The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1895-06-12
AFTER VERY MANY YEARS.
Wonderful Instance of Aphasia
Lasting Twenty Years.
a Georgia Man Being Thought Dead
Is Alive In California. His Daugh-
ter Searching Out the Facts,
The Story Reads Like a
Veritabie Romance.

A case bordering OH the supernatural
Is one that has developed within the
last few weeks-a case involving a
startling incident of nphasia, tho sup
posed death of husband and father
and the subsequent return of tho facul-
\ fy OF proper speech after a period Of
! more than 40 years,
Tho principal actor is in San Fran
sisco and tho menbers of his family
live in Admission, Ala.
s. II is q case that almost SURPRISES
credulity.
More than 80 years ago Georgian
named Allen went west to seek for
tune for his family. He had wife and
eight children. He left his home after
selling all Of his property except little
strip of land upon which the family
home was situated and went to tho
great west, where men were making
fortunes in a day.
he made the trip and soon wrote
back from California that he was hav-
ing not the success he had hoped for
and had calculated upon, but success
n1hich warranted him on sending buck
heine plenty of money for the care of
his family and furnishing them delica-
cies that they had not before enjoyed.
For timo he wrote home regularly,
but finally the letters stopped coming
* After weeks, whichsgrew into months,
NO letter having come, the family began
to write to parties in tho section where
the father had gene. They soon received
answers to these inquiries, and their
worst fears We're realized They were
Informed that he had been assaulted by
a lot of desperadocs and one of them
had struck him over the head with @
heavy stone, knocking him insensible.
The letter told of how he was taken to
the hospital, and there, despite the best
medical attention, died.
There was sadness in tho family of
Allen, and they monrned him rs lost.
For 90 years they thcught he was dead.
In the meantime the family circle grew
smaller. The faithfnl wife died and so
did ali the children hut two. One Of
those surviving daughters, Miss Alice
Allen, married DE-. -,Acton, tho son Of
Mr. T. NJ Acton, of Atlanta, Ga
About three weeks ago there was u
dispatch printed i'll The Constitution
about man who claimed TO be from
Georgia or Alabama. ..nd who WAS SUI
ing for property III thccity OF san Fran
cisco to the amount OF 81, 900, 0OO The
name of this man was Allen. and his
initials were the Same rs those of Mrs
{ Aoton's father And tho story was do
cidedIy, sCnsatiopally similar.
The dispatch told how the man Allen
had been i'll 4 hospital in San Francisco
for 90 years. He had been strucl, over
che head, and tho blow caused him to
lose the faculty of proper speech He
GOULD not express himself at all. 1t was,
sn fact, a case Of aphasia. This story
was just like the story Of Mrs Acton s
j Gather. He was struck on tho head
nbeut 90 years ago The San francisco
ALLEN, who had invested money in prop
erty about there, as soon as he recov-
cred his speech, gave his name and
said that he was from the Georgia and
z Alabama line.
3r After reading the stcry in The Con.
stltution Mrs. Acton decided that she
would investigate tho matter. She did
I not write to the recovered patient, but
TO the mayor of San Francisco and tho
ordinary of San Francisco county. The
ordinary wrote to Airs. Acton and re-
quested her to forward certain docu-
ments which she could secure, and to
secure certificate from the ordinary of
her county that she was the bona flde
daughter Of the man who was once
Thought to be dead.
81 Mr.. j. III. B. Carlton, the well known
commission merchant, is son in law
OF MIR. Allen. He stated to a reporter
that the story of his father in law and
that Of the San Francisco Allen were so
similar that he and the other two mem
bers Of the family felt that it must be
their relative and were therefore los
ing no efforts to discover il 1t is really
the father. They have not written 80
him, however, fearing that their dear
est hope might prove untrue
II the Allen in San francisco proves
20 DO the Georgia Allen, Mrs. DR.. Ac-
ton and sister will probably 60 to San
francisco this winter to see their father,
\ who is now over 60 years old.--Atlanta
Y