The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1898-12-17
SLEEPS STANDING UP.
A Californian Who Leads a Strange
Existence.
His Bed Il . Long Box Stood on End In
Which He Slumbers In q Perpen-
dicular Position with
Great Comfort. tt f

| Jake Rogers says that he is the only
man in the world who sleeps standing
up. And most likely he is right about
it, although there are many men liv-
ing who claim to have done it under
compulsion during the last war. Jake
also says that the reason he is so
healthy is because he sleeps the way he
does, Most people, however, would
prefer little less health ana little
more comfort.
The place where Jake has his home
is not a very well-populated one. 1t
is in Mendocino county, only a few
miles northeast of Los Robles,, and the
nearest neighbor is some distance from
his place. But then Jake doesn't want
neighbers, so that feature is really an
inducement to him. In fact, Jake says
that the reason he took up his present
abode was to get rid of neighbors. He
is not of a very good disposition and
an effort to get him to talk about any
thing but himself will surely result in
failure.
It is safe to say that Jalxe's house is
the only one of it's kind in the world.
1t is built to sleep standing up in, and
it would be impossible for a person to
sleep in it any other way unless one
eurled up like bear. Jake built the
house himself out of boards and logs
that he picked up in different parts Of
the country. It is queer-looking at
fair, having greatly the appearance of
a chimney with roof on it. But the
shanty is strong one and keeps out
the wet, and that is all that is required.
Even the latter is not required the
greater part of the year in that section.
There is only one door to the house
and no windows.
While the outside OF the house may
look queer, the inside looks queerer.
There is only one piece of furniture and
that is what Jake calls his bed. 1t real
ly looks more like coffin standing ON
end, for it is a sort of box tilted back
only few inches from the perpendic-
ular. 1t is nailed at the bottom and
also at the top, so that it is immovabie.
The inside of it is lined with straw,
covered with cloth, to give little COM
fort in cold weather, Jake says. SEQ
When Jake wants to sleep all he does
is to lie back in his box and close his
eyes. He says it doesn't take him
long to forget his troubles. In the
next breath he will tell you he has no
troubles since he took to sleeping stand
ing up.
Jake does no cooking in his house,
simply because there is no room. His
culinary department is located under
tree short distance away. His
food consists of anything he can get
by begging, borrowing or finding. But
he doesn't do much borrowing since
the neighbors have grown to know him.
''The way I sleep is the only right
way for anybody to Sleep" said Jake,
'and the sooner people come to their
senses and do as I do the sooner dis
ease Will be stamped out of the world.
The noblest animal of all is the horse,
and he sleeps standing up. How did
I come to find out that it was the right
way? Oh, that is easy enough to an
swer.
'sYou see, I was sick as a boy, way
back in Massachusetts, about 70 years
ago and nothing / did done me no sort
of good. There always was something
the matter and as soon as l laid down
in bed my head began to ache. But
do you know / stood that for nigh unto
half a century before | got any sense
into me? And then was out in Cali
fornia digging gold.
'One night my head ached so bad ]
couldn't stay in bed and had to stand
against the wall to get relief. With
out knowing it [ fell asleep and when
woke up 1 felt like a new man. I
made up my mind to sleep that way all |
the time, but had trouble to find a place
to do it. That is the reason I moved |
cut to this place. It's over Is years |
ago and have never had sign of the |
old trouble and I'm convinced that
sleeping in bed is the cause of all the
pain and disease in the world. Sleep |
standing up and you will be new
man in short time.''
The strange thing about Jake's the
ory is that he admits he doesn't rest
when he sleeps standing up. He has
to do that under the trees the next
day. He says that has nothing to do
with this idea, though, for most peo-
pie do too much work, anyhow.-San
Francisco Chronicle.