The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1898-09-30
ASLEEP FOR YEARS.
People Who Have Lived In . Catas
leptic State a Good Part OF
Their Lives.

% years, and is still in the land of the
living. He fell asleep in 1875, when he
was 2e years of age, and was at that
time perfectly sound in mind and body
weighing 10 stone. Though he has been
fed Systematically as we'll as circum-
stances will allow during the whole of
his long sleep. he has been reduced to
less than half his former weight, being
only six stone. Harms is fed usually
once day, but sometimes goes two or
three days without drink, all his food
being in liquid form. He is the father
of family of five, none of whom dis
plays any signs of the unhappy malady
which has kept their father uncon-
scious for 20 years.
Periodically the sleeper awakens for
q short interval, but he invariably re-
lapses again into slumber. In his mo-
ments Of partial consciousness he rec
ognizes friends, and appears to be un-
aware of the state through which he
is passing. A year ago he was awake
for some days, and every effort was
made to preserve his consciousness,
but in vain. Harms sank back to sleep
awakened, and has since slept the sleep
of the living. Numerous physicians
have given their attention to the case
and various means of arousing the man
from his lethargy have been tried
without avail.
Powerful electric batteries have
been applied to the body again and
again, but the only effect has been t.
cause a slight twitch of the muscles
as if the sleeper felt pain, and the next
moment he is once more in a dead
stupor. All sorts of explanations have
been offered of this mystery, and doc
tors have variously stated that Harms
suffered from Bright's disease, heart
trouble or softening of the brain, but
SO far no satisfactory conclusion has
been arrived at as to the cause of his
sleep. It is an aspect of
physical science which has yet to be
solved. Catalepsy frequently takes
peculiar form, which is quite as diff
fcult to account for as the disease it.
self, for the doctors agree that SOM
such as we have described.
is disease, and that no person in good
health ever sleeps for such abnormal
periods.
One of the most eccentric catalep
tics ever known, was Elizabeth Per
kins, who lived in Norfolk. This old
lady spent most of her later life in a
state of Inconsistencies, but regu-
larly awoke one day in seven, and in
the philosophical Transactions" the
case is mentioned of Elizabeth Orrin.
who for ten years never slept less than
II out of "a hours. and was perfectly
sane when awake. Another remarka.
BILE feature of this strange ailment is
that it seizes it's victims without the
slightest warning, and that while it
locks some persons in slumber for
years others are released after a week
or a month.
In 1886 a lady fell asleep for seven
days and awoke at the end of the week,
as usual, and in the summer of the
same year a Russian sailor fell asleep
in an English workhouse, and did not
awake till the following August. These
comparatively short sleeps are often
traceable to nervousness or physical
weakness. Fright appears to be the
most common cause of long sleep
Some years ago young woman was on
exhibition in various places who had
been asleep since she was IL years old.
At that age the child suffered a severe
attack of fever, on recovering from
which she relapsed into deep sleep.
in which she remained more or less I'M
til her death, which took place at the
a.
gears.
During the first few months of he1
sleep the girl awoke' twice every "a
hours for about ten minutes; but in
her most wakeful intervals she ap-
peared anxious to go to sleep, and
when once soundly asleep nothing
could rouse her. She never complained
of pain, but when asleep her hands
were always clutched tightly and she
appeared extremely nervous, occasion
ally suffering from a violent jerking
and twitching of her muscles and
limbs. Several cases have come under
notice during the last few years of
persons falling asleep for a week or
more.
Two policemen on duty in the Rue
de Rivoli, Paris, observed man, ap-
parently intoxicated, walking along.
who suddenly fell down at the foot of
bridge. On being picked up he was
found to be sound asleep, and was
taken to police cell as drunk"
As he didenotawake, however. the ar
rested man was token to a hospital,
where he awoke after sleep of three