The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1915-04-29
Man Who Lost His Memory
Is Found to be Frank Van
Vie of Milwaukee.
STORY STRANGER Than FICTION
Man Receivers His Faculties After op-
Grafton by j. w. Klema, Chiroprac-
tor, and is Taken Back to Milwau-
kee But Returns for Treatment.


The art of the chiropractor had a
triumph on Tuesday night when j. w.
Klema, chiropraetor, skillfully work
ed his digits into the spinal column of
a man and adjusted two Of the ver-
tebrae in the back of the man IS neck
and with the adjustment brought back
to the patient a memory which had
been gone for nearly two years. The
careful work of the chiropractor chang
ed "John F. Kennedy Kenosha s
man of mystery, the man who lost him
self, back into Frank Van Vie Of Mil
waukee who had disappeared from Mil
waukee nearly two years ago and who
is believed to have been wandering in
sub-conscious state all Of that time.
This morning he came back to Ke-
nosha accompanied by Klema for
further treatment and his wife and
son are expected to join him here
later today. He was married while in
the sub-conscious state and his wife
has been hoping against hope that
sometime he would return to her.
Tt Is one Of those stories that prove
that truth is stranger than fiction.
Two years ago Frank Van Vie was
working as superintendent for the
Milwaukee Roofing Company and on
May 7th of that year he had been en-
ployed on job at 1915 Tenth street
walked into the ladder on which Van
Vie was working and it crashed to
the ground, Van VIE falling eighteen
feet. The report Of the accident de
cIared that he had suffered broken
rib. Tuesday night in Kenosha diff
ferent report Of the same accident was
written when it was found that in his
fall Van Vie had dislocated the two
evertebrae in the back of his neck.
The awakening Of Van Vie from his
Rip Van Wrinkle sleep of twenty three
months was one of the most tragic in
cidents in all the history of Kenosha
and it was witnessed by small
coterie of men who gathered at the
dormitory over the Central Engine
house late Tuesday evening. Van VIE
had come into Kenosha last Friday
morning. He came as man who had
lost himself, man without memory
and his story enlisted the sympathy of
MANY nnonla in KanOSha
He struggled with himself in an effort
to remember something that had hap
pened before, but he declared that his
memory went back only to the first
of February of this year when he came
to himself in GAINESVILLE. Monday he
went to Mr.. Klema, the chiropractor.
Klema made an investigation and be-
gan to work on the mans spine. He
got little results after the first hour IS
work on him. "Kennedy," as he had
| come to be known here, went to Klema
again on Tuesday afternoon and de-
| clared that he wanted him to make a
thorough examination. He was taken
to the dormitory of the engine house
and Just after five O'Clock Klema
started work on him. He worked dill
gently for nearly an hour and then
the vertebrae appeared to slip back
into shape. AS they slipped back into
place the man fell over onto a cot and
seemed to be in an unconscious condi-
ton. He groaned like man in great
| pain and tossed to and fro on the cot.
He seemed to be sleeping but it was a
troubled sleep. Klema kept in close
touch with him, making frequent ex-
aminations Of his pulse and it appear
ed to be strong In few minutes
after he had been placed on the cot
the man began to show signs of deli
rum. In his sleep he talked and he
seemed to be living over again the
| scenes which had taken place in hos
pital somewhere. tfThere I feel bet
| ter now,v he said. "Tell Clara not
to hurry away. Then in his numb
lings he spoke of working ON Eigh-
| teenth avenue and on Twelfth street.
tfDam you Peterson he shouted in
his delirium. 81 told you not to fix
that roof that way. Go back to the
Office He rambled on slowly un-
| folding a story Of his former life
Clara, we can't have a big wedding
because / can It walk good, but we will
| get married just the same. The license
is on the dresser over in my room
1sClara brought those this afternoon,
ain It they lovely Then he talked
some more and referred to a roofing
job on Jones Island and the men who
were watching eagerly for the return
of the man S conscious self knew that
he must have some time been in Mil
4sEagkeesA Just sthisatime there-Nas