Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1896-04-17
HE BECAME TALKATIVE
MEDICAL FRATERNITY FIND A
STRANGE CASE.
After "a SuricaI Operation He Re-
sumes His Oid-Time Political
Beliefs-NOtes.

The medical fraternity report one OF
the most singular instances of mental
alteration from the northern part of the
county, that has ever been recorded in the
history of strange happenings of mankind,
says the Leavenworth Times. John Guz-
man was typical pioneer. He and his
wife had emigrated west from Dakota
to northern Washington where he built
log house in lovely valley by the side
of beautiful stream. After the house
was finished he began to cut down the
pines to make him a barn. AS he was
chopping away on big tree dead limb
became detached and fell on his head
rendering him senseless.
Not coming home to supper, his wife be-
came alarmed, and went in search of her
husband. She found him apparently life
less, but consciousness soon returned and
with the aid of the wife he was enabled
to walk home, complaining of dizziness
on the way. He slept well and after
days confinement in, bed, he was appar-
emily as well as ever.
Now, the exceedingly strange. part of
this narrative begins. Mr.. GuZman began
to notice that her husband was growing
more garrulous than was his wont. This
disposition began to manifest itself more
prominently each day, accompanied by
a disposition to be on the opposite side
of every question advocated by any one
in his presence. Gnzman had been
faithful, but almost silent democrat all
his life and the reader can well imagine
the wife's surprise to find him an enthu-
siastic supporter of populism. His wife
gently reminded MIN of his recent CONVEX
sion from democracy, but the husband
denied ever having been a democrat and
reviled both old parties in a TRADE of
abuse which ceased only when the speaker
had exhausted himself,
While in this condition a United States
government surveyor came through the
country and solicited hospitality of the
Guzmans for a few days.
The surveyor advised the wife to seek
medical advice as to the husbands con-
| dition. Two days after this a cowboy
called at the ranch on his way to British
| Columbia. The cowboy carried a message
| to the nearest physician of repute, and
one week after the departure of the cow
| boy, the physician appeared. He remained
| over night, and having secured an early
! consultation with Mrs. GuZman, devoted
| the balance of his visit to the study and
examination of his patient The physician
was convinced that he needed treatment,
| but the nature of which he did not i'm
| part, but on the following morning in
| formed his wife that he would call again
| in about 10 days. The husband continued
to grow more frantic regarding populism
and would watch the trail for hours TO
| engage in conversation with the occasion
| al passersby, leaving all the labor of look
| ing after stock and other work of the
| ranch to his wife. Ten days after the
i. IL. :.
peared accompanied by two other gen
| tlemen.
The following morning the physician,
who first visited the family, preached the
| subject of Guzman's examination by the
| physicians, to that populistc gentleman,
| but he became furious at the idea, and
| the physicians were soon convinced that
| they must resort to force. This they did
| and with the use of chloroform the con-
| f1ict was short and decisive and the ply
| sicians found, as they expected to find,
| that the blow of the limb, which struck
| Guzman, had broken the skull at the main
| suture and that a piece of the right
| parietal bone of the skull was lying on
the Lerebrum. This was drawn back to
| it's original position and the head ban
| daged. Guzman was then permitted TO
| regain consciousness. He acted very quiet
| ly and his conversation with his wife
| which was so like his old self, gave her
unbounded joy. The result of this strange
| case can be told in few words.
Guzman's recovery was almost instan-
taneous, and while he has a confused idea
| of his populist life, as he calls it, he has
| not retained any doctrines of which he
was then so fond of expatating upon
is a good democrat again, and believes
| the government is doing about as well as
| it is possible to do under the circum-
| stances