i88i.] 
Correspondence. 
561 
“JUMPERS ” IN SOUTH AFRICA. 
To the Editor of the Journal of Science . 
Sir, — I was much pleased with the articles in the “Journal of 
Science,” by Dr. G. M. Beard, on the “Jumpers” of Maine. 
The same phenomena were observed here amongst a set of 
farmers living about the Divisions of Richmond and Graaf Reinet, 
in this colony. 
The first one I met with was a young man of about twenty 
years ; he was then (about the year 1837) on a visit to Stellen- 
bosch, when all the different tricks mentioned by Dr. Beard were 
played upon him. His rapid repetition of short sentences, when 
startled, was most remarkable and quite uncontrollable by his 
will. In more than one instance he would utter a whole sentence 
even before the last part had been expressed (?), which often 
annoyed him very particularly when he found that he had made 
use of words which were not fit to be expressed in company of 
ladies. He knew what was coming, but could not help himself. 
This young man was a Liebenberg, and the disease was princi- 
pally noticed in that family. 
A couple of years after that I again came across an old man, 
a Mr. Charles Liebenberg, who was subject to the same disease, 
as also three of his sons-in-law, named Pienaar. 
Not many years ago, whilst living at Worcester (South Africa), 
I became acquainted with another person of the same stamp, 
Mr. Conradie, a resident of Graaf Reinet, who, as far as I am 
aware, is still alive. He would throw, strike, jump, &c., repeat- 
ing the word also at the same time, whatever he was ordered to 
do when startled. I was present one day when some of these 
tricks were played on him, when he gave a young lady who was 
standing close to him such a violent blow as to send her spinning 
to the ground. He answered completely to the description given 
by Dr. Beard (“Journal of Science,” 1881, p. 87). 
None of these men were deficient in intellect; the one last 
named is a decent, well-to-do farmer. Two of the Pienaars 
were, moveover, brave men. They were all very ticklish, and 
sometimes it was only necessary to point with the finger at them 
and mention a word. Both Conradie and the Pienaars are of 
French descent. — I am, &c., 
J. W. Hugo, 
Civil Commissioner and Resident Magistrate, 
Clanwilliam, South Africa. 
