The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-27
DEAD BRAIN IN LIVING BODY.
A Strange Case That Has Puzzled the
Physicians Eight Months.
Miriam Nicholson in the San Francisco
Bulletin.

Physicians Eight Months.
Miriam Nicholson Ia the San Francisco
Bulletin.
When Miss Elida Wilbur ceased to be
one of the bellies of San Francisco and be-
came "a case" without precedent in med
ical history, her condition attracted the
attention, not only of physicians and sub
seribers to medical journals, but of news
paper readers generally.
For Miss Wilbur VIII not live. And yet
she does not die.
Not a day of the eight months and more
that Miss Wilbur has passed, open-eyed
yet without consciousness, but has brought
TO the physician in charge and to the i'm
mediate family, inquiries suggestions, and
even reproofs. The world has heard OF
this unique case. The world knows that o
woman has lived for The better, part Of a
year in a trance. or sleep and that moth
ing can awaken her The world. therefore.
being meddlesome and sympathetic, sends
suggestions, absurd and otherwise, waits
for a time TO see whether the dead has
come to life again, reads an exaggerated
notice Of Improvement, and a speedy, au-
thoritative denial, and then scolds some
body roundly because the day OF miracles
is past
If you could see Miss Wilbur as she lies
in an airy, sunny southwest room on the
topmost floor Of her mothers house you
would sympathize with people at large in
their impotence of the present state of af-
fairs. You would long, as does everybody
who sees her, for the power to bring her
back TO life.
This girl was one of the beauties in
Vogu's series of the Fair Women of
America" But the face of the Miss VIII
bur society knew Is far less interesting
than that of the case the physicians know.
This sleeping beauty is in perfect physi-
cal health. AT the first glance you would
say tall, strong, fair woman, whose dark
blue eyes, slightly suffused, had just open
ed after a nights sound sleep. The face
Is thinner than when l first saw II, but it
Is still warmly colored, and the mysterious
power that stands between Miss Wilbur
and conscious life has stamped this face
with an austerity, a nobility, a nun-like
sweetness, which has all the beautiful Sc
renity Of death without It's repulsIon.
Before the medical journals had heard
of Miss Wilbur, before the world knew
Of her, save as her name was printed in
connection with some society affair, Miss
Wilbur was engaged to marry James c.
Dunphy 1t was a long engagements; 1t
lasted four years. Once the wedding day
was set, but notices of postponement were
sent to the guests and the original invl-
tations were never seconded. MIR. Dunphy
is Catholic. Mr.. Dunphy is divorced and
his divorced wife still lives. And nothing
but dispensation from the Pope could
have made the way smooth before these
two; this or something as hard to obtain,
the consent of Mr.. Dunphy's deeply relig-
ious and very wealthy mother, who might
dsinherit her son should he marry with
out her consent.
The last time that Mr. Dunphy called
upon his fancee a misunderstanding oc-
Cured between them. The following morn
ing when he arrived at Miss Wilbur's
house early to say good-bye-he was going
out Of town that day-Miss Wilbur ceased
TO be herself and became case"
Whether the girl had lost hope and
heart whether she despared OF happy
termination TO this unequal struggle be-
tween merely human love and the power of
and reverence for a mighty religion, Is part
of the mystery of this story.
IL would be natural, of course, for every
body who tells Of this pathetic, reclining
Galatea, to speak gently Of her. But her
strange affliction, her youth, and her
beauty combined would not account for
the unusual tenderness with which those
who knew Miss Wilbur speak OF her. She
must have been a rarely gracious loving
and ioVable woman. And her friends will
not for a moment admit the suicide theo-
ry, evidenclng the open window OF the
room in which she was round, ana the
neglect Of the ordinary suicidal precau-
tons, when gas Is TO be the method OF
exit from this world. s
Had Mr. James Dunphy postponed for
an hour his early morning call at 2S2S Cal
fornia street on Feb. II Of this Year neither
OF the two Elida Wiiburs-not the one SO
ciety knew well less than year ago, nor
the cease" so absorbingly Interesting 20
the medical fraternity--would have existed.
Miss Wnbur's would have been one of the
successful suicides or one OF the fatal ac-
cidents due TO gas poisoning.
But science and tender nursing and the
Utmost care came to the rescue and brought
back from the borderland an enchanted
creature; wel-nourished body and q be.
numbed. elogged, sick brain; a placid,
evenly breathing, living thing, perfect as q
| flower, and as self-unconsciouspes .
slumbering statue as unaffected BY the
shock OF great earthquake, BY great