Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-04-05
A WONDERFUL BLIND GIRL.
SHE HAS GIFT OF SECOND SIGHT AND
SEES FUTURE IN HER DREAMS.
Wise Are Puzzled; the Ignorant Fear,
but Nobody knows the Secret of
Her Which Are
Much Talked About.

From the New York World.
People who believe in the significance OF
dreams and in the power of second sight
may find strength for their opinion in the
case of little Lucy Starting. the blind girl
of Oldtown, Me-, whose wonderful gifts as
tonish all who know her.
-Four years ago little Lucy began to con-
Jure up, with startling accuracy, dream
pictures of past. present and future events.
ana since then her fame as Il prophecies
mas spread and brought many curious per-
know her or hear about her agree that she
is inspired, and the simple folk among
whom she lives believe that heaven has
given her this gift of second sight TO COM
pensate for the loss of her own precious
eyesight.
Lucy was born in oldtown. Me-. on Ian
uary ., 1854, SO that she is now just Ii years
Old. She Is the only daughter Ut poor labor
ing folks: her father being d retired sea-
man. From her birth Lucy mas been a d l.
icate child. and. as they watched the de-
veloprent of their daughter. the anxious
parents feared that the spark OF like which
hickered in Lucy would soon go out alto
gether. When she was 10 years old Lucy
suddenly became totally bl!n1:- The cause
or her afiliction was an enigma to the
doctors. but they all agreed thu she would
go blind TO the end of her days. The sor-
rowing parents thought this new grief
would kill the girl, but she appeared TO
be resigned to her lot and soon beSai to
show signs of the marvellous power with
which she is gifted.
on tNe night Oh November u, 1875, Lucy
dreamed three times of a ship in distress
going down into the slough of the waters
with all hands on board The dream left
vivid effects upon the child's mind and
frightened her so much that she called her
father to her bedside. The man tried 10
soothe her. but in vain, She described what
she had seen down to the minutest detail,
and insisted that she had recognized her
absent brothers face among the drowning
sailors.
Her father asked her if she could discern
the name of the ship, and learned to his
surprise that it was the Princess" AL
though she had never seen the Princess
her father was filled with wonder. A short
time afterward the newspapers reported tho
loss of the Princess, of Sunderland. En-
off Marlborough Head. Lucy's brother,
John Startling, had left home some years
before to serve before the mast. and MOTH
ing had been heard of him. 1t was ascer-
tanned, upon inquiry. that he was among
the crew of the Inflated Princess, and thus
the child was found to be correct in every
particular.
Not only does Lucy dream of the present.
but of the past and future Her parents
say that she prophesied the devastation
a month before 1t occurred Although she
could not name the locality she described
the city of her dream so exactly that her
parents. who knew St Louis well. were
not surprised to hear. some time after, OF
the havoc the tornado played with that
city.
of her strange gift, and she is said to have
foretold the death by burning of a neigh
Dor, describing the accident exactly as it
afterward occurred.
These revelations invariably come to her
in the form of dreams or visions, and when
she awakes she remembers what she has
dreamt to the smallest detail.
Lucy is a beautiful child. with blue eyes
| and long golden hair. In spite Of her af-
Fiction she attends the village school,. and
| is said to be advanced in her studies. She
| is of a cheerful disposition. and is able to
do lots of things that other blind people
cannot do.