Watseka Wonder

[Spooky]

13 year-old girl name Lurancy Vennum first began to fall into mysterious, catatonic trances during which she claimed that she was able to speak to angels and the spirits of the dead. The strange spells would often occur many times each day and some of them would last for hours. During the trances, Lurancy would speak in different voices and tell of places far away that she had no real knowledge about. When she woke up, she wouldn't remember anything that she said or did while she was under the influence of these spells.

Very interesting story!!
www.prairieghosts.com/watseka.html

[Spooky]

From the link:

"Mary endured more agony as the "cures" for insanity in those days were just short of barbaric. One of the favored treatments of the 1860's was the Water Cure, in which a patient would be immersed naked into a tub of icy water and then taken to a tub of scalding water after their body temperature had sufficiently lowered. In addition, female patients, like Mary, received a cold water douche, administered with a hose and then they were wrapped tightly in wet sheets to squeeze the blood vessels shut. This was followed by vigorous rubbing to restore circulation. The "treatments" were administered several times each week but not surprisingly, such techniques brought little success and most of the patients never got better."

Unbelievable that back then they thought something like that would cure a mental illness.