1939-08-21 — Page 21

THE CHINA MAIL, AUGUST 21, 1939. TO-DAY'S STRANGE STORY OF REAL PEOPLE

MOLLIE FANCHER: "PSYCHOLOGICAL ENIGMA"

By AUGUSTUS ST. MARS

"It is more of a revelation than that seen by John from the Isle of Patmos."

*

Thus wrote a distinguished educa- tor, Prof. Charles E. West, after join- ing a group of brother savants in a study of the strange case of Mollie Fancher, "the Psychological Enigma.' Mollie's career as a celebrity com- menced on the third of February, 1866, during her 18th year. She was then an orphan living with an aunt in Brooklyn and on the day mentioned, while helping with some preserving, she astonished that relative by utter- ing shrieks, spinning about on her toes and then rolling about the floor with her feet clasped in her hands. Carried to bed she there lay for over 50 years, during which period she manifested such phenomena as made her the greatest "psychological cele- brity" of that period. A group

of physicians studying her case learned that two years previously she had fallen from her horse and struck her head on a pavement and that one year before she had been dragged a block by a street car from which she had tried to alight while it was moving. But according to medical opinion cer- tain mental aspects of her strange case must have resulted from other causes. During much of that half century of her bedfast career, Mollie Fancher was helpless from paralysis and blind- Пess and a pitiful sufferers from agonising pain. During 30 years of that period she gained such world renown as a clairvoyant that P. T. Barnum repeatedly made her extrava- gant offers to travel with his show and exhibit her powers while resting on a golden bed with a swans' down

mattress.

ONCE MUCH TOO

M700

Chin

LOOK AT HER

NOW

Mjas Fancher Remained In A Trance For Nine Years.

The International Psychical Con- gress of 1893 received a report on Mollie's case from Judge Abraham H. Daily whose book, "Mollie Fancher- The Brooklyn Enigma," still to be found in many public libraries, car- ries many affidavits from scientists, authors, journalists and theologians testifying to these feats performed by Miss Fancher:

Locating lost articles and dis- tinguishing colours while she blind.

was

Such feats of prophesy as accurate- ly predicting weather changes, cularly thunder storms; when fire alarms were going to sound,

Such eats of clairvoyance (while perfectly blind) as telling the exact time by touching the crystals of watches; distinguishing colours by objects touched; locating lost objects; describing the clothing and actions of friends checked at the moment in distant locations; describing unexpect- ed persons ringing her doorbell; read- ing books by touching the pages;: reading unopened letters placed under her pillow.

Dr. Samuel Fleet Speir, testified that he brought to Miss Fancher's beside from his office an unopened letter of whose contents he was ignorant and that, although her eyes were sightless she wrote its exact contents, without unsealing it. Ac- cording to Dr. Henry M. Parkhurst she performed the same feat for him. After she had been bedfast four months, Mollie Fancher entered into a nine years' trance, throughout all of which she was blind and through- out the first six years of which she remained stiff, cold and speechless, manifesting only a slight pulse and a barely parceptible respiration. Most of this time she would receive little nourishment except water and forced feeding had to be resorted to keep her alive.

CHILDREN

PENSION,

DRAW TOO

Old age pensions are common In the family of Mrs. C. Smith, of the Haven, Raglan-street, Lowe- stoft. In addition to herself five of her children-three sons and two daughters-are all drawing their old age allowances.

Mrs. Smith, who is ninety-five years of age, has another daugh- ter who does not draw an old age pension. She is the wife of a rallroad pensioner.

Mrs. Smith's sons are Charles, who in seventy-four years of age; James, sixty-eight, and Robert, sixty-five. Charles is. a. retired. sea captain. His two younger brothers are still active with flah- ing boats.

her appetite for food, her weight and to some extent, her strength.

The 50th anniversary of her life in bed was celebrated on February 3, 1916, as her "Golden Jubilee" and many personages, including President Woodrow Wilson, were invited. week and one day later Mollie Fan- cher died, leaving unsolved many of the puzzles of her weird existence. (Copyright by Watkins Syndicate Inc.)

LOCAL DOLLAR

One

The demand rate on the Hong Kong dollar to-day was 1/2-19/32.

Spot silver was quoted in London at 17-1/8 and forward at 16-15/16.

The London on New York Cross rate was quoted at £-U.S.$4.6813.

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