The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-23
STRICKEN DUMB AZ PRAYER.
Fell in n SwOOn a Church, and Has
Not spoken since.
From the New York World.

From the New York World.
Every physician in Bellevue hospital was
called into consultation last night over
one Of the most curious cases that has
ever come to their attention.
1t is that of a young woman suddenly
stricken dumb Handsome Annie Schaef-
Ter, while preserving every other facul-
y, has suddenly been deprived of the
conditions
Miss Schaeffer is p years old, and has
Tor some months been employed in the
restaurant in a Sixth avenue dry goods
store. She lives with her parents in the
apartment house No. 523 East Twelfth
street While at her work Monday after
noon she had occasion to remove a broken
glass from a table, when the bit of glass
dropped from her hand and a cash two
lnches long was cut in her left hand.
her 10 go home, but after the injured hand
had been bound up she said she felt
much better and remained.
by tuesday morning. when Miss Schaef-
Ter reported for duty, her hand had
swollen TO twice its natural size. Then the
manager insisted on her going to a ply
siclan- She went to the New York hos
pltal where her hand was treated, and,
acting under the advise of the physician,
she returned home.
BY Wednesday night Miss Schaeffer felt
SO much better that she went to prayer i'm
the Seventeenth Street Presbyterian
church on First avenue Before the meet
ing she seemed particularly happy. laugh
ing and chatting with her friends.
II was near the conclusion of the ser
vice that Miss Schaeffer. as she sat in her
pew. suddenly uttered a low cry and fell
over. When some of the members of the
congregation reached her she was uncon-
Sclous; A young man ran out and got
sixteenth street. He soon restored Miss
Schaeffer to consciousness. She looked
IN wonder at the frightened faces about
her and said:
I'D like to go home, please"
since that moment she has never
Miss Schaeffer was taken home by some
of her friends. She walked into her room
alone. Those who accompanied her did
not notice the fact that she did not speak
believing that she was simply weak in
consequence of her swOon.
She sat in a rocking chair in her room
so long that her father, who had retired,
went to her and asked what was the mat
ter. She did not answer, simply shaking
her head. The father, believing that his
daughter was vexed at something, allow
ed her to remain where she was, saying:
me-"
At midnight Mrs. schaeffer went to her
daughters room, seeing that her light
was still burning, and said: why, An
ME, you should go to bed"
Again the young woman nodded her
head, but said nothing, and the mother
went away
1t had been the custom of Miss Schaef-
fer to arise early. Yesterday morning
was about to leave the house at o'clock
he went to her bedside and asked if she
had not better get up. She shook her
head as she had done the night before.
why, you're in an awful humor," the
father said as he left the room.
Towards noon Mr.. Schaeffer was hur-
riedly summoned from his place of bust
ness. His wife had become greatly
alarmed. Miss Schaeffer had arisen and
eaten her breakfast, but, despite every
thing the mother could do, the daughter
would not speak a word. To all questions
that were asked her she replied by a
shake of her head. Nicholas Blasius, a
friend of Mr.. Schaeffer, was called in
He tried to get the young woman to speak
without success, and then he wrote on
a bit of paper:
Cant you speak,.
And Miss Schaeffer wrote: II cannot"
After that Mr.. Blashius, who is as I'M
dertaker and has a shop on the ground
floor of the house, telephoned to Belle
vue hospital and an ambulance came with
DIR. Ayres. He examined the young wo-
man, but could make nothing of her case.
She was taken to the hospital.
Every effort there failed to make her
speak. She appeared to be in normal
health, save for a wondering look in her
eyes. When asked if she knew what was
going on about her, she nodded. She was
told to try to make an effort to speak, but
wrote again on the paper that she could
not
The case was diagnosed as one of apha-
STA motor but the physicians could not I'M
derstand how the voice could have been
lost. 1t must be an effect they said of the
cut on the hand. There are no symptoms
of lockjaw in the case.