New-York tribune., 1900-04-29

MOTHER. DAUGHTER AND son DIE AT INTER
Walls OF YEARS IN SAME INEXPLIC-
ABLE MANNER.

Indianapolis April IS (speciaD-The medical pro-
fession Eastern Indiana itself after lapse
Of nearly eight years, confronted again by sngu-
lar and seemingly wholly inexplicable fatality In
the family of John Davis prosperous farmer,
living near Liberty, Union County. Some twelve
years ago Mrs. Davis, that time about thirty
six years Of age and apparently in robust health,
took her bed and gradually fell into a profound
sleep. from which it was impossible to arouse her.
Every eNpedient was resorted to by the physicians
of Liberty without success, and the best medical
talent, both in this city and Cincinnati,
suited. but failed to reach satisfactory solution
of the problem. Day after day Mrs. Davis grew
weaker and at the end of the eighth day expired
though she had simply died from exhaustion.
The tests of her pulse from time to time showed
that death gradually advancing upon her. but
she could not be aroused sufficiently to take
ishmen and the artificial means resorted to proved
unavailing, her system did not assimilate the
food artihcialy administered. Mr.. Davis
refused to permit autopsy. and kept the body
OF his wife several days in the house before burial
and for nearly month afterward the grave
guarded to prevent ghouls from exhuming 1t.
Four years after the death Of the mother a
daughter affected in the way. and again
the best medical talent of the State completely
baff1ed by the strange All of the manifesto
tons the those in the Of the
mother, except that the daughter not IN
perfect health and survived only six days Her
death perfectly calm. and apparently without
pain, and from the time she fell asleep till she died
not complaint escaped her The closest attention
failed to discover moan any evidence whatever
of suffering, and she lay for six days though
enjoying the most pleasant slumber So gradual
was her death that 1t came imperceptibly to those
who not studying her condition and testing
her pulse and respiration to note the steps Of her
approaching dissolution. She took no food during
the six days of her illness. and every organ
seemed to be dormant and utterly incapable of e.
spending TO the means that invoked to
it to action
Mr.. Davis would have protested against an au-
topsy, but the death of second member Of his
family under such peculiar circumstances led a
great deal of talk. and ne was Informed of the
suspicious which it had aroused. When the daugh-
of his wife and his guarding of the grave were re-
called, and there were the gravest possible insnua
ever upon which to base them except his soiictude
for for the PrStect9n b of his wfes grave from desecra
diately after the death of the daughter request
sion to open the body and examine the organs.
This was refused by the father, and the Coroner
hold the autopsy under the law which requires
Mr. Davis was still obd1rafe but when it Was
represented to him that the people of the neighbor
hood were suspicious and excited and that resist
ance % to the law would be useless, he yielded, and
But for all that was obtained by it the worry of
the & father might have been spared for nothing was
nature of the disease. When the vital organs were
examined each presented a perfectly normal con-
dition, and their examination with a microscope
cause for the iethargc Condition that must IT have
existed and caused the death of the daughter. De-
termned to carry the investigation to the greatest
possible extent and sympathizing somewhat in
the suspicious of the people, the stomach and in
IestlneS were submitted 10 all tests. but evi-
dence whatever of poison found. There
nothing about the them
mystery, and diligent inquiry was made with re-
gard 70 the mental and physical condition of the
girl before she went into her unnatural slumber.
Her associates testified that she was cheerful and
hghthearted taking part in the social life of the
neighbcrhood, attending church regularly and per-
forming her duties about the home till the day on
which she lay down and spoke of being drowsy.
Ihose We're the last words she spoke, for she
fell into deep sleep, from which she awak-
ened
Another member of the family Asenith s Davis
died this week in exactly the same way. He
had always led outdoor life, and seemed a per-
rect type OF vigorous young manhood. He went to
ped about O'Clock in the evening, and when called
the next morning did not respond Efforts wake
MIN failed TO make any impression upon him. and
he lay thus for six days and nights and died as
mad his mother and sister. without any evidence of
obtain any evidence that he conscious Of what
was going around him but his respiration was
as peaceful and quiet a child's and when his
eyelids were raised they gradually fell back over
When thus examined his eyes seemed to be glazed
over, and 1t is believed they sghtless, for
there was no response to the light, and when tested
Dy the glare of lamp there was no indication
that the pupils received the rays.
Physicians have tried to explain the phenomena
by saying that there is inherited defect in the
organism of the Davis family. possibly from the
mothers side, that leads to exhaustion of all the
parts of the body and that death is the result of a
general collapse but the mystery exists in the per-
son, giving evidence of the impending crisis till
daughter defect found and while the deaths
all unnatural, they supposed TO have re-
suited from natural causes, but what these causes
are the best medical talent cannot tell.