The sun., 1896-08-16
JUMPERS IN TIE woods.
A Curious Nervous Amietion Which LO
Found In Northern Lumber Camps.

MANCHESTER, n. H., Aug. l5.-After n hard
season in tho woods In the northern part Of
Now Hampshire and Vermont, the hardy lum-
bermen are glad to escape from tho isolation
which has been forced upon them for several
months and delight to get ont into the world
and minGle with their fellows. In this way
the people of northern New ENGLAND occaslons
ally become acquainted with specimens of q
very curious and pitiable class Of men known
as Jumpers" A 'Jumper" is q sufferer from
q remarkable nervous disease that seems con-
hned excluSively, or nearly so, to backwoodS-
men. 1t is almos. an axiom that every camp
contains a fiddler and q Jumper. II the men,
rough, tnconsiderate, and uneducated fel-
lows, fall to find a jumper in the camp when
1t Is organized for tho long. hard winter's
work, they proceed at their earliest opportus
nifty 10 produce one. Tho instAnt-.a man ex-
hlbits signs Of possessing an unusually ner-
vous temperament they pounce upon him as
their legitimate prey. He Is pestered and
nagged In every possible way. Cook pots and
jebbed In the ribs and frightened by loud yells
| OF this kind OF treatment to rob poor fellow
| OF what control h" had over his nerves. and
under the control OF their fellows.
Let any yY Yne H,,p point finger at him and thS M
BonGp At M a" S @ dc" imam % he WIN 50 strG
At anything that happens 70 be near him. II
| IL shOrld bc the aido or II house his hands may
be badly bruised as aresult, for he viii de-
| OK. Whatever n jumper IL told 10 do he docs
| 10 the full extent Of his powers. and the
worst Of II Is that he IL perfectly conscious Of
| how he iSbelng imposed upOn and suffers agony,
| newspaper man tells OF u Jumper who was
| once walking In single ile with company of
| choppers. Each mEn had hIsaXe over his
| shoulder. Some one 0utsino OF tho line threw
| q stiok at tho jumper. The latter started and
| brought down his sharp axe on the head Of
| nt,,np IA a. "a
| compuniOn'S life then ana there.
| There appears to bo something of Spnotio
| element In tho disease. which makes the sufferer
| completely lose his Ownwill aud puts him undor
| that one particular man has more power than
| others over Jumper and Is ~ completely his
| master as he would b" al II dog. Let him point
| his finger NJ the Junlp"r and the latter Will
come straight 10 him, and sometimes Will f"l-
| low the movements of the finger ike n mes
| mcrized person, aud VIII jump. shout, or run
| nj tho word Of command. one of the features
Of such cases j. that the victim apparently sell
| dom gets angry. When he has ceased Ia serve
ns sport for la. fellows hc will took very sheep
| lsh and hang his head. hut II never seems 10
| cur "a him To attcmpt Ia retHlnt",
| Jumpers Rrc usually French Canadians by
! birth and ignorant, 1nimal-lks specimens of
| humanity. Their imInrrs" siHc and strength
rirs in night aud yet n very dimiLutivo per-
| spn can conquer them. They constantly carry
| their liycs In their hands. tor any unthlnknR
! person looking Tor amusement can cause them
| 10 leap from a moving log ira lu, lump Into lhe
| river from n log boom. or Slmnlit any other
! hazardous deed. II thrP are let alone they
can get along comfortably enough, but their
| iunrniiy becomes known sooner or later and
! then life Is u burden. All sorts OF tricks are
| played upon them.