The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-05-09
The Yalae OF sleep.

1t Is related that Chinese merchant.
having been convicted Of the murder al
bis wife under peculiarly cruel circurn,
stances, the Judges before whom he VIVA
tried determined to punish him In such
manner as 10 inflict the utmost amount
OF suffering, and at the came time strike
terror into the hearts of all who might
entertain the idea of following his exam.
pie. He was accordingly condemned 10
die by being deprived or sleep. The
prisoner was placed in confinement under
the care of three of the police grard. who
were. ordered 10 relieve each other ne
regular Intervals, and were instructed 10
supply the condemned man with q 'fill
allowance Of food and drink, but wera TO
prevent him falling asleep night or day.
AZ INST ne congratulated himself on the
miidness of his punishment, and was
Father disposed to regard the whole mat.
Ter as n joke. TIE excitement of his ait
uuation tended to keep him awake. and
ior day or two his guards had little 10
do By the third day he began TO feel
very Uncomfortable. His eyes were red.
his mouth parched, his skin dry and hot
ana his head ached. o These syu.ntorns
continued TO increase in intensity. until.
at the commencement Of the eipbth dsv
MS sas'erings were SO acute TINT he was
az timea delirious. Tn his moments Of
reason, het,begged the authorities 10 n,,t
an end 70 his terrible torture. He IN.
piored them to grant him the blessed on.
portunity Of being strangied. puilicisMsfd
burned at the stake, drowned rafs0{GS'
hnot, ,guartered, blown up with eunSn,y.
DER, cut into small pieces, or RilietI in
any conceivable way their hunrSnity nr ~
ietuciiy might sngss,;ssss. All wAs in vain
however. His VofYnentofs cooIIv 'd;d
their work tillthere was 40 oocaaion @ tor
their interference, for, It 10 said. n neriod
was reached at which he could NOT baye
slept even ;f let alone. Tho brain rjas
feeding on the products of its own dis;n.
tegrahon, and sleep. waB impossihIe,
dc was now entirely insane, "a =. =
1t Is o fact well known to the medical,
professioa that wakefulness Is the m6st
oomuoa cause of insanity. Illusions of
his sight and hearing were almost con..
stant, and erroneous fanciea filIei b;s
thoughts. AT one moment he foupht hin
guards with al the fury OF q maniac. f fat
the next, he covered with terror at aon,o
Imaginary monster, and then relnusin0
aato calmuees, would smile with deliahf
aS some enchanting vision which fitted
Through his mind. FINALLY. nature csve
a%h$ altogether. He Law anon the Aoor
or his prison, breathing slowly and heav.
lily; .s.upor ensued, and. on tha nine.
teenth day, death released him from his
terrible suffcrings. ''''''' ''7''
Repeated and prolonged vigils, while
depriving the body of rest, oeerexcite Tho
cerebral activity, augment that enormous
expense of nervous enerny mode in tbe
work OF Thought, and keen tip n finrion
OF blood to the head. They thus nre.
vent repair e. AZ. AZ. sss.s .o5uo or at ieast
oppose Q complete restoration of powar,
Often indeed, the thinker, wearied,and
overcome, leaves his work to court sIeen.
but sleep shnns him, the excited eircp}a.
ton of tie brain continues, and the
wlshed-for calm comes not. Il Ia releted
of the Able do la Caille, o famous M.
tfonomer, that he invented kind nf
fork In which he adju,ted his head. and
thus passed nights in observation Of the
sky, without knowing any other enemies
than sleep and tho clouds. he CONTRACT
ted in thfs way an inflammation Of the
chest, which carried him off in n fev
days, SO exhausted was the isystem from
loss Of required sleep. It Is said of tie
paintnr Girodet, that he did net IKE
work in the day time. Seized in Che
middle of the night" or at an earlier or,
Later hour, with o fever cf inspiration.
he would rise, light lustres suspended in
his studio, set upon his head an enor.
nous mat covered with wax lights, and
then pal. !; for whole hours. As might
be expected, rev men had more wretched
constitutions or more dissipatell health
than Girodet, and it is aaid toward the
end Of hio short life, his genius seemed
welded to corpse. ~.