Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1897-02-27
THE "2ETRIFIED SISTERS.'
PATHETIC STORY OF TWO BLIND
WOMEN OF ROME, z.
Ewing Slowly Turning to Stone
Victims of IL Strange Disease.

rWiHS Slowly luFHtuS u stoHo-
Victims Of IL Strange Disease.
TN pretty little cottage in Fox
street, in Rome, N. Y, live two.
sisters-Mrs. Emma Palmer and
Miss Stella Ewing. Both are
beautiful women, both are totally
blind and both are slowly dying OF u
frightful disease. They are literally
turning TO stone.
For nearly quarter OF century
ono of these women has watched the
coming of spring conscious of the fact
that each day was binding her more
firmly in the chains of living death.
Her sister for nearly half that time
has been her companion in misery.
The physicians who during the past
few years have attended them say that
medical history does not offer Il paral.
lei of this wonderful dual case of ossi.
lication.
DR.. Thomas NJ. Flandrau, of Rome,
an authority on like diseases, says the
peculiar malady from which Mrs. En-
ina Halmer and her sister, Miss Stella
Ewing, nre suffering is chronic rheu.
matism OF the joints, which gradually
results in ossitication and utter help.
lessness of the patient. DR.. Flandrau
says their blindness is the result OF
rheumatic Inflammation OF the eyes.
Yet both of them may live for years
TO come, as the ossification, although
Of deadly certainty, is snail.like in its
progress.
This disease, DR.. 'Flnndrau says, is
neither contagious nor infectious, and
the fact that two sisters are alike
afflicted is only very remarkable co.
incidence. DR.. H. 9. Sutton, another
well-known physician OF Rome, says
the disease is rheumatoid arthritis,
the most hopeless of all the forms OF
rheumatic diseases. ossifying IN time
the whole body, go that it becomes like
death. He is inclined to think the
case of Miss Ewing, who was the last
to be afflicted, was partly the result
of nervous sympathy, MS it is not in.
herited, none of their family before
them having ever, so tar as he could
learn, Leen afflicted in like manner.
NIrs Palmer, who is now forty,
taught in school at Holland Patent,
N. Y, for several years, both before
and after her marriage. Miss Ewing,
who is about thirty, was trained
nurse at the State Hospital in Utica.
She was engaged to be married to one
of the hospital physicians, but her
illness, which began nine years ago,
fn tho
wedding from time to time, and at last
Miss Ewing broke the engagement.
One Of the most touching episodes
connected with the life of this afflicted
woman is the loving fondness with
which she clings to the worn gold cir
clet on her iinger-the engagement
ring-pleced there by the man she
loved.
Through weary years OF sorrow and
pain, such as it has been the los OF few
mortals to bear, these two women have
never been heard to murmur against
their fate. They spend their days In
singing hymns and their nights IN
prayer.
Mrs. Palmer has written, or rather
composed, number of poems OF a
deeply religious nature. They have
been collected by her friends and
published in book, entitled "Pearls
of Tears"
I saw these patient gentlewomen in
their little cottage, writes CORE
spondent of the New York World. I
shrank from the ordeal, but nerved
myself for the shock. had heard so
much OF the dreadful appearance ol
these women from those who had never
seen them that was prepared to en-
counter gruesome spectacle. A
maid.of-all.work showed me into the
pnrlor, where, on raised stretcher,
lay q motionless figure, covered in
such manner that it looked like q
corpse. For q moment was unspeak.
ably shocked, for thought one ol
those l had come to see was dead.
Soon sweet voice from the depths Of
what looked like winding sheet said
'Did some one come in? And will
whoever It is, come here to speak to
me? You see l am not able to be
polite as would like to be.
The msid lifted the veil from the
face of the sufferer, and then for the
first time | knew she was blind.
Strange as it may seem, none of those
in Rome who had told me of these
women knew that they were sightless.
They only knew they were ossitied.
Mrs. Palmer then told ne the story
of her affection.
"Nearly twenty years ago I began
to have attacks of rheumatism or o.
severe pains in my lower limbs, from
which I suffered more than tongue car
tell After each recurring attack
found I grew weaker and did not gel
back to my normal condition. I fell
my joints getting stiff. And so, yea
after year, found my life one OF dire
affiictlon-almost more than I coult
bear. But do you know God nevel
sends anything to us we are not abl'
to endure? Fifteen years ago my
vision began to fail, and for fourteen
years I have been blind. I wa
brought to Rome about seven year
ago from Holland Patent because
had sister living here, and it wa
deemed better for me to be with her
"My poor sister began to be affiiotet
about nine years ago just as 1 hat
been, and now she is here with me
helpless and blind as am. She Lies
Just to my right in the next room. Gt
IN and see her."
Stepping through the open door
found Miss Ewing, her pale, wan fac
and sightless eyes turned toward tn,