Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-09-20
DEPEW AT LOURDES.
HE VISITS THE SHRINE AND WITNESS
ES A MIRACLE.

GenuinencsB of the Cure-Return of the
InimitabIe "Chauncey NJ" From Europe.
May Have Been Deceived.
Being near Lourdos while in che Pyre-
nees, paid visit to the shrine. The viii
lage church stands on high hill, and on
one side is prccipice running down to
the river about 200 feet. At the bottom is
grotto, such as is common in the rocks
in that region, about 100 feet Deep irreg
ular and rough in shape. The legend of
the place is that in 1868 the Virgin ap-
peared to child in this grotto with prom
Use of healing for tho sick, and fountain
burst forth, the waters of which have mi
raculous power Faith in this has built
broad highways along the river and over
the hills for the pilgrims to march on,
constructed two splendid roads from the
plain to the church, inclosing within the
arches on which they are carried n broad
| plaza and under the terrace Of tho first
landing a basilica for thousands of wor-
shippers. Every foot of the walls of basil
lea and church is covered with slabs, on
which the persons placing them have re-
corded their cures or some special blessing
received. Over and around tho grotto
| hang thousands of Crutchos and surgical
appliances for supporting the body which
have been loft there by tho healed. Along
side the grotto is bathing place with four
bathtubs filed with ice cold water from
the spring. Into this the patients are
! plunged, no matter what their disease or
deformity. was told that over 1000 were
dipped tho day l was there. They are
| plunged into the water and instantly TAX
en- out under constant and loud supplica
tons for their healing.
At night the scenes are wonderful.
| Thousands bearing torches and singing
| hymns are marching over the winding
roads. Other thousands are on their knees
in the space in front of the grottO praying,
singing and imploring the Virgin for help.
Hundreds upon hundreds of candles flicker
and flare in the grotto and send weird
light upon the white robcd statue of the
Virgin which stands just above.
In the afternoon q vast procession
| forms at the grottu and marches along the
river, turning into the plaza as it passes
the point whore the road rises from the
plain upon tie arches to the church. On
one side Of tho plaza were placed in row
| some hundreds of little wagons, each hold
ing an incurable sufferer. The sight Of
these helpless and except by miracle hope
! less men, women and children in every
stage of distortion or living death is affect
| ing beyond words. AS the head of tho
procession reached the first wagon tho
priest elevated the host before the patient.
| Another priest, with voice of great pow
err, cried out, 80 Lord help this sick
mani The hundreds Of priests and 5000
| pilgrims repeated the Cry in unison. Again
louder and with tremendous passion and
energy he cried, 80 Lord heal this sick
ono!" the crowd taking up the invocation
as before. AS the procession moved down
the line of wagons, hating and repeating
these supplications before each one the
excitement became painful in its intcn-
sity. The patients grow fren2ied with anXi-
ETY. and hope.
The coolest and most Indifferent man
in the world could not have remained I'M
moved. have seen and felt similar waves
of emotion ut camp meetings and revivals,
| but they had not the added force of this
wrthing mass of praying, besecching, de-
spairing and hoping human suffering.
As was crossing the plaza after this
scene from one of the dispensing wagons
heard my name called. 1t was occupied
by "a lady and was drawn by her son, a
student at the College of Physicians and
| Surgeons in New York. Both had rccog-
! nizcd me- having heard me speak in New
York She said the doctors at home had
| told her that science and skill could do
nothing more for her and she must make
herself as comfortable as possible until the
end, which was only a few months off. SO
she had come to Lourdes with faith and
hope. 1 asked the grounds of her hopes,
and she said: "Why miracle was per-
formed this afternoon before your eyes.
Did you not see it? That was the cause Of
the great excitement. This was her story:
A young girl who was staying Mt the Same
hotel as she did had been unable to walk
or put her foot to the ground for six years.
She had suffered frightful pain and
screamed with agony when dipped in the
icy water. She had been bathed six sue
cessive days and after tho procession passed
that afternoon had called out that she was
cured. 1 said to the medical student
"What doyUu know about this?" He said
he had seen the knee bandaged at II
o'clock that day. 1t was swollen badly
! anu Ilb COblllltNl 90 oOlOos 4 WAN
him l must see that girl.
The pilgrims were mobbing the purifl-
cation room, to which she had been taken,
to see or touch her. and the attendants
were doing their best to keep them out
and get them away. My medical guide,
with true New York audacity, called out,
"The distinguished DR.. Chauncey Depew
wants to see the patient" Instantly way
was cleared, and in few minutes l was
inside. The girl was not there, having
been carried home to escape the crowd.
There was an English doctor, and l ap-
pealed to him. He said he had dressed the
leg at noon. 1t was swollen and incurable;
that he had cut the bandages off half
hour before and the leg was healed, and
the girl could walk, and he showed me the
cut bandage. 1t was about 2 feet long and
had been slit with knife from top to bot
tom. l then insisted l must see the girl.
About that evening my student &C
uuaintance came to my hotel with mes
sage that she and her friends would be
glad to see me- My son and started off
instantly.
found a young lady about II years
old with a sweet, innocent, happy face.
She told her story substantially as had
heard it, and that she had been unable to
walk step in six years. l asked her If
she could walk now, and she went several
times around the room, limping some, but