The Irish standard., 1896-12-05

ISL = Il
AsLEEPE
The Strange STORY %. sas lsils m
q Wrinkle I'm Reals Z. q.
4 ID; The New York ournal pub kshes tsae
1 folloyvi,lg st range story from !; hainokin
4 Pa: y ; BE- N Sss' u IL s
t:I# III The little farm house at Nicholson
3 tunnel lies a man who uds air to rival
Rip an Wrinkle asa sleeper. is man:
lfsleep has already lastei more than nine
4, years, and il Michael FeTnan ever Il wa X
4 ens6i will only be to find that his wife
| ana children have succ,nrbed to The, care
4 and anxiety incident tn his attended
i sluInitara a2Elt ST. {5s ss5
AS Mr.. rernan appears TO be as rugged
ana strong as he did OH the tne,'aing tina
4 he began his long sleep, he. may sur!;ass
!. Rip Van Wrinkles record unless the. snys-
4 tilted physician perform an oper ion that
1 WEI awaken him at the risk Of transforms
ling him into a raving maniac or asteninS
his elea tn n Had 1t not been for the touch
ing devotion of his wife the operation
Wuuiu I'D e Deell peiLuIH leu Several y ettifs
ago. S 4. q .s II
!. Nine years ago last July Michael Fer
nan was employed as a Waterman at the
Nicholson tunnel on tile Delaware, Lack
! aWanna and Western railroad He was of
robust health and very Industrious. and
watched the railroad tunnel by night he
/ was. in the habit of spending several
! hours each day in cu,tiyating the little
farm that surrounded lis home. One
morning Fernan returned from his .work
1 and told his wife that he was not feeling
well, but very sleepy lie went to- bed
! without eating any breakfast.
! At noon one Of the children came down
stairs and said: Father won't Wakeiup
for dinner But the sleeper was not dis
| turbed. When, however, Fernan did not
appear at supper, his wife Went to his
room, where she found him stretched
across the bed, still dressed in his work
| ing clothes, and in What appeared to be a
sound and natural sun,bar. Her efforts to
awaken him We're unsuccessful and as he
was still sleeping heavily the following
! morning. physician was summoned, but
his attempts to awaken the sleeping man
| We're equally fruitless. s$;s..5 n
In the course of several days other
physicians ware called in,s and after a
consultation electric shocks. ice cold water
the patients spinal column were resorted
to, as well as the piercing of sensitive pOr-
tons of his body with pins Enlld. needles
in the hope that his sleep might be brok-
en- But the sleeper never WINGED, and
every shock was followed with equally
barren results The physicians were mys-
titled ana the uneas:ness of the family in
creased as he slept on week after week
and month after month a.
Every morning and evening Fernan's
wife would prop him up in bed and place
foods that did not require mastication
within his mouth. These were swallowed
passively. During this time the sleeper
increased in size, and in order to give
him more attention, his wife had him re-
moved to a room which measured about
~ feet square, adjoining the kitchen. :,
More than IL months passed before
his wife and children were made happy
by one day finding that the sleeper's eyes
were again open. He conversed nationally
of things that had occurred prior to the
beginning Of his long slurnber, and ex-
pressed amazement when acquainted
with the facts Of his sleep. He said that
everything was a blank to him during his
years nap, and added that he felt just as
he used to after a nights rest
Eight hours after awakening, Fernan
again complained Of feeling drowsy, and a
few moments later he was again asleep,
and had to be removed to his bed. He |
was allowked to slun'ber In his trousers, !
flannel shirts and stockings, and when the
weather was pleasant Mrs. Fernan. would
steps through the kitchen to, the porch, |
where she would seat him in a big rocker
while She cultivated their small farm, |
gathered the fruit harvested the hay crop !
or dug potatoes. Although he had no way
of showing his appreciation of her kind |
ness, Mrs. Fernan insisted that Mike
liked to sit on the porch when the sun was
shining In addition to caring for her
husband, and attending to the household
duties, Mrs. Fernan performed the work |
of farmer with such success S. as TO pc
able to provide comfortable living.
Fourteen weary months passed before !
the sleeper again opened his eyes with his
mind apparently unclouded, but four
hours later he again succumbed to
drowsiness, although he battlsd desper- |
ately against it. Another year passed be- !
fore he reopened his eyes and asked for
his wife, who had just stepped over to a
neighbor's; but when she entered the
house. GREATNESS and excited, her hus-
band was again sleeping,
Mrs. Fernan began to fail rapidly after |
the sixth years strain. Nor did her mis-
fortunes come singly, for two of her chill |
dren died. Several months ago she died. |
Since then another of her children has |
been taken away, but Fernan sleeps on. |
ob]ivious to his great loss.
: It has now become necessary to find
another home for the sleeper, and med |
ical commission, appointed by the courts,
has adtudged him lunatic in order TO !
gain his admission to an asylum, and il !
is probable that an operation will now |!
be performed upon him. The doctors dis
agree in their diagnoses of his trouble, |
but the most probable explanation seems
to be that it is a dropsical affection that
has caused water on the brain. An opera
ton was begun during the early stages OF !
his sleep, but as the patient: showed
marked signs of becoming violently. in !
sane, his faithful wife objected, saying:
cpd rather have Mike with me asleep i
ana HELPLESS as child than to see him /
4 raving maniac in an asylum"
son..h'n. N,xI n Car, Bui Iding
The long talked Of new limited trains on
.'The North Western Line c., ST. F.. NJ
&. O. Ry., to rur between Minneapolis, st.
Paul and Chicago, are now. in service
The press as well as the peop.eswho have |
inspected these trains admit that they rep
oor,a nj sf1oo b,il1arc I