The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-19
HOLLYPANCHER AS SHE NOW
WHY HER FRIENDS SEEK FL.
NANCIAL AID FOR HER.
Foe Ferry Years She Has Lain Help
les IN the Same Room and Has Out.
lived Her Near Kindred-Her Present
Cendition-Her Extraordinary Case.

rOr f0rty neors Sno has LAIN Help
les IN the Same Room and Has Out
lived Her Near Kindred-Her Presen
Cendition-Her Extraordinary Case
An appeal was made the other day for
financial aid for Molly Fancher. Hel
friends desire to secure enough money e
pay on the mortgag on her house and tc
Increase her present income somewhat,
Periodically Brooklyn people have re-.
called to them the strange existence oil
this invalid woman, who nearly forty years
ago was thrown from her horee and re.
s-sived an injury from which The had
voaivs1y recovered when she fell from a
Fulton street car lin June. ls65) and WIS
dragged q considerable distance. From
this second accident she never recovered.
She was schoolgirl at the time and YVES
attending Packer Institute In Joraomon
street. The physicians said that her spine
had been injured. She YVES subject to fire.
quent commissions Of the severest character.
From that time Molly Fancher has
lain in her bed in the same room. at 100
Gates avenue, at the corner Of Downing
street, and has no other companion than her
attendant, a colored woman.
When she was first injured her father
and brothers and sisters were living.
From the time OF the street Ger accident,
her homo was with her aunt. Miss Cree by,
who took entire care OF her up to her
own death. fourteen years ego Lorg ago
all OF Mrs Fancher's near kindred passed
away, except the ffmily Of one sister.
Living In the house with her now is neI hew.
The loss that most tffiicts Mrs Fancher
At the present time is the death Of her
friend, George Sargent. who took csre Of
her business interests end fpent much OF
his time in her home. The two were the
Mr.. Sargent died Mrs Fencfer's feK con-
troll gave way End he grieved tibet ete
could not also die. Then her nephew took
UP his residence in the house.
Miss Fancher hid as her physicians
DR.. s. Fleet Speir and DR. Robert Orms ton
Long ago DR.. Speir died. but DR.. Ormis-
ton continues his visits regularly. All
these years these physicians cared for
her without charge.
Her ailment is one that cannot be cured.
She Is less deformed now than when first
injured, for she can Use her hands and
arms freely. The lower part Of her body
II useless, and her sight was almost de-
otroyed, but now she sees dimly.
Formerly she was utterly helpless, but
she has learned to help herself In many
ways. and occupies herself with caring for
her two parrots, five other birds and a
greyhound. all Of which live in the room
with OCtuBtlt vi ntT nome
n a cat. but it does not live In the room
with the invalid, like the birds and the dog
During the latter part of the EOS and the !
'70s Miss Fancher was famous as a clair
voyant, and strangers sought her ac-.
quaintance because of her supposed super
normal gifts She would go into frances,
and her prophecies were many and varied.
The disease which afeNe1 her spine /
seemed not 10 affect her brain. or to depress
her spirits. for the first ten or fifteen years,
but the changes that time brings, and par
ticularly to one shut up as she has been.
have affected her spirits Of late years.
Very many people who knew her and in
terested themselves in her behalf are gone.
and new friends are not so close to her as
those who knew her early life.
Long years ago New York lawyer, who
later became Tweed's counsel and died
Lull twenty years ago, visited Molly
Fancher at the request OF friend and in
terested himself In her case. He found that
70 long a time had elapsed since her injury
hat the Brooklyn City Railroad Company
could not be made to pay damages II
lid grant her q pension, however
Miss Fancher told a reporter who visited
her the other day that she was in receipt