Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1897-12-01
QUEER EFFECTS OF A FALL

Temporary Mental Alteration Comes to
an Injured Texan.
Never was there case to which moro
peculiar circumstances attached than
that of Elmer Doolittle of Sherman, Tex.
First he plunged headfirst from the cupo-
Ia Of the Diamond mill elevator to the
ground, a distance of sixty-seven feet and
escaped with few bruises about the face
and rupture Of the nose and slight frac-
ture of the bones in one foot. Within q
few days he began to mend rapidly and
he was soon out. He was able to remem-
Der distinctly scenes and even important
utterances and incidents Immediately
preceding the accident, but from his
mind was blotted out all remembrance Of
the accident. He could not remember
having on that day met Walter Morris,
who fell with him and died in the even-
ing of the same day. He heard of the
accident and the fatal results attending
it as one would hear of something that
had befallen a friend off somewhere. He
was taken to the scene of the accident in
the hope that this would clear away the
hiatus that seemed to exist, but the
effort was useless.
Lately he has recovered his physical
strength rapidly, and is now able to go
about easily, even the wound in his foot
giving little trouble and pain. Once or
twice his friends have become very ap-
prehensive Of the ultimate results of the
der and he went off into statements for
eign to the subject under discussion and
in a strain not natural with him. A
word directly addressed to him brought
him back to the original subject again
and he picked up the thread of cohversa-
ion, even in the middle of an interrupted
os broken sentence.
Now he is as bright and cheerful as
ever and his mind is as clear as bell.
he discussed his strange condition lucid
ly. With sigh of relief and happy
smile he turned to the News reporter:
Thank goodness, l am myself again.
have realized that in some way | was
lazed and out of line with myself at
times. suppose I must have known
what l said when in one of those peculiar
moods, but it was the outcome Of some
uncomfortable impulses. After a while
my mind would shake off its load and,
like song Of music from a phonograph,
what had said would come back to me-
It was like the memory of a dream, yet
with the conviction that 1 had said
things ought not to have said. My
friends and acquaintance and even
strangers have been very kind to me, and
when I have said what might offend
them they have it seems, been kind to
me. l have never failed, hope, to go to
them and apologize for my words. They
would take my hand and say: we know
how it is; don't worry. You are getting
better every day. mentally as we'll as
physically think l am all right now
l know am more guarded. If | am
eccentric and abrupt at times, these
moods are getting more uncommon. If
my friends will just continue to be as
kind and patient as they have been it
will be all right very soon for sure"
"Has the accident left any sense of
dread in ascending high places?"
II can't exactly tell you. 1t is not a
dread, because ] cannot remember the
fall, and l have suffered no serious pain
that the effect of the accident is more
that of a desire to be more careful than
OF dread. You might say that it has
been more Of an object lesson than an ex-
perience with me"