The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1910-03-10

Roused-Has Slept Two
Days
Washington, D. C., March IA
patriarch lies on q cot in Emerg-
ency hospital. peacefully sleeping. He
is not sick, nor is he dying. But he
sleeps as If he had wandered away
from Sleepy Hollow and were a Rip
Van Wrinkle come to life again.
| Naught can wake him from his
slumbers. Physicians have tried all
the subtle arts of medicine in vain.
He has quafted a heavy draft from
the we'll Of Morpheus. and could not
be more dead to the world IL he had
thrown down his weary limbs in some
grotto to hibernate and to await the
coming of spring.
The aged stranger was found near
the Spring street station, on the
Washington, Arlington and Falls
Church Railroad, just before midnight
Monday and he has resisted the call
Of the work-a-day world ever since.
Who he is or where he comes from
has not been ascertained. He has
slumbered steadily ever since.
| With thin white hair falling about
his temples and flowing white beard
reaching down almost to his waist,
he makes picturesque figure "in his
ldreams." His clothing is torn and
tattered; he is truly "a thing of
shreds and patches" His chest rises
and falls evenly, his pulse is regular.
land there is nothing to indicate that
death has clutch upon htim.
.-sAtssr-" .Physicians.-sfS Bal(lsd. ss:.4
/ Last night the stan physicians Of
Emergency hospital examined him for
the second time, and were baffled.
They had no explanation to give, no
theory to fit the case. To them he is
a mystery and phenomenon.
He was taken to Emergency hospi-
tai as the result of conference be-
tween Sheriff w. H. Palmer Of Alex
andria county; Jailer Harry Crack of
the Alexandria Jail, and -Drs. shton
and Welburn. Jailer Crack gave up
the fight when he found that even an
eggnog failed. to wake his charge.
When 1.-The sleeper" arrived at
Emergency hospital at o'clock Mon
day afternoon, the physicians seemed
rather confident they would have no
trouble in bringing him round to the
prosaic realities of the world. But
after they had worked upon him for
some time without getting more than
a twitch of the foot as the resul of
their efforts, the ywere frank to ad-
init the case had complications that
have never before come within their
scope of experiefIce.
Sleeping Sickness Suggested
Maybe. this is the sleeping sick
ness that we hear about in Africa"
said one physician.
| But this theory was not credited,
because the tseotse fly has never made
an appearance in this part of the
world. 1t has rarely been heard OF
outside the African jungles.
The old man gives no sign. When
his lids are forced open, no dilation
of the pupils is apparent. His muscles
show reaction to touch, but there is
no indication of consciousness. When
the house physicians were compelled
to retreat from his bedside, they de-
cided to hold another examination at
8 o'clock last night. But no progress
in solving the case was reported.
Another examination will be made
this morning. and 1t is probable other
physicians will be called in. The pa
tient was given no nourlsnment last
night, and the house staff has not yet
solved the problem of what and how
to feed him.
Outside of the eggnog and some
milk, the aged stranger has not yet
received any sustenance in the long
period since he was found at the
Spring street station with his feet
dangling out upon the railroad track.
Many Theories Advanced.
Among the doctors and patients at
the hospital there is . buzz Of talk
about the queer old character, and
many theories to fit his malady are
being suggested. There is talk of
hypnotism, drugs, sleeping fever. and
mental arrangement.
"This is q most remarkable case. "
said one Of the physicians.
ut is not at all unlikely the poor
fellow is in hypnotic state or a
trance. In this event we shall have
troubles of our own in bringing him
out Of It. Then, again, he may be
suffering from mental stress. II this
is so. 1t is only matter of time be-
fore he will be conscious again.
I'VE thought. at first. the man
might have sleeping fever, but that is
hardly probable. Sleeping fever, or
trypanosominiasis. is incurred by the
bite of the tsetse fly, but cases have
been known where it was contracted
through drinking water. This is very
rare, however,"