The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-07-03
THIRTY YEAR SLEEP
THE RIP VAN WRINKLE LIKE SlUMBCf
Or a NEW JEnSEYMAN.

Since Els Wedding Night, In 1865. John
StippIe Has Been Apparently Dead, buI
Still Lives-Occasional Brief Periods o.
Semiconsciousness.
In the Pennington river valley, two
miles from the little town Of Ringoes, N
j., lives man Of the name Of John Slip
pie, who has slept almost continuously tb.
last 80 years.
The case is q remarkable one, and it ha.
puzzled good many physicians, who hav.
visited the little farmhouse In which Slip
pie does his slumbering from time to tint
for the purpose OF making a study Of hi.
case. The man is now about 80 years old
and but for the fact that he looks haggard
and pale his face has the same appearance
that it had 80 years ago
Stipple's long sleep began under pecuI
lar circumstances. 1t was in the winter oi
1865. He had married the daughter OF
farmer who lived In the vicinity of Cop
per Hill, and the wedding party, consist
ing of dozen so young friends OF tht
couple, decided to take a sleigh ride on the
Pennington river, which was frozen over
and supposed to be safe.
During the trip Stipple's horse steppeo
into an airhole, and in floundering around
broke up the ice so that the sleigh contain
ing the bride and groom went into the wa
ter. The young woman was saved with
some difficulty, and Stipple was at last got
out, but he was unconscious and to all ap-
pearances dead
He was taken to the home that he had
prepared for his bride, and after a couple
of physicians had worked over him sever.
al hours in the hope of restoring him they
declared that he was beyond human aid,
and In less than II hours he had apparent
ly ceased to breathe. Stipple was supposed
to be dead and he was prepared for burial.
The night before the man was to be
buried Henry Wilcox and Jason Dalton,
two of his friends, were sitting mp with
the corpse. They had d euchre deck and
were doing their best to pass the time
pleasantly with the cards. About O'Clock
in the morning Wilcox had picked up the
cards to shuttle, when a voice in the room
where Stipple's remains lay shouted,
"Whoa, therep'
That was all, out it was enough TO
bring Wilcox and Dalton to their feet with
their hair up in the air and their eyes
hanging out They finally braced up and
went into the room with the purpose OF
finding out where the voice came from.
There was nobody in sight but Stipple,
and To the amaZeinent of the two men he
had turned over on his side. He was ap-
parently dead, and after trying all the ways
with which they We're familiar to discover
IL the man breathed, and falling the
watchers Strengthened Stipple out on his
back, covered his face again and left the
room 10 talk IL over. No more sounds came
from the room that night, but in the
morning the supposed corpse was found
lying On his side again. The story of what
the watchers had heard and seen was told,
and Mrs. Stipple refused TO allow her hus-
bands body to be buried.
The physicians tried every means known
TO the profession to restore Stipple TO his
normal condition, but without avail, and
at last they gave up the undertaking, de-
claring again that the man was dead.
This, however, the wife refused to believe,
and she could not be induced to consent to
the interment of the body.
Six weeks Stipple lay without manifest
ing signs of life, and then one morning,
while his wife was attending to household
duties in the adjoining room, she heard
somebody shout, whoa, therer She hur-
ried into the room where her husband was
and found him sitting up, with his arms
extended, as if he were driving horse
Overjoyed at the sight, Mrs. Stipple
threw her arms around her husband and
fell to weeping. Stipple showed no signs
of recognition, but called for something to
eat and drink. bis wife brought him some
meat and glass of milk. He refused to
eat the food, but drank the milk and call
ed for more. He eagerly swallowed sew
eral glasses OF milk, and then, lying down,
resumed his apparently breathless sleep.
1t was two months before Stipple was
again heard from. One day preacher,
who had a wide reputation FOR being able
TO cure obstinate diseases through prayer,
came TO the Stipple residence at the re-
quest of the sleeper's wife. and kneeling
by the bedside began to pray. When he
had reached "A point in his appeal for the
restoration of Stipple to health, he was in
terrupted by the man crying out, whoa,
there!'' The preacher stopped praying.
Stipple sat up in bed as before, and with
an expression of great anxiety on his face
appeared to be struggling with a horse.
He soon fell back on the pillows and fee
bly, called for food As before meat and
milk were brought to him, but he swallow
ed only the milk Ho drank nearly gal
Ion of 1t before he was satisfied and then
became unconscious again.
One day, about 90 years ago, Mrs. Slip
pie was engaged in sweeping out the room
in which her husband lay, when he sud
denly cried out, Thank God, Susie, you
was saved,'
Mrs. Stipple was wild with joy, believ-
ing that the spell upon her husband had at
last been broken lie appeared To be in
full possession of his mental faculties and
talked with his wife about the occurrences
of the evcntful night ten years before.
What had taken place since then was u
blank To him, and he talked as il he had
awaked from nights sleep. He asked if
the farmland had MIXED, and how long
before breakfast would be ready. Fearing
the effect that the knowledge might have
Oh her husband, Mrs. Stipple did not tell
him how long ago it was that those affairs
he had been talking about took place. She
sat on the edge of the bed with her arms
around her husband, when his head sud
denly fell forward and he was once more
I'm a profound slumber.
At this stage of the peculiar case a re
markable change occurred. The next day
Mrs. Stipple and the farmland were i'll
the ROOM talking over the affairs about
the farm.
''Orrin Whiting wants TO lay the Jersey
heifer for S40s,' said the farmland. What
shall do about it,"
'Sell her." said Stipple before his wife
could answer.
Mrs Stipple rushed to her husband S
side. thinking that be was awake again,
but he appeared 10 be deeply asleep, and