Examination of evidence and report to the Most Reverend James Whitfield ... upon the miraculous restoration of Mrs. Ann Mattingly, of the city of Washington, D.C. ... together with the documents / By the Right Reverend John England.

  • John England
Date:
1830
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Examination of evidence and report to the Most Reverend James Whitfield ... upon the miraculous restoration of Mrs. Ann Mattingly, of the city of Washington, D.C. ... together with the documents / By the Right Reverend John England. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    40/42 (page 40)
    Church, in the City of Washington, who being sworn according to the law, makes oath that the foregoing statement subscribed by him, and any matter and thing therein contained is true. Witness my hand. JOHN N. MOULDER, [seal.] Justice of the Peace. THE REV. WILLIAM MATTHEWS. Mrs. Ann Mattingly, from St. Mary’s County, State of Maryland, has been a respectable and pious member of my congregation for about fourteen years. The inveterate disease of which she has been lately cured, commenced in the year 1817. In the spring of the ensuing year it assumed a very alarming appearance; she was considered to be in danger of death, and received the rites of the church as a dying person. Her complaint was a pain in the left side, vfhich caused constant spitting and frequent vomiting of blood, followed by great debility, and sometimes cramps in the breast. 8he told me she also experienced a most acute and incessant pain from a lump on her left side, of considerable magnitude, which was quite hard and inflamed, and which de¬ prived her of the use of her left arm. She had recourse to various remedies to bring the lump to a head, or to scatter it, but in vain ; it continued hard and undiminished till the moment of her cure. During the five first years of her illness, I visited her two or three times a month, and sometimes oftener; but during the last year I visited her regularly once a week to receive her confes¬ sion, and give her communion. Although her pains were not equally excru¬ ciating, yet, as she told me, she never enjoyed a moment’s cessation of them. During the five or six last months of her illness she was afflicted with a most distressing and obstinate cough, and for several weeks preceding her cure with chills and fevers every afternoon. During the course of her painful and long protracted malady, she apparently suffered more than I thought a mortal frame could endure, and with heroical fortitude and edifying resignation. 1 never heard her utter a complaint—she never showed any solicitude to regain her health, her prayer was as she told me, that the will of God might be done in her. During the first nine days of March she performed a novena, or nine days devotion, to the sacred Name of Jesus, which was to be concluded by receiving communion on the tenth. On the ninth, therefore, I visited her at night to hear her confession, preparatory to her going to communion in the morning. Whilst I remained near her she appeared to suffer most excruciating pains ; twice she had cramps in her breast; her expectoration seemed extremely painful and difficult; her voice was very low—hardly audible. They moistened her lips and tongue four or five times while I remained with cold water in a teaspoon. I proposed to give her laudanum, her sister observed she had already taken two hundred and fifty drops during the evening. I left her about half after ten o’clock apparently in the jaws of death.. Rev. Mr. Dubuisson who said mass very early in the morning, gave her communion a little after four o’clock, and immediately hurried back to inform me that she was instanta¬ neously restored to perfect health after receiving the blessed sacrament. I went down to Captain Carbery’s to view the astonishing event. When I arrived, Mrs. Mattingly opened the door! with a smiling countenance, shook my hand. Although prepared for this meeting, I could not suppress my astonishment at the striking contrast produced in her person in a few hours; my mind had for years associated death and her pale emaciated face ; a thrilling awe pervaded my whole frame: from that day to the present date Mrs. Mattingly assures me she has enjoyed perfect health. WILLIAM MATTHEWS, May 18, 1824. Rector of St. Patrick’s Church. Sworn to before JAMES HOBAN, [seal.]