Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-05
HAS 4 WONDERFUL TONGUE.
Crippled Girl Who Supports Herself
In Remarkable Manner.

IN Remarkable Manner
From the New York Press
MISS Fannie W. Tunison of Sag Harbor
L. l., is probably the most wonderful Grip
pie IN the world. Since the day of her
birth her hands, feet, legs and arms have
been paralyzed, but, being of a most am
piuous nature and entirely unwilling that
she should be only useless burden TO
these around her, she has by the most
untiring and painstaking efforts trained her
tongue to perform many of the duties
usually accomplished with the hands. Her
case, according to the best medical authori-
ties, is without parallel in the world, and
to those who have seen this young lady at
work 1t hardly seems possible that she
could do all that she claims.
MISS Tunison, who is about thirty years
old, Is in no way defOrmed; in fact she is
a very good-looking young lady bright and
intelligent and an excellent conversational
ist. She lives with her father and two
cousins in little fisherman's cottage
winch was built by her grandfather, a sea
1912.
Every morning Miss Tunison. who is an
early riser, is lifted by her father into her
invalld Is chair, which has a cleverly con-
structed work table attached to it. In
this chair she remains throughout the
day, held in by a strong band, which also
supports her body, which is entirely power
I
the front window, that she can see the
people passing along the sidewalk while
! in summer she is wheeled out OF doors and
| taken around the village. Every one in
the place knows the young and cheerful
invalid.
From the time she is lifted into her chair
! in the morning until she retires at night
she is never idle, as she is engaged in
painting pretty bookmarks and blotters
eubroidering doilies, mats and tides, max
! ing attractive table covers, linen outline
quilts or quilts of craze, outline patchwork
All of this work is done with her tongue
and mouth and without the slightest as
sistance, as she threads her needle, knots
her thread and even uses a pair of scis-
sors with her tongue. She will take a
needle out her needle book by little lead
weight which holds it down and then
places it standing up in her work. After
the thread is wound off the regular length
she cuts it off with her scissors, her tongue
takes up the thread and in some strange
way 1t is passed through the eye of the
needle. She passes the needle through the
work. which she is holding, then throws the
work over and holds it down by a weight
and draws the needle through with her
tongue. This she will continue to do until
her work is done.
In drawing she uses wax crayons or soft
lead pencils. She is fond of drawing
flowers with colored wax crayons and
when it is taken into consideration that
she has not the use of her hands, but only
her tongue to do it with, she arrives at
some striking results. In stringing beads
she is remarkably dexterous. She will
place the needle after 1t is threaded up
right in the cloth to hold it, and then
with her tongue she will pick up some
! beads, one by one, and place them on the
needle. When the needle is full she will
take it out of the cloth and let the beads
pass down on the thread and then put the
| needle in place again for more.
She has metalaDhone, on which she
loves to play occasionally to amuse herself,
she friends
see her, show them how she uses it. She
places the instrument on the table and,
holding the malet in her teeth, will manip-
ulate it dexterOusly with her tongue.