Evening journal., 1912-09-13
DOCTOR TELLS HOW
GIRL SEES In THE DARK

NEW YORK, Sept ia dispatch
was published OF the reported ability
Of Miss Bessie Stewart, 22-year-old
daughter OF a farmer Of Wellsvile,
Mo-, to read from books and describe
pictures In the dark when In "A trance
due to hysteria.
Her physician, Dr r. II. Winane Of
Mexico. No, telegraphed the follow
ing account OF this strange case.
Il will write you what took place
during one of my visits TO my pa
tient, Miss Bessie Stewart of Wells
Vile, Mo.
"As we drove up TO the house about
p. M, her father said. There she Is
now
Il looked and saw a tall. graceful
girl dressed as she thought, for a
party, in a pink dress with low neck
an short sleeves A gold chain with
locket attached hung around her
neck. She was tossing an apple with
one hand and catching II with the
other.
"She was oblivious of everybody
and everything and no one could say
or do anything that would make her
pay the least heed. A dog suddenly
barking or any noise or crash of
falling tin panscapparently was not
heard. Her eyes were open, but one
could not make her see anything,
nor answer any questions, nor talk
about anything whatever except what
happened to be on her mind.
Like in Trance.
"The expression OF her face was as
Of one in q trance. She went from
this tossing OF an apple to eating
grapes and a peach, exercising care.
to let nothing get on her dress Then
she climbed a high gate and sat on
the top of higher post with her feet
on the gate, assuming different grace
full Dostures. Then she wandered
about the yard, whstling at times or
singing, not talking in this spell, ex-
cept a sentence or two occasionally.
She went into the parlor and said.
Play, play One played waltzes and
two-steps and Bessie danced all
about the room Then a singer played
and sang and Bessie sang too. When
Home, Sweet Home was played no
one sang. for Bessie was acting It out
in graceful pantomime.
Supper time came and we went 10
the table Sc took her place at the
table and ate like the rest of us, help
ing her self or taking of what passed.
Soon she arose and walked away with
long strides
"One said: She thinks she is a
man now. She always takes those long
strides when she thinks she is a
man.
"She impersOnated a man She got
a pipe and a pouch of tobacco, filled
the pipe, struck a match, lighted the
tobacco and smoked. We followed her
out OF the house She went to the
stile. whore she sat till she had finish
ed her smoke. blowing the smoke and
assuming postures of man,
Thinks She Is Man.
Then she raped the tobacco out
of the pipe and started toward the
house. AS she passed me she said;
Life is made of one damn thing after
another Her mother said she never
uses strong language except when she
thinks she Is a man. In the hall she
said: oh. Il Is so dark-dark / can't
tell which suitcase is minel She got
a suitcase, put on a mans coat and
hat and started of. The nshe
gave up going on journey and went
! into the parlor
''Soon she was a girl again and
going into the parlor began 10 recite
We hurried I'm and eat around the
room. She recited The Raggedy
Man. and Hush, with graceful ges-
lures. l think no one could recite bet
ter.
''It was dark by this time and a
lighted lamp was brought IN. She
said. oh, I'm tired' and sat down in
a chair near the table Soon I noticed
that she had picked up a bunch of
pictures and was looking at them and
talking about them. I thought this
my chance for test.
Il picked. up another bunch, turned
the light SO low that I could not see
the cards. ! put the cards into her
hands and she kept on talking about
the pictures AS fast as she would de-
scribe a picture / would lake the card,
till I had Eve, when the notion left
her and she was of on something
else.
Began Reading Letter.
Il turned up the lamp and looked al
the cards IN order and she had de-
scribed the pictures accurately. She
could see as we'll in the dark as In the
, light She found a letter on the piano
and began TO read it to herself
turned the lamp so low that one could
not see even the white paper in hel
!