Year: 1870

Detroit anu MllWuuhtc utpbt.
saturday morning, was a group Of
three-husband, wife and q male
relatiye-whose actions attracted
the attention Of officer OConnOr,
inasmuch as the husband had a
ghastly expression circumference,
was kept mutlled up in an over.
coat, the wife was tender and So
licitous, and the friend was eager
ly impatient for the hour Of de.
parture. AS the officer was sever.
al times appealed to for informa-
tlon, he finally made bold to in.
quire as to the invalid's apparent
sickness. While waiting for the
train TO 90, and making sure that
the husband wanted nothing more,
the friend, whose name is William
j. Bently, related to the officer n
rather singular tale concerning
the travellers, and our reporter had
word sent to him to interview the
group, and get the facts in the
case from their own lips.


The invalid gave us the name of
John Hart, being about "a years
old, and his home is at Great Bar
rington. Mass. For several years
past his health has been gradually
failing, he being of 4 consumptive
turn, and about 4 year ago, he had
4 shock Of paralysis which left his
left arm almost useless, and some
what disfgured his face by twitch.
ing the mouth to one side. Some
two month ago, hoping that q
western climate would work 4
beneficial change in his health,
Hart and his wife made a journey
to her sisters, at Bridgeport, Wis.
The bracing air seemed TO work q
change, and the invalid had hopes
that he would soon be able to
throw aside his cane. 1t was no
ticable that his eyes had q bright
expression, his skin displayed a
ruddy hue, and Hart felt so well
in three weeks time that he even
talked Of permanently locating in
the West, and wrote letters look
ing toward the sale of property in
Massachusetts,.


On the 10Th Of June, about 3
o'clock in the evening, the family,
as well as a ncighbor or two who
had dropped in, sat together on a
verandah, conversing at times, and
again listening to the voice of n
young lady who was singing and
playing upon an accordion. Hart
had felt entirely well all day, and
his appearance was 50 much more
favorable as to have been the sub
ject Of congratulation among
those present. Gradually, as the
young lady sung, curious feeling
came over him, as he sat in a rock
ing. chair, with his limbs stretched
out at length over n stool. He de.
scribes the feeling to have been
like the strange numbncss that is
felt when q member Of the body
gets asleep, which all of us have
experienced, only the feeling
seemed to start first around the
heart, spreading thence all over
the body. There was no pain, no
alarm, but the sensation was rather
agreeable, as it seemed to modify
all the sharp notes of the song,
every word of which could be dis.
tinctly heard by Hart. After the
song, he heard the words Of ad-
miration expressed, and was about
to make an effort to shake OFF the
stupor, when the white column OF
the veranhah just in front Of him,
grew DINNER and DINNER, until it
faded away in a mist, and then the
man 5 cyelids fell, and he thought
to himself that he was going to
sleep. Instead, he commenced to



think more rapidly than before,
and to feel that he ought to start
int up; the voices did not die
away, and he heard the farewell


words of 4 woman who took hel
leave, AS she went, the groul
arose to 90 in the house, Mrs
Hart approaching her husband
with n Come, John, let's 60 in "


He could not move; his whole
body felt as if asleep, and no ex
ton of will or strength could stil
a finger. Seeing that he did no


move, the wife laid her hanC
on his shoulder, shook him slight
ly, and repeated: Come, John
We are going to bed" He tried t.
move, realizing that he tried to


but he was like a stone, only feel


ing that he lived, and that h,
knew all that was transpirinl
around him. Johns really gon,
Off into a nap" said the wife t.
the others who stood near, at thu
same time shaking him, and then
she playfully seized the chair by
the back and pulled it. part way
over, thinking that the fear of
fall would wake him. AS the chaiI
tipped, Harts body fell over thu
arm to one side falling as would ;
bag of sand, his head striking
heavily against Bently, hi'
brother.in-law, who had approach


ed, The group Immediately be


came alarmed, feeling his heart