The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-02-14
THE CAMP "JUMPER."
A Queer Nervous Malady Peculiar
to Northern Regions.
Boston Transcript.

Boston Transcript.
Up in the woods along the Canadian Dor
der during the long months when deep snow
covers the ground and the dense stiffness
is broken only by the sharp ring of the
woodlands AK, the time hangs heavily on
the hands of the crews of the logging
camps. For miles in all directions there is
an unbroken expanse of trees and snow
The great world outside rushes on but these
men know nothing of elections, strikes, dis
asters and horrors on land and sea until
months after they have occurred.
They are buried in the wilderness and
sometimes they go mad or fall ill of mel
ancholia, but for the first part they spend
the time when their labors are over in de-
vising some new form of diversion or varia-
tons of amusements that have become ira
ditional, like that of compelling a new hand
to climb a tree after which they proceed to
chop the tree down, permitting the unhappy
victim of their sport TO make a sudden
descent into some convenient snow bank.
If. however, a camp is provided with a
Jumper" the men never feel called upon
to look further for a means and source
of amusement. Now Jumper" in the
woods is about as luckless a specimen of hu-
mainly as walks the earth He is seldom
found far away from the woods, because
it is in their shade that he first begins his
jumping career. To start with, he is simply
a man whose nerves are abnormally sensi-
tive. There are many such among the half
breed French Canadians
Ordinarily they would simply be very
nervous men, but when such one is dis
covered in a logging camp. drastic and per-
sistent measures are taken to develop him
into a full-hedged Jumper" by which is
meant one who has so lost control of his
muscles that they will act involuntariy at
the command of another.
This result is secured by constant nag
the nerves of the victim become completely
unstrung, as the saying is, and he is help
less in the hands Of his tormentors. The
luckless logger straightens up from his
work and stick from some unknown
source strikes him in the back He goes
TO bed at night and no sooner is he asleep
than a shower of boots and shoes beats
down upon him. A string is tied to each
toe as he dozes in his bunk and one string
pulled at time until his foot seems to be
burning up. He gets no peace by night
or day and before many months his nervous
system has become completely shattered
and the camp has secured its Jumper" the
butt of all it's jokes and the cause of
A fully developed Jumper is as helpless
as baby in the hands Of a strong -willed
man. A shout sends him high into the air.
n poke III the GlDS SenuS MIN almost into
mysteries. In order to control himself he
often resorts to biting his fingers and
have seen Jumper with hands bleeding
and raw from constant gnawing. Point
a finger at the unfortunate man and he will
beat mis- hands fiercely against board or
stone wall
Sometimes a Jumper acts like a man
hypnotized. He will sway from side to side
or go in any direction indicated by the mo-
ton of a hand. He will even beat another
with his fists when commanded, but being
perfectly conscious Of what he is doing al
though powerless to help himself, will cry
out piteously, Il can't help it, don't hit me-
Sometimes a tragedy follows an attempt
to have sport with one of these unfortunate
individuals. 1t is related that several chop
walking through the woods in single file,
their axes over their shoulders, when
some thoughtless fellow threw a stick OF
wood which struck the Jumper" The lat
ter sprang into the air and brought down
mis- keen-edged with great force cleav-
ing the skull OF the man walking in front
OF him. More often il is the Jumper him
self who is injured, for the men of the
lumber camps are not inclined TO think
first before playing their jokes on their
afflicted cOmrade and may cause him TO
come tumbling down from a pile OF logs
or even jump into the fire.
II all seems very pitiful, for the life of
a Jumper must be one of the utmost
misery. He is always an ignorant man,
however, and knows OF no way 70 escape
the thraldom. Perhaps as a rule his INTEL
lect is not very strong 10 begin with Prob
ably in nearly all cases his mind becomes
affected after few years. He gets neither
sympathy nor help from his fellows, for
they cannot understand his weakness, and
their sport is nearly always rough. His
antics make them laugh and relieve the
tedium OF a long and lonely winter, far
away from civilization.