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Remarkable Case of Margaret Lyall.

[April

made; and her father, taking hold of her right hand, urged her to make an exertion to move it. She began to move first the thumb, then the rest of the fingers in succession, and next her toes in like manner. He then opened her eye-lids, and presenting a candle, desired her to look at it, and asked, whether she saw it. She answered, "Yes," in a low and feeble voice. She now proceeded gradually, and in a very few minutes, to regain all her faculties; but was so weak as scarcely to be able to move. Upon being interrogated respecting her extraordinary state, she mentioned, that she had no knowledge of any thing that had happened; that she remembered, indeed, having conversed with her friends at her former awakening, (Friday afternoon, 30th of June) but felt it a great exertion then to speak to them; that she recollected also having heard the voice of Mr Cowie, minister of Montrose, (the person who spoke to her on the forenoon of Tuesday the 8th of August,) but did not hear the persons who spoke to her on the afternoon of the same day; that she had never been conscious of having either needed or received food, of having been lifted to make evacuations, or of any other circumstance in her case. She had no idea of her having been blistered; and expressed great surprise, upon discovering that her head was shaved. She continued in a very feeble state for a few days, but took her food nearly as usual, and improved in strength so rapidly, that on the last day of August she began to work as a reaper in the service of Mr Arkley of Dunninald; and continued to perform the regular labour of the harvest for three weeks, without any inconvenience, except being extremely fatigued the first day.

After the conclusion of the harvest, she went into Mr Arkley's family, as a servant; and on the 27th day of September, was found in the morning by her fellow-servants in her former state of profound sleep, from which they were unable to rouse her. She was conveyed immediately to her father's house, (little more than a quarter of a mile distant), and remained exactly fifty hours in a gentle, but deep sleep, without making any kind of evacuation, or taking any kind of nourishment. Upon awakening, she arose apparently in perfect health, took her breakfast, and resumed her work as usual at Dunninald. On the 11th of October, she was again found in the morning, in the same lethargic state; was removed to the house of her father, where she awoke as before, after the same period of fifty hours sleep; and returned to her service, without seeming to have experienced any inconvenience. At both of these times her menses were obstructed. Dr Henderson, physician in Dundee, who happened to be on a visit to his friends at Dunninald, prescribed some medicines suited to that complaint; and she has ever since been in good health, and able to continue in service.^[1]

(Signed) Jas. Brewster,
Minister of Craig.

I hereby certify the preceding account of my daughter Margaret's illness and recovery to be correct in every circumstance, according to the best of my recollection.

(Signed) John Lyal.

We hereby attest, That the above-mentioned particulars in the extraordinary case of Margaret Lyall, are either consistent with our personal knowledge, or agreeable to all that we have heard from the most creditable testimony.

Peter Arkley of Dunninald.
A. Ferguson, Minister, Maryton.
Wm. Gibson, Physician, Montrose.

↑ On the morning of September 21, 1816, Margaret Lyall, whose case is described above, was found in an out-house at Dunninald, hanged by her own hands. No cause could be assigned for this unhappy act. Her health had been good since the month of October 1815; and she had been comfortable in her situation. It was thought by the family, that a day or two preceding her death, her eyes had the appearance of rolling rather wildly; but she had assisted the day before in serving the table, and been in good spirits that evening. On the following morning she was seen to bring in the milk as usual, and was heard to say, in passing rather hurriedly through a room, where the other maids were at work, that something had gone wrong about her dairy; but was not seen again till she was found dead about half an hour after. She is known to have had a strong abhorrence of the idea of her former distress recurring; and to have occasionally manifested, especially before her first long sleep, the greatest depression of spirits, and even disgust of life.

[1] On the morning of September 21, 1816, Margaret Lyall, whose case is described above, was found in an out-house at Dunninald, hanged by her own hands. No cause could be assigned for this unhappy act. Her health had been good since the month of October 1815; and she had been comfortable in her situation. It was thought by the family, that a day or two preceding her death, her eyes had the appearance of rolling rather wildly; but she had assisted the day before in serving the table, and been in good spirits that evening. On the following morning she was seen to bring in the milk as usual, and was heard to say, in passing rather hurriedly through a room, where the other maids were at work, that something had gone wrong about her dairy; but was not seen again till she was found dead about half an hour after. She is known to have had a strong abhorrence of the idea of her former distress recurring; and to have occasionally manifested, especially before her first long sleep, the greatest depression of spirits, and even disgust of life.

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