News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1890-06-05
ALABAlAA'S HUMAN WONDER.

ALABAldA'S HUMAN WONDER.
A Man Who Lives without Feeling
Hungry, Thirsty or Sleepy.
''Do you see that man, said a well
known physician to reporter, at the
same time pointing out Mr.. S. W.
Behr1nan, who is engaged at Mr., T. f,
Leaks undertaking establishment. The
reporter looked at the gentleman in
dictated, and asked his questioner what
there was peculiar about hirl- The
physician replied that Mr.. Behrman
was phenomenon, and had very in.
teresting history; that he was a man to
whom water was not n necessity.
Hearing this, the reporter called on
Mr.. Behr1nan, and, finding out that
the information was correct, obtained
the following interesting interview with
him:
Il was born in Riga, which is the
capital of LiefIlane, a political division
of Russia, corresponding to the states
of this country / reached America in
1912, and settled permanently in Texas,
residing at differents points for eighteen
years When the war broke out /
Joined the Third Louisiana regiment,
and served as Confederate soldier I'M
I'll was wounded and captured at the
battle of Iuka, Miss. l was kept a
prisoner of war for several months and
was paroled, after which l returned to
New Orleans, where / was when the
war closed. came to this city in 1877,
and have resided here the greater por-
ton of the time since that year.
''As to my popularity on the subject
of eating and drinking, l can say that
l never experienced the sensation of
being hungry, thirsty or sleepy. When
l eat, which is at the oftenest only
once a day, it is to sustain life and
not to appease the craving of an appe-
tite Ny daily meal consists of little
thin soup and small piece of pumper-
nickel bread-a bread made of rye,
ground up with bran. No boiling at
all. This bread get from Indiana 1
have f-cs.,.ently gone. without tasting
food of any kind whatever for from
eight to sixteen days.
''It is the same with sleep. lam never
sleepy, and when L do lie down it is not
because / must sleep, but because l
must pass the time away. cannot say
how long period of time l have gone
without sleep in this city, but remem-
Der THAT once 1 went for seven months,
in which did not sleep altogether one
hour
Now on the subject of drinking
water l can say that for forty years I
have not taken glass of water, and
that never in my life did 1 have de-
sire to take drink as you do l never
drink water except to take it with med
icine, and that is the only way have
ever taken it in the last forty or forty
one years.
when | was in the army men all
around me on the march painted for
water and complained that they were
unable to keep up because of hunger
or thirst, or both, but plodded along
without experiencing inconvenience
from either. | remember when we
evacuated Tupelo, Miss, the troops
bad hard march and there was much
from thirst. Ny command
halted short time on the roadside,
near place where there was a well.
The soldiers broke for the well like
madmen, while I stood by fence lean
ing ON my gun. Gen. Fifer, who COM
the corps, rode up and called
out, 'Behrman, why don't you go to
the well and get waterl | replied that
was net thirsty, that l never drank
water, and he was astonished; and dur
ing the whole war the only thing that
ever craved was cigarettes.
Il have never enjoyed good health
in my life, anG though l have consult
ed many physicians in this country and
In the old country, / have never found
one who could tell me what was the
matter with me or who could afford me
relief When / die l want Drs. Gas
ton, Blue and Seelye and other physi-
clans they may desire to invite to make
an examination of my body, my heart,
liver and brain particularly, to find out
what arrangement of the system pro-
duced the conditions which have ex-
isted ell my life, that humanity may be
benefited by their investigations.
have already selected my coffin, and
when the end comes | want to be laid
away peacefully and quietly"
Mr.. Behrman does not appear to be
He is stoutly built and
weighs now about 100 pounds, though |
ne says he has at times weighed as
much as 176 pounds He has a fair
the foundation for which
was laid in the old country. He speaks
our languages Russian, French, Ger
nan and English He is a great news
PAPER reader, and keeps thoroughly in
formed upon current affairs in Europe /
Is well as in this country.-Montgom-
cry (Ala.) Journal.