MR. MILNER STEPHEN.

Patea Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 1003, 28 February 1883, Page 3

MR. MILNER STEPHEN.

Tire Wairafapa Standard is .responsible

for the following :—A good story reaches us i from Masterton about a wonderful alleged, cure, performed, by Mr Milner Stephen .there. There is a maii up that Svay who has a cork leg with patent springs, knee-cap movement, tensor and flexor action, and all the latest mechanical improvements. Now, this gcntleman suffers from rheumatism"in jus natural I leg (not the cork one), so he went privately • to Mr Stephen, paid his two guineas, and ; sought the aid of “The heaven-gifted healer.’’ We regret, however; to say that on the occasion of visiting Mr Milner Stephen.the wouldbe patient was slightly “tight.” This confused the gentleman’s ideas.. So,^.when explaining his disease, he stuck -out the cork leg, by mistake, as being the afflicted member. “ The Great Healer ” thereupon prayed over that' made, -mesiheric 5 - passes . with tremendous energy, even until tho dainp beads of perspiration stood out upon Ids'intellectual brow, and then in strident tones < ordered the pain to depart and torture no ( more. “ Your pain is gone, now ?” at length quoth “ The Great Healer.” “ Yes,” replied the man wiffi the cork leg, “ I don’t feel It now.” “ Well, then,” quoth Stephen, “ you are cured, and may go.”' Well, the-man went home, put his trust in Providence, and took a big drink. At bed time, he essayed to take off his cork leg . But, alas, the leg had gone all wrong—it would’nt unscrew or come off at all. The magnetism, or the passes, or the red flannel, or the magnetised oil, or the prayers—or all combined, had bedevilised that cork leg altogether. A perfect triumph of mechanical skill. and ingenuity was completely ruined.. The “ flexors and extensors” and “ the patcnt:knee-cap movement” was completely done for. The afflicted man swore roundiyv took another big drink, and went to bed, 'cork leg and all. He is there still, and .vows to sue .Milner Stephen in the Supreme Court, to recover heavy damages for the loss of his patent cork leg. - But some readers will ask, “ Is this story true—in short, is it a hard, bald fact ; ?”

Well, yes ; it must be tine. It is printed in the Standard, and, surely, that shows it to be true. Still, as we are tenderly conscientious about always being strictly scrupulous in our veracity, we do not, therefore, abso-; lately vouch for this story. “We tell the; tale as ’twas told to us.” But this much we do most positively assert: The story of the cork leg is quite as true as many another; yarn, duly vouched for, of some miraculous] cures alleged to have ( beon performed by Mr; Milner Stephen, |