The San Francisco call., 1897-10-07
ASP[RES TO
DIVINITY BY
MUPILAPION
Self Torture Inflicted
by FanaticaI Mrs.
Falck.
CUTS OFF THREE OF
HER FIN GERS.
Next Attempts to Cruelty
Herself With a Hammer
and Nails.
THUS WOUNDED SHE GOES
TO CHURCH.
Despite These Acts a Lunacy Com
mission Refuses to Consider
Her Insane.
Next Attempts to Cruelty
Herself With a Hammer
and Nails.
THUS WOUNDED SHE GOES
TO CHURCH.
Despite These Acts a Lunacy Com
mission Refuses to Consider
Her Insane.
Special Dispatch to TIE CALL

0pcSiai OicpatSh " hE NALb
LOS ANGELES, CAL, Oct. 6.-In little
cottage near the village of Palms, about
thirteen miles west of this city, lives FRS.
Joseph Faick, a German woman, who is
working out her eternal salvation and
aspires to divinity. Though thus far her
acts have been commonly attributed 10
the frenzy of lunatic, lunacy com mis-
sion ha refused to consider her crazy, an
opin ion with which her own husband can
not coincide.
Mrs. Fack's idea of religious sanctifica-
tion has taken such form that she feels
bound, among other penitential acts, to
COM nit mayhem upon herself.
Some time ago she felt convinced that
unless she cut off the little finger of her
lett hand she would not go 10 heaven
With tabe.knife and hammer she am
putated that member at the first joint,
and to IHE CALL correspondent to-day
she dec, ,ared that she did not feel anv pain
from the operation. To further complete
her salvation she afterward in a similar
manner cut off the little finger OF her
right hand, and later chopped off her
right index finger. The latter operation
she admits hurt her little, for she had to
Even that did not satisfy her idea of
self punishm ent, for she essayed to Infiict
upon herself wounds in the feet and hands
similar 10 those seen in the images of the
Savior. She got no further in this than
to drive sixpenny nail through her ri : It
foot. In spite of the wound thus made
Mrs. Falck the next day walked to church
at Los Angeles, covering the twenty-six
miles round trip in one day, as has been
her custom every Sunday for years.
One room of her little house Mrs. Falck
has fitted up as kind of chapel, with
miniature altars bearing numerous figures
of Christ, the Virgin, the Apostles and the
saints. Some of these images the woman
always carries with her on her long pill
grimages afoot TO church in this city
She does not speak EnFlish, though she
has been in this country twelve years, but
in her mother tongue she converses in a
quiet tone that gives no evidence of dis
'dered mind. Her immediate neigh
bors, being unable to understand either
her language or her idiosyncrasy, look
upon her as ''little of, but others who
know her aver that she is going through q
process that will lead to her apotheosis
Some even consider her already a saint.
Mrs. Falck to-day told OF her expert
ences and her hopes in a manner that
showed her own sincerity. She declares
| that the only reason her husband wants
| her committed to an asylum is because
| she refuses TO work in the fields alongside g
| the men, though she declares that with
| her abbreviated digits she can work as
we'll as ever if she consid cred it necessary.
For confirmation of her cia m that the
| chopping off OF her fingers was in obedi-
ence to divine dictation she shows that the
three fingers healed perfectly without
| surgical aid, leaving on the tips OF each
stump scar shaped like cross. These
crosses on her finger stumps are objects of
her worship, as are ell of the many images
she possesses.
To her has been attributed measure of
power as a divine healer, but to-day she
disclaimed it, averring that the punish
ment she has inflicted upon herself was
for her own salvation alone. She is not
sure that she will be called to sacrifice any
more fingers or punch nailholes in other
extremities, but is ready to do so when
the divine bidding comes to her.