Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1895-09-12
HAS A DOUBLE VOICE.
QUEER CASE or A NEGRO coy IN
SOUTH CAROLINA.

lie Has g Voice Ia His stomach-Doctors
Call 1T a Case OF Natural yentriioquIsm.
Th@ superstitlous Negroes Say That He
Is Possessed Of a Devil.
A remarkable case of natural and IN
conscious ventriloQuism-a phenomenon
which scientific men believe was respon-
sible for mest of the cases III which per-
sons once were supposed 10 be possessed
of deyils-has caused much consterma.
tion arnong the supeIstitious and great
interest among the scientific in Orange
burg, S. G. The history Of the case is
told by William L. Buckley Of Claflin
university, ~Orangeburg, In The Appeal.
The phenomenon appears in "A 13-
year-old colored boy, the son Of poor
and initerate parents. He was taken i'll
about a month ago with violent pains
IN his stomach. The doctor was called
and treated him for a week or more,
but the boy grew no better. After he
had been III about nine days his parents
began 10 hear strange nolses, apparently
in his stomach. They We're inarticalate
and faint at first, but daily grew stron-
ger. They described them as like tho
growing Of q cock, the barking of a dog
and the lowing Of a COW. In a few days
ineligible sounds, expressions in hu-
man speech, were heard. Ay0ice, sound
ing as from the boys stomach, said,
20 Lord, / want to get out, " I'm 50
tired" I'm hungry" and lyon hurt
me. The doctor was puzzled, and re
lated the circumstance 70 other doctors,
The people in the village, especially
the negyoes, became much excited over
the phenomenon, and the boys home
was thronged daily with curious visit
ors. The voice would answer questions
put to it. The boy averred that he could
not control the voice, and that it was,
in effect, a thing apart from his own
consciousness. The voice said its name
was Josephine. The superstitious col
orei folks became terribly wrought up
over the case, especially as they treated
the voice as an oracle, and the voice
seemed very willing TO accept the part.
AL manner of questions On religious
and personal topics were asked, and the
answers We're taken as having a super
natural Importance,
The doctors thought it couldn't be a
case Of v~entriloquism, because the boy
seemed really unable to control the
vaica and the sounds came without his
volition. The boys parents asserted
that tho voice prophesied and foretold
all manIer Of things that came to pass.
More than one superstitious person went
TO bed and dcctored himself because the
uncanry voice had predicted, directly
or indirectly, his early death. Mr.. Bulk.
ley visited the boy, and gives this ac-
count Of his experience with him:
II visited.the boys home and asked
him to tell me his name. he did 50
(from his moutn). I then said, Talk
from you stomach. He replied, i
can't tWelS then, make Josephine
talk And he, TO my great astonish-
ment, said, Talk, Josephine. ; The voice
said, L won't do it.. Don't you want
some candy?' mo, I don't. Thus l kept
up a fusillade Of questions TO notice the
effect. The response always came i'll a
decidedly different voice from his, hut
the remarkable feature is that he makes
SO many absolutely distinct tones in his
stomach or bottom of his chest, with
L the least motion of the face or lips.
His throat, however, moves. put my
hand there to make the test. His father
claimed that Josephine coald talk while
George was eating, when he was sleep
ing or inaltanGeeas with him
Medical men have gone from all parts
of the state and surrounding states to
study the case. One physician, Dr.. j
$. Hydrick TINS gnma mn the ease:
"At first It was q case oI unconscious
yentriloqulsTn. Inc noy dii Let a11Crr.
his gift. The noise surprised and fright
ened him. Eat now he knows his power
and can speak or keep silent at will
You viii notice il any one holds his eur
to his stomach he will make the sounds,
but If the Investigator places his ear to
the boys larynx or holds it be viii re-
frain from speaking" The theory Of
evil spirits taking possession OF men
and women is very old and common to
practically every people. fhe old so-cer-
ers and witch doctors used ventriloquism
10 carry cur their irnpustures ana mlrac-
ulous cures, but once in awhile a case
of natural and unconscious yentrilo-
quism occurred and helped out the situ-
alton all around. Most of the people
rcGn5 orangebdrg nrs iiiiterate and be-
lieye strongly that the boy is possessed
of a devil. Not a few are expecting the
end of the world very soon, while ali
are expecting something interesting.
More Training Ships Wanted.
II "a prni,.nf, t,,ut am e%Torr will Ia