THE FATES WERE VERY HARD

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 347, 1 January 1903, Page 3

THE FATES WERE VERY HARD

TWO CONSECUTIVE MISHAPS.

A FRIEND WHEN ONE IS WANTED

Th« Case of Mr. J. STENMAN.

rifying effect on my heart, which used to palpitate 4 such a frightful manner that it K..c every symptom of being diseased The small of my back was affect* *rith acute, darting pains, which mad Al the bones in that neighbourhood so sore and tender that I could nov lie upon them. I cannot express the despondency of mind which settled upon me.. Suffice it to say that 1 became so miserable and fretful that it was as much as I could do to refrain from weeping over my wretched condition of health." "Were your sufferings any easier at night, Mr. Stenman?" "Not in the least. That is where the trouble came in, because my agonies kept me restless and fidgety nearly the whole time. When I should have been getting up I generally dozed off for a while. Then I dreamt all sorts of foolish dreams, and I was glad when I awoke again, although I was always in a state of perspiration, and full of nervous terrors. Fits of dry retching occurred every morning, thus rendering me weak and jaded for the rest of the day. I got awfully lank and fleshless, probably through an inability to keep down any food. As I have been used to a seafaring life over since I left school, you can easily understand that I am not naturally of a nervous temperament, but my awful wasting disease ft resulted in a [ dreadful nervousness taking hold of my system, my limbs sometimes trembling so much that they were almost poweri iess. Another thing that I disliked very j much was that my mind was in conI <*tant dread of some evil calamity happening to me. For two solid months I was not able to do a stroke of work. I was just like a ghost, my face being as white as death, and my cheeks were sunk right in. All that remained of me was skin and bone, and it was quite a reasonable assumption to make that before very long I would be in my grave. The symptoms of a diseased heart became more pronounced every day. Sometimes the palpitation was so violent that I feared the end was near. Many a time I.'thought I was tottering on the brink of my last resting place, and that I would succumb to my ailments if they lasted another day. My lips were white and bloodless, and my eyes showed hardly any signs of life. To tell the truth, the symptoms of my complaint were almost endless, yet I could not get one of them relieved." "Besides the doctors you have mentioned, did you make any other searches for relief ?■' " Well, considering that I consulted a doctor in every town I visited, I consider that I searched far and wide without meeting with any and during that time I drank nearly enough medicine to sink a ship. Nevertheless, it was all to no purpose.' It was a touch and go with me, and I had almost abandoned hope of ever even getting a little relief when I was persuaded to purchase a bottle of Clements Tonic, and after using it my health showed signs of improvement, so I got several bottles more. By the time they were finished my years of suffering were abolished. The morning retchings ceased, and my food digested, thus stopping the windy spasms and preventing the heart palpitations. The pains in my head and body were obliterated, likewise nervousness, and strength was completely regained. I am grateful to Clements Tonic for curing all my ailments, especially after so many doctors had failed, and what I hare said may be published in any way you like."

(By a Heporter.J

Mr. Jacob Stenm&n, of Primrose Villa, Gore-street, the Bluff, when con- , fronted by our reporter, intimated a desire to publicly substantiate certain ! facts which had hitherto been regarded with a certain amount of incredulity. ''ls it true that you were once a victim to physical troubles?" inquired the newspaperman.: -■...;..,•.. - | "Perfectly true," responded Mr. j 3teaman, " and, what is more, my sufj ieringa were obliterated in a moat remarkable manner., In order that you may know the whole course of event* from start to finish, I may aa well inform you that the whole of my sickness j arose through a circumstance which | might have had a very tragic ending. Vhilst rendering assistance to a man vho was being ill-treated by a band of i-ufiians, I was stabbed in the right | breast. A great quantity of blopd es- ! japed from the wound, and- I suffered the most dreadful agony tor weeks. I waa under? the care of an eminent doctor in Melbourne, ' and*,: after being (treated by him for some time, the ugly wound healed up. As soon M I felt a little strength returning, I went back to work, and before many days passed over my head, another calamity befell me. I was doing something which .taxed my strength too much, and the result was that I broke a blood-vessel. Imagine the bitterness of my grief when I found myself again mi invalid so soon after my first illness. Fate was very hard against me, there • is no doubt. Well, I was under another doctor for several months, and I had to be very careful what I did for fear of opening up my internal wound. The mischief was rectified concerning the -breaking "-£ the blood-vessel, but my 3ufferingi!s did not end there." Surely you did not meet with an>:ther accident, Mr. Shenman?" : •' No,; but J had to combat a worse affliction than a mere accident. The affects of these mishaps were worse than .he accidents themselves, for my system was ruined through the great loss of blood I had sustained, and also by the frightful agony I had suffered. An awful alteration had taken place. From being ■a tall, powerful man I was now bent up, weak and decrepit. The doctors supplied me with medicines to build up my strength, but they did not fulfil the purpose for which they were prescribed." " What complaint did you hive ;equent to your second accident ?" " I lardly know what to call it unless it may be described as a state of debility —a complaint which seems to include every affliction that flesh is heir to. For one thing, my digestive organs got horoughly out of repair. I commenced to suffer with a dull, suffocating feeling a my chest, as though the breath was : ieing squeezed out of me. Along with this came a continuance of depressing headaches which were bad enough in themselves to bear without any additional worries. My eyes felt hot and swollen, particularly in the mornings, when it was both painful and dazzling to look out of the window. In the right side of my body I was', tantalised with; horribly severe pains, while between my shoulders there' was an everlasting succession of pains j like the pricking of a needle. I had no desire to do anything or see anything, and the sound of music annoyed me. I just felt inclined to shut myself up away from everybody, as I felt it a nuisance to have to speak. On waking up I I always found my tongue moist with a yellow-coloured matter, while the taste in my mouth, to say the least, was extremely disagreeable. So tired and listless did I become that I had not enough energy to walk up stairs: »If I happened to be in the next apartment to the din-ing-room when meal times' arrived, 1 would not trouble myself to walk to the table. Indeed, I had no personal interest In this little detail of existence, as I had scarcely any appetite, and usually rejected all the edibles that were placed for me. If I did not do so my Bufferings were always added to by violent attacks of windy spasm*, which inflatedmy stomach and modnced ater-