The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1890-02-06
SLEEPING HIMSELF TO DEATH.
The Strange Affection of a New York
Peddler.
TNeW York WOrld.l

Charles Gillick, aged fifty years, u
peddler, who lives with his wife and
family in Eighth Avenue, between
Sixty third and Sixty-fourth Streets, is
suffering from peculiar disease which
the doctors say will cause his death in
a few days. The fact is, so say the
physicians that if heis left alone for a
certain length of time he will sleep him
self to death. Last Thursday night a
policeman attached to the West Forty
seventh Street station found Gillick
sitting on the curbstone with his back
against telegraph pole at Forty-siXth
Street and Eight Avenue. Gillick was
to all appearances in drunken stupor
and did not bulge when the officer
shook him up and told him that he
was liable to catch the grip if he con-
tinued to sleep his drunk off there.
The policeman worked himself intoa
perspiration rubbing Gilliek's ears and
shaking him before he showed any
signs of vitality. Then Gillick slowly
opened his eyes and asked what the
trouble was about. The policeman
lifted him to his feet and held him up
against the telegraph pole while he
raped for assistance. When another
officer came up Gillick was sound
asleep again, standing upright against
the pole. The officers agree that it was
the worst case of sleeping drunk"
that they had ever encountered, and
after once more shaking up Gillick
until he showed slight signs of life
they started with him to the station
house where he was locked up.
Gillick was sleeping soundly in his
cell in the morning, and was awakened
only after heroic treatment. When
arraigned at Yorkville Police Court he
acted stupidity, and almost fell asleep
while standing at the bar before Justice
Ford. He was in too daZed a condition
to give any account of himself and was
committed for examination. He fell off
into trance-like sleep as soon as he
was placed in a cell in the 9orkville
prison, and when Keeper William
Cover tried to awaken him to give him
his rations. Gillick did not respond.
After two or three more unsuccessful
attempts to rouse him, Cover became
alarmed and summoned an ambulance
from Bellevue Hospital and had Gillick
removed there.
Gillick was again arraigned in court
yesterday afternoon, having been re-
turned to the police by the hospital
authorities, who claim that they can do
nothing for him. Gillick was just as
sleepy as ever, and the policeman who
had him in charge presented a eerih-
cate from the doctors at the hospital
which said that Gilliek, was afflicted
with a peculiar brain trouble and would
probably sleep himself to death, and
they could do nothing for him. AS his
wife wanted him home 50 that she
could care for him herself, the hospital
authorities turned him over to the
police.
The unfortunate mans wife was in
court and had coach outside to take
her husband home in case the court
decided to turn him over to her. She
wept bitterly when asked about the
matter and said she was unable to
account for her husbands strange
affection. He was not drinking man,
she said, and always attended to his
business. He never showed signs of
such disease before. The court dis
charged Gillick and bis wife took him
home. His case is said to he incurable,
aud the only way to keep him alive is
to keep waking him at certain inter
walls.