Rensselaer Gazette, Volume 3, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 January 1860 — Suffering Extraordinary. [ARTICLE]

Suffering Extraordinary.

[From the Orleans, (N. Y.) American.

Messrs. Editors —Being in the town of Shelby on the 6th inst., I called to see and speak with Henry Passen, who is and has been aflicted with rheumatism as probably no other person has been since the world began. He bas been confined to his bed since the spring of 1831, and has not helped himself from it since the fall of the same year, now more than a quarter of a century. Most of this time he has been as helpless ns an infant, and not being able to turn himself in bed, or help himself to a morsel of food. His knees have been out of joint for many years, the cords and muscles having contracted so as to draw the lower bones of the leg back under the femur or upper bone from one to three inches. His feet has been drawn so as to bring his toes against the shin bone or tibia, with such force as to cause pai.iful and offensive sores. His h inds are drawn out of their natural shape, and rendered, with the entire arm, useless and almost motionless. The nerves of his eves have been so affected as to destroy the smht. has been totally blind for nearlv’ten years. His hearing and speech are yet preserved, and his appetite lias been quite good most of the time. His memory h surprisingly good, and his power to recognize those whose voice he has heard is wonderful. His left leg has been amputated about u year and a half ago, wljich time I have not seen him until the 7th inst.,yet he recognized me at once upon hearing me speak. His sufferings are intense., especially when he is moved. At the present time his remaining foot is much swollen and mortification has already commenced, and amputation is contemplated.

QO~“Our venerable President,” putting on the guise of patriotism, in his Message, warns the people of the North and South against the further agitation of the Slavery question. In the next paragraph, taking off the hypocritical disguise, he proceeds to do precisely what ho warns others agaiest, by defending and rejoicing over the Dred Scott decision. This is like t)je party at whose head Mr. Buchanan stands. They profess and preach one thing, and then practice directly the reverse, yjuch is modern Democracy.