San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-09-13
MUST WALK OR DIE.
Strange Addiction of John Snyder-A
Nervous Trouble Compels Him to
Keep in Perpetual Motion
Day and Night.


Chicago Times
MARION, Ind, Sept. S.-One of the
strangest penalties that eccentric fate
has ever afflicted on member of the
human family is shown in the case of
John Snyder, who resides at Mile Grove,
a small station 30 miles east of here on
the Chicago, st. Louis and Pittsburg
road. His peculiar destiny appears to
be that he shall not stop walking until
he walk into the grave. Accompanied
by his son he came into Marion to-day.
on his way to visit the fair in the ada
cent town of Warren. Except for con-
sideration for his son he would have
saved railroad fair and walked to Ma
riOn. Even while on the cars he was
unable to control the spirit of unrest
that possesses him, and kept up his
perpetual promenading from front
to rear and from rear to
front In leaving the coach,
while his locOmOtiOn was impeded by
the other passengers, his feet and legs
refused to pause in their pedestrian mo-
tiOns up and down. He had six hours
to wait there between trains. In that
time he walked several miles into the
country and back, up one street and
down another, around block after block,
never halting, never pausing. He
boarded Toledo, st. Louis and Kansas
City train for Warren, and as the engine
pulled out he was keeping his measured
tread from platform to platform. Sny-
der's strange afl1ictiOn dates back to
little over two years ago. At that time
he became the victim of some sort of
nervous complaint from which he found
relief In measure by walking until
completely exhausted. His strange
malady became more and more aggra-
waited, and he would get up in the mid
die of the night and walk five, ten and
fifteen miles before sufficiently exhaust
ed to sleep. Then he would walk TWEEN
ty-four hours on a stretch. 1t is asserted
on unquestioned authority that the en-
tire time in the last year that
he has been Off his feet would
not aggregate over three or four
hours. Eating and sleeping, in
daylight and darkness, he keeps
up his tireless and perpetual tramp,
tramp, tramp. Around his house is a
beaten path nearly foot deep, worn by
months of incessant walking. He goes
at a steady gait of little over three
miles an hour, seventy-fOur miles every
twenty-fOur hours, 5lS miles each week,
1920 miles month, q 900 miles a year.
In the last two years he has walked far
enough to twice encircle the globe. Two
years ago he was believed to be insane,
and was sent to the asylum at Indianap-
oils. After a short confinement il was
shown that he was not subject for men,
tai treatment, and was released. A dis
tinguished authority on nervous diseases
gave 1t as his opinion at the time that If
Snyder was to be bound hand and foot
he would become raving maniac and
die in few hours. He has walked ever
since, and can not stop. Ii he halts for
few seconds his legs become Grampled
and exhibit cOnvulsive tendencies and
there is no rest nor relief but TO continue
his tramp. A strange feature Is relat-
ed in connection with his pedestri-
an tendencies: A few months ago
he was put to sleep in recumbent pO-
Sition by the use of opiates. On waking
he was so surcharged with the demon
Of disquiet that he sprang up and ran for
five hours at rate of about twenty
miles an hour, when he again lapsed
into his accustomed gait, which he has
since maintained without interruption.
He appears to be thoroughly and per-
manently wound up and until he runs
down will remain the best example OF
perpetual motion that has yet been dis
covered.
Snyder is about GO years old and has
large family. In other respects his health
is good, and aside from haggard and
haunted expression there Is nothing I'M
usual in his appearance. His step lacks
spring and sprightliness, and gives the
impression of sore feet and an almost in
tolerable WEAKNESS. All belief that his
malady is an assumed one has long since
been dissipated. His case is remarkable
one and he is apparently beyond the
ken Of physicians or scientists.
Cleveland Leader: AS long as the
Democratic party continues In its
present organization there can be but
little, if any improvements in the method
ofconductlng our campaigns. Its lead
ers, as Ii confronted by a hostile foe,
resort to every method, good or bad, to
achieve victory.
Brooklyn Eagle: The Democracy of
California appears with a broad Wing
stripe dewn the middle of its back. The
good old doctrine of n tariff for revenue
only disappears, and In its place the San
Francisco convention recognizes the
protective idea by a demand for
restoration OF the wool tariff of 1867.
New York Times: That civil service
reform, as understood and practioed by
the President, at any time had the
definite and intelligent approval of the
majority OF the Democratic party we are
not prepared to assert.