THE DEATH OF DR TANNER.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2673, 13 October 1881, Page 2

THE DEATH OF DR TANNER.

Tho American faster, Dr Tanner, has departed this life with an unostentatiousness strongly contrasting with the sensational manner in which he last year contrived to live through his battle against hunger. About a month ago he arrived in Amsterdam, and alighted at the Hotel Cornelius. He was accompanied by Mrs Dr Tanner and two children. For a week after his arrival in Amsterdam, Dr Tanner confined himself to his room in the hotel. Tt is reported that during this time he used to eat five or six meals a day with a ravenous appetite, besides consuming a large quantity of spirits. At length he informed tho hotelkeeper who he was, and stated that he had come to see Dr Groff. This had, in several Dutch papers, expressed disbelief in the genuineness of Dr Tannep’s well known fast, and declared the latter must have obtained nutriment by secret means. The object of Dr Tanner in going to Amsterdam was to perform in Dr Groff’s house a fast similar to that which he had gone through in America last autumn. The wager was to be 50,000 franos, or S3OOO. Dr Groff, who was away at tho time Dr Tanner reached Amsterdam, returned hopie the other day, and at onpe sent a messenger to the American, who had begun to grow impatient of the delay. Rejoiced to hear that Dr Groff had St |pug|h called, Dr Tanner ran out of his room to yepeiye h|m, bpt in doing so missed his footing at tho top of the stairs and fell to the bottom. The fall caused concussion of tho brain and other in juries, and tho unfortunate faster breathed his last tho very next day. The medical men of Amsterdam desired tq open the body of I?r Tanner* but to tins Mrs Tanner, in spjtp of all their entreaties and offers, would not consent. She, however, agreed to allow the body to.lie weighed, when it was found ihtyt its weight was only 108]b. Ip will i)e peinembprpd tjiat at fhe end of Jiis fast Dr Tanner only weighed Utilb.