The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-03-03
JUMPING FRENCHMEN
THEY ARE FOUND IN NUMBERS IN
DOWN EAST LUMBER CAMPS.

Victims FOR Lt1e-HOw Some Men Act
When Under tho Influence.
A careful student may search all tho
books that havo been published on patholo-
gy and find not II word about tho jumping
trcnchman so common in tho down east
lumber camps, and no may question tho
best doctors in private or hospital practice
without learning why an otherwise sano
and vigorous man will mako n fool Of
himself and submit to indignities that
would anger dog and not have the abili-
ty to enter protest against his tormont-
ors Tho obedience of tho domestic nnl.
mails comes from education, and every
step In tho process can DO understood cast
ly With tho jumping Fronchman it is
olncrent. He may be powerful man and
stranger to his associates, yet in one
minute tho smallest lad in camp may
Jump him, and when he Is onoo jumped
no is usually slave for life.
No person is SO puzzled by this strange
manifestation Us the one who exorts It.
Ho simply cries "Boo!' or utters any kind
OF yell over tho Fronohman's shoulder
from behind, tho Frenchman jumps as far
as no Is able in the direction he is facing,
yells "Boo!' in reply as loudly Us he can,
and from that moment the victim is un-
able to do anything which is opposed to
tho command of his master A person can
easily name the cansos to which this habit
is not duo. 1t is not telepathy, for tho
very name implies that tho impressions
arc gained from some source outside tho
five senses, while tho only way to bring
tho jumper under the influence is to yell
ut him. Ho jumps because of tho noise. 1t
Is not duo to mosmorism or hypnotism or
clairvoyance, because in NIL of these the
subject is not brought under control until
n ,l,1 It'd, ,f
timo devoted to rubbing his head or to
making mystical passes over him, rs If tho
operator woro charging up storage but
terry. Tho jump Is not only involuntary,
but instantaneous.
In December, 1895, John Ross Of Ban
gor had 32 men in ono of his camps on the
west branch of tho Penobscot Among
them wero nino French Canadians, of
whom six were jumpers-jumpers who
had for years been known rs such. Tho
othor three had never shown any symptoms
OF tho habit, though they had passed SOW
eral seasons iii the woods. Tho chief jump
or in camp was q little dark faced man
namod Hilaro Lo Roy, whose existence
was made wrctchod by tho jokes his COM
panions played upon him. If he was cat-
ing his supper and had his tin dipper fill
cd with hot tea half way from tho table to
his mouth, some ono would cry, drop
1t, - and tho tin with it's scalding contents
would fnll upon his legs. They would yell,
Throw it, when ho was chopping, and
his AK would go sailing off into tho bush
es, no 7untfef Thcis OF whst Is his. A
command to CLIMB n troe TO jump through
holo in the leo or to sleep out in tho how
el with the horses could not be disobeyed
by him. No matter how foolish or danger
GUS tho task OF who told him to do it, Lo
Roy at onco loft all work to make the at
tempt. One cold night boboat was heard
scratching around on top of tho cabin
"Get up there and drive him away" said
Hilaro's bod mate, and half clad as he was
he went aloft while tho cat hurried away
to tho woods. Jump" ordered tho fore
man, as Hilaro stood on tho pcak of tho
roof. Repeating the word of command,
like sailor, no pitched himself among
tho brush and SNOW 90 feet below. The
crew como running out with lanterns, to
find poor Hilaro lying inscnsiblo. "Oh,
that is too bad, " growlod an old teamstcr.
"Oh, that is too bad" replied the five
jumpers who stood by. "Ah mon Dieu!'
howled Hilare, recovering his senses. "Ah.
mon Dieul' yelled tho Owe old iumpors
and tho three FrcnGnmon who had never
jumped bof"rre "Ah, mon Dieu! All, mon
Dleu! they cried, jumping and leaping
ii every direction, like young frogs after
summer shower.
They hoped about from knoll to snow
drift and from snowdrft to stump, yell-
ing at tho top of their voices and jumping
higher with every YELL slapping ono an
other on the backs and bowling like
wolves, until Hilare was carried inside
and made comfortable. 1t was an hour DO
fore they wore quiet enough to go to bed,
and during that night and for many
nights after if man cried, "Mon Dieu!"
Mt any time every Frenchman in camp
would leap clear over the deacon seat Tho
three Fronchmcn who had not boon aff]ict-
cd before wero made jumpers by this
event, and remained jumpers whilo they
staid in camp.
1t took considerable diplomacy to avoid
lawsuit in Old Town last summer and
the whole trouble grew out of making a
Frcnchman jump ut a time he wanted to
be on his good behavior. Joe Kyah went
to church ono Sunday for the purpose of
having his frstborn christened. After tho
ceremony tho whole party moved out Of
the church, Joe walking ahead proudly
and carrying tho baby. "Throw It'll" cried
n young man behind who knew Joe's fail
ing. 'Throw It'll" echoed Joe, and the ba-
by was landed among u clump of goose
berry bushes in yard near by. Several
who were In tho party resented tho trick
so much that tho child's mother mado
complaint to u local Justice. The Joker
who had caused the trouble finally had tho
proceedings quashed by buying the baby q
silver mug and paying costs of court
The medical books give me no light on
tho subject and have studied them oil.
The jumper is native of tho region east
of Montreal, and ho may be n Frenchman,
New brunswick Orangcman or a Nova
Scotia Scotchman. Tho habit seems to run
in families, and is no doubt some obscure
disease OF tho mind that has not yet been
studied or defined. 1t Is allied to epilepsy,