The Case of Mr. A. N. MORRISON.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7506, 13 September 1902, Page 6

The Case of Mr. A. N. MORRISON.

(By a LytVeUm Reporter). A pathetic incident in the history of the Upper Kyeburn, which resulted in the loss of five young lives, has been' *■ lucidly described in "verse, under the title "Lost in the Snow," by Mr. Andrew Napier Morrison^of Percy-street, Sydenham, who is Slso the author of other poems of much merit* Oar reporter recently interviewed the abovementioned gentleman, who gave a graphic description concerning a personal matter, which is submitted to public notice. "I think there must be a mistake somewhere, Mr. Morrison," exclaimed the scribe. " Surely you are not the man who has suffered sr> greatly *s I have been led' to believe ?" "Yes, I am, although I acknowledge I don't look like it," was the answer. " But a few years ago I was not half . the man lam now. My career has been very varied, you must know. Being fond of roving from place to place in my younger dayß, I was always on the move. I have travelled all over New Zealand, and have been engaged in all kinds of business .pursuits, .some • of which involved exposure to the weather. * Many a day I have been out when it has been raining and blowing a miserable cold wind, ana have been too far from civilisation to get a change of dry clothes, besides getting irregular meals, with no variety in my diet. The strongest of constitutions"'w'll go under in time, if a person continues with this mode of living, and my t system broke down and collapsed entirely. I was frequently out of touch with a town where I could get something to keep me. in regular trim,, with the result that I became a victim to liver and kidney disease, besides having a heavy oold upon me for a long time." "How did your complaints manifest themselves.?" : "I suffered pains of an acute, darting character, which always increased in severity when I went to bed, particularly if I lay on my right side. The symptoms became more aggravated as time wore on. The pain extended to other parts of my body, even my shoulder blades being affected by sharp twitcpings' of agony. I became so weak that I was incapacitated from' going through my daily vocation. I have always had a strong aversion to medicine of any kind, and for a long time I determined to allow nature to take her course; but I found that this doctrine was a fallacy, as my condition was getting too serious to trifle any longer with my complaint. Occasionally I took some medicine which was supposed to be strengthening, and which sometimes partially relieved me; but the ease only lasted an hour or so, and then the pains came back with redoubled violence. My dread ailment obtained a firmer hold upon me every day. I was drowsy and heavy, and felt fatigued as if I had been working hard. My bowels were constipated and excessively, relaxed .in turn, and there was a beastly taste in my mouth. It was not often I felt hungry, but if I did take a few mouthfuls of food I suffered for it afterwards." "In what way, Mr. Morrison?" " Horrible pains in the stomach saized me, the food seeming to turn into lead/ and refusing to digest. There it lay till the victuals turned sour, when another torment appeared in the form of windy spasms, which fairly doubled me up. A little relief Was obtained when I vomited the food up again, which wa« a matter of frequent occurrence; but, of course, a man can't live very long without some nourishment, and my in-" ability to keep the food down soon wore me to a skeleton. My eyos were swollen and almost sightless; a result, I believe, of the racking, blinding headaches which never gave me any peace. I became so listless and dreamy that I could not follow a person's conversation without losing the gist of the subject, besides getting very hard of hearing. Anybody who came to have a ohat with me must have found me a jpiost uninteresting individual to talk to, I took very little heed of what transpired. My thoughts were continually _t r "•" _? ■' i^"**" i .

centred upon the internal drseaSe whfefe' was dragging r.iy life away." | "Your kidneys were affected, ypu j say. How could you tali ?" - "By the sharp,, shooting pains in the small of my "hack. These " terrific agonie3 ware particularly sever© when*' ever I stoopao,- cr evsn if I lifted ». chair. I ren:ember that when I'some^-. times tried to straighten myself . up suddenly I received such a' pafnful, shock that I quivered with agony. The shooting pains were g-n->ra"Jy followed with a dull, heavy s^nsationj*which'Hated for days, and these symptoms alternated for mcnths. Tiie urixflNea's high- ... colon red and scanty, with a sandy «cdi* n»ent apparent. tt waa bad . enouga to be in such a slate of misery during the. day, bu"- to be kept awake by tho eterlasting torture * during J\e nights was really too b d. The refreshing keeling which sleep alone can produce waa defied me, although, sometimes I had a ft'W . hours sleep, 'when consciousness flickered out through extreme exhaustion, but the sleep did not avail me muck comfort, and I awoke as restless and tired as ever, and felt just as bad as if I had ren?a ; ned Iwafce. Under this terrible strain I knew I could' not exist much longer. My nerves gave V way and added* to the general -discomfort- and vicissitudes that such a disease -*s mine entails. The many remedies; X tried were worthless, and I am soffr^l did jiot know as much then aayf'Jpn now, because it would have meanfcSpounds in my pocket, besides averting, months ;pf suffering. As it was I thought the only termination to my disease lay -in death. With this conviction always upon my mind it is not necessary "to describe the desperate condition I was in. But a tunr'ng point .. arrived At last, and it came when I had: actually given up doctors' • and chemists' raedi- . _ oines in disgust.- . They really made me feel worse, my stomach now being top weak to retain their obnoxious compounds." "What was the turning point yon mentioned?" "Weil, I happened to liear of a per* son who had suffered somewhat similarly to myself, and who had been cured by a course of Clements Tonic. I resolved to put this medicine to tha test, so I began to take it immediately. I was very impatient 'to 'get weli, and I must aclmit that when I had taken a few doses I was not over sanguine of success. The fact of the matter was that my condition waa so critical I cud , not expect to recover. A miracle waa i performed later on. I thought I might just as well finish the bottle, so I kept going, and to my intense delight I felt a change for the better ; before the bottle was empty. So great waa the improvement that I was hopeful ana confident and bought _everal Hora bottles of Clements Tonic, which relieved my pains wonderfully, and, more fortunate still, I hid sweet and refreshing nights of sleep, r I also ate well,, ana did' not feel any 'more stomach or chest pains. My head was. clear,* the Honey afflictions ceased, and _ay nerres , were toned. Clements Tonic made my liver healthy, besides removing all traces of indigestion.. Strength ana vitality returned, and I was • 00I £, l *?f_ bust and happy as a mam could wad* to be." " May I gire publicity to yonr remarks?" , :."'':. " Decidedly. Clementa Tonic wowed my term of life, so yon con pubhstt my testimony any. way you like. I • ~ : ■■■ ' f: