me a tall, handsome fellow, who gave
the name of George Grifliths lie had
fearless eye, a cheerful, even genial
expression, an exceptionally well
nodded, aquiline nose, and a splendid
mustache, trimmed and tended, evil
IDENTIFY, with scrupulous care There
was no obvious reason, certainly. why
he should require my services; there
was no possibility OF making him bet
ter looking
Il hear that you are Il specialist in
dcrmatolcgy," he began. after / had
greeted him with the usual formality.
l admitted the soft impeachment.
We'll" ne went on. y want you to
perform a surgical feat on me. l want
my nose altered"
l expressed surprise. and assured
him that in my humble opinion. his
nose was best let alone But he dis
pated this proposition. and insisted
that he had reasons for being we;.ry Of
the aquiiine, and for craving Il pro
boscis as unlike Is possible To that
with which nature had endowed him.
Seeing my curiosity, and possibly not
wishing To be deemed a madman, he
proceeded To explain them 10 me
Texas" he said, Il have come lack
rich, and there is nothing u prevent
my enjoying my self but the Fostering
attentions of relatives whom / hal
hoPeI To have done with forever when
] went abroad. But / cannot escape
them or their opportunities. and 50.
however eccentric You may think me,
must enlist Your service. 1 presume
there is no danger in the operation"
No danger ! replied, accepting his
explanation as that of an eccentric
man, whose affairs, after all, were $50
business OF mine, and very little pain
practically none, in fact I;ut you
must keep indoors for a few days after
it is over. When and where shall
call upon you?'
Gould You not operate here, and
now?" he asked
"Impossible Your journey home
would not bc without great risk
''But could not stay here? Could
Won not accommodate inc for the short
time necessary? Doctor. / could and
would pay you literally for the service
Consider, if ! go home, my identity
would bc again revealed To those from
whom l desire to conceal it"
This speech, one would have thought,
would have aroused my suspicious. but
it did not. The mans frank and open
expression disarmed me entirely, and l
could but look upon him as ] had done
previously. simply as an eccentric indi-
viduaL 1t - happened | had a spare
room. | could not regard the question
of remuneration with Indifference. and
so, to cut a long story short, l con
sented.
IL
" operating | suggested. somewhat
tiInidly. the sacrifice of his beautiful
mustache To my surprise, he assentcd
eagerly. and was for the application OF
scissors and razor forthwith. 0ou
scarcely credit the difference the re
moval of this artistic hirsute appen-
dage-'.the crop of many years" as he
jollingly decribed it-madc in my pa
tient 1t DISPLAYED what had been CON
cealed before, his mouth, and the SIMS
ter expression OF this was such a To-
effectuaily nui;ify the honest gen.a.:ty
of his upper face In fact the removal
of his InuStache constituted, as |
promptly told him. sufficient disguise
To battle any NUM- Der of inquisItIve reia-
tivcs But lac insisted on the nasal op-
Grafton nevertheless His motto was
evidently Thorough
Well. performed it. and when. six
DAYS later, George GrifiiJhs left my
house with nothing but rapidly heal
ing and almost invisible scar To blcm-
ish the straight nose which now
adorned his face. / would have wagercd
my case of instruments To a two o-penny
pcnknife that the m"st obscrvauto OF his
precious acquaIntances would never
have recognized him
About a week after my eccentric pa
tient's departure the particulars, 50 far
as they were known. of a remarkably
brutal murder We're made public The
body of a lady named Bates, evident "
stabbed To death. had been discovered
in "A house in a London suburb, where
she had resided with her husband, who
had now disappeared and whose Por-
trait and description were now freely
circulated by the police \ brief
amount of attention To those published
details was sufficient To convince me
that my patient, George Grifhths, WAS
the criminal.
lost no time in communicating what
| knew to the authorities, by whom, 1t
must be said, my story was received
with some incredulity- You see, Iay
special branch of surgery Is but little
known to the public. and 1t was the
opinion of the police that the murderer
had left the country some time before
Mr. Grifiiths had quilted my house
But a few months ago, happening TO
Ia to- on a visit To Dresden, whittier 1
had gone on brief summer holiday
and having in a way largely suceeede-i
in disnissing from my mind the events
above rclatcd-I was startled TO see,
seated at table in the Growcrbehaus
in that city, enjoying the strains of the
talented orchestra, my no longer mys
terious. but now dreadful, acquaint
| ance, George Grithths!