The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-09-03
FASTERS AND FASTING.
Folks That Seem Not to Need Three
Meals Day.

Philadelphia Ledger
A few days ago the Ledger reported the
case Of Mrs. Jane Lynn, who lived near
Franklin, Pa, but who died after fast of
sixty-one days during which, said the re-
porter. with scrupulous exactness, "she
swallowed only one ounce of food and for
f1fty-fve days she took absolutely nothing,
with the exception of a small glass of water
occasionally" The report compared this
case with that of DIR. Tanner, who won
fame by fasting for forty days; but DIR.
Tanner has been outclassed so often that
he is no longer object of interest. Since
his time there have been many individuals
who have tasted from thirty to sixty or
more days, and most of them declared that
their health was much improved by the
process.
One of the most interesting Of these was
Leonard Thress, of this city, who, in the
winter of 1900, tasted for fifty days, as
cure for dropsy. At the end of that time
he ate hearty meal, smoked a cigar and
declared that he never felt better in his
life. His weight had diminished from 200 to
lS pounds, but the dropsy had left him and
he was physically sound and we'll
Another remarkable faster is Miss Estella
- huenzel also OF this city, whose case
was reported in the Ledger on Dec %. 1899
but without giving her name. Miss Kuenzel
TASTED forty-fve days, but, unlike DR.. Tan
ner, she aid not shut herself up in a room
and take no exercise. She walked long dis
tances almost every day, and on the forty
1ourtn Gay or her fast covered seven miles
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about
her experience was that during her fast she
lost only twenty pounds in weight.
Just at present there seems to be some
thing of an epidemic of fasting. Several in
stances have appeared i'm recent news re-
ports. On Aug. Miss Agnes Mitchell. of
of fnrtr-- ~
undertaken to cure a stomach trouble She
nearly collapsed during that time, becom-
| ing deaf, dull of sight and at times uncon-
| scious; but on the forty-sixth day she sur
| prised those about her by saying, Il feel
hungry, took some wheat broth, and the
| report says: at is confidently expected
by her family that she will regain her
| health"
About the same time DR.. Emmanuel
| Pfeiffer. of Boston. ended a thirty-davs'
| fast undertaken in the interests of science
! DR.. Pfeffer made daily notes of his prog
ress. and found that he lost in weight near
| ~ a pound day He lost most flesh on
| days when he drank but little water, when
| he overexerted himself. or when the heat
| was excessive. On some days he gained i'm
! weight. and his whole loss in the thirty
| days was twentysix pounds. 1t was his
third experience in fasting, and he de-
| clares he will not be satisfied until he has
| TASTED sixty days without losing weight-a
| feat which DR.. Tanner, who is now i'm New
| York encourages him to believe is posi-
| BILE. Like DR.. Tanner. he broke his ia
| with a perfectly enormous meal and felt
no ill effects from it,
| The fast Of F. Fl, Butterfeld director
| of music in the public schools Of New
| Bedford. which began about July To- was
| still in progress at last accounts Mr. But
| terrified was a sufferer from Indigestion
| He took advantage OF his vacation to camr
| out i'm the Maine woods and do his fasting
! away from the curious crowd but to ar
| interviewer who found him there he said
| Il am not fasting for a record or because
| / enjoy il; | am too good an eater FOL
| that | stopped eating simply because
was convinced that it was the only way
| to ward off a severe illness. I have
| now gone over twenty-five DAYS and have
no craving for food. How long before
| SHAH is question time alone can answer
! look better than that before my stomach
| calls a halt in my fasting
| So it seems there are people 70 whom
| three square meals a day are not an actua'
| necessity.