The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-09
FROM The New York Sun.

Orono. Ne, Feb. GA careful student |
may search all the books that have been !
published on pathology and find not a
word about the jumping Frenchman so
common in the down east lumber camps, |
and he may question the best doctors in
private or hospital practice without learn
ing why an otherwise sane and vigorous
man will make fool Of himself and sub
init to indignities that would anger a dog
against his tormentors. The obedience /
of the domestic animals comes from edu-
cation, and every step in the process can
be understood easily. With the jumping
| Frenchman it is different. He may be
powerful man and a stranger to his asso-
eiates, yet in one minute the smallest lad
in camp may jump him, and when he is
once jumped he is usually slave for life.
No person is so puzzled by this strange
manifestation as the one who exerts il.
He simply cries ''Boor' or utters any
! kind of yell over the Frenchmans Shout
der from behind, the Frenchman jumps
as far as he is able in the direction he Is
facing, yells Boot in reply as loudly as
| he can, and from that moment the vic
tim is unable to do anything which Is OPP
! posed to the command of his master. a
| person can easily name the causes to
| which this habit is not due 1t is not
! telepathy, for the very name implies that
| the impressions are gained from some
/ source outside the five senses, while the
| only way to bring the jumper under the
| influence is to yell at him. He jumps
because of the noise.
1t is not due to mesmerism, or hypnot-
| ism, or clairVoyance, because in all of these
! the subject is not brought under control
! until after a more or less extended period
! of time devoted TO rubbing his head or
| to making mystical passes over him. as
! If the operator were charging up a stor-
! age battery. The jump is not only invol-
| untary, but instantaneous. 1t comes to
| a Frenchman in flash, similar, perhaps,
| to the shock given to criminals when they
/ die IN the electric chair. Again il is not
! uue 10 using morphine, TOBACCO, alcohol,
/ or TO any OF the excuses which are said
! TO weaken the nervous system. The
! jumper is always a healthy able man,
! who eats well, who jumps most when he
! is most robust and ceases to jump when
! approaching age impairs his powers. 1t
| is a disease that thrives in health, and
| vanishes at the first symptom of illness.
! To show what it is and how it afficts
! those who have 1t the following recent
! cases are given:
! In December, 1898. John Ross of Bangor
! had thirty-two men in one of his camps
| on the west branch of the PenObscot.
| Among them were nine French Canadians
| of whom six were jumpers-iumpers who
| had for years been known as such. The
| other three had never shown any symp-
/ toms of the habit, though they had passed
| several seasons in the woods. The chief
| jumper in camp was a little dark-faced
! man named Hnare lie Roy, whose exist
/ enCe was made wretched by the Jokes his
! companions played upon him. If he was
! eating his supper and had his tin dipper
! filed with hot tea half way from the
| table to his mouth, some one would cry
| Drop it, and the tin with its scalding
| contents would fall upon his legs. They
| would yell Throw it. when he was chop
! ping, and his AK would go sailing off in
! the bushes. no matter whom or what ii
| hit. A command to climb a tree to jump
| through hole in the ice or to sleep out
n Ia rrrff1 h.
| disobeyed by him. No matter how foolish
| or dangerous the task or who told him
to DO it. lie Roy at once left all work to
make the attempt. one cold night bob
cat was heard scratching around on top
OF the cabin. Get up there and drive
him away" said Hilare's bed mate and
half clad as he was he went aloft while
the cat hurried away to the woods.
Jump" ordered the foreman, as Hilare
stood on the peak of the roof Repeating
the word of command like sailor. he
pitched himself among the brush and snow
twenty feet below. The crew come run
! lying insensble. "Oh chat is too bad"
| grOwled an old teamster. ooh that is
too bad replied the five jumpers who
stood by. All, mon Dieur howled Hill
| are recovering his senses. "Ah mon
! Dieu!' yelled the five old jumpers and the
three Frenchmen VINO had never jumped
! before. "Ah, mon Dieu! All, mon Dieup'
! they cried, jumping, and leaping in every
direction, like young frogs after a sum
| mer shower.
They hoped about from knen to snow
! drift and from snowdrift to stump, yelling
at the top of their voices and jumping
| higher with every yell, slapping one an
| other on the backs and bowling like
| wolves, until Hilare was carried inside
! and made comfortable 1t was an hour
! before they were quiet enough to go to
| bed, and during that night and for many
nights after if a man cried Mon Dieur at
| any time every Frenchman in camp would
leap clear over the deacon seat The
three Frenchmen who had not been affict-
ed before were made jumpers by this
event. and remained jumpers while they
Early in October, 1896 DR. Samuel Wat
son of Lincoln, in company with Dave
Thibideau, his jumping French guide
went up near Mt Katahdin after big
game. The doctor left his rifle against a
tree while he looked up some rare mush-
over to examine the plants he heard
| cracking of brush, and saw bull moose
charging down upon him. Climbing a
saplng without getting his rife the
moose meanwhile breaking down bushes;
and paving up the frozen ground in his
anger, Dr. Watson called to his guide
| telling him to come up and shoot the
game. Dave got near enough to see the
moose and stopped. with his rifle at shout
| dropped his head to charge the guide The
! Doctor saw the rifle shake in Dawes
hand. .'Shoot," he cried, shoot right be-
| tween his eyes" Shoot" whimpered
| Dave in terror. The rifle flashed and
| Dave and the moose fell at the same time
| Dr. Watson says he and Dave both owe
I
a jumper and could not disobey his COM
mand.
| 1t took considerable diplomacy to avoid
a lawsuit in Old Town last summer, and
| the whole trouble grew out of making
! Frenchman jump at the time he wanted
| to be on his good behavior. Joe Kyah
/ went to church one Sunday for the pur-
\ pose of having his first born ehristened
/ After the ceremony the whole party NOV
4 ed out of the church, Joe walking ahead
/ proudly and carrying the baby. Throw
/ it, cried a young man behind who knew
and the baby was landed among a clump
| of gooseberry bushes in a yard near by
| Several who were in the party resented
the trick so much that the child's mother
] made complaint to a local justice The
! joker who had caused the trouble finally
/ had the proceedings quaShed by buying
the baby a silver mug and paying Costs
/ of court.
! AS a rule the counting period OF the
! French-Canadian resident Is not of long
| duration As soon as young man finds
! he is able to care for two persons he Sc
| Iects girl and proposes. IF she accepts
| they are married at once. If not. he asks
/ other girls until he finds one that IS will
ing. Tom st. Peters Of Veazie did not