A Sleepless Man

Feilding Star, Volume V, Issue 44, 15 April 1884, Page 3

A Sleepless Man

♦ A man who doea not sleep, named Saunders, lives in Virginia, U.S. Some time in 1861 or 1863, launders enlisted in the Fourth Virginia Volunteers. For several years he had not , slept at all, so ho said. But it becoming known directly in the camp that he made such pretensions, it aroused the curiosity of many o» the men and officer?, and they set a watch upon him. He etood guard night after nipht, and week after week paid by sleepy headed sol.iiirs to takp their turns, but never was caught napping. He hauled coals several weeks in succession, only stopping j long enough to eac and change horses, j und ploughed in the field with five or ' six stalwnrt men utinl he wore them ' out completely, but never seemed to j tire. T uring the year 186"}, it is ; stated, he went to Philadelphia and ! was examined by the leading physicans of the country. They sat up with him in relays of fivp, night and day, and kept up an almost constant stream of conversation with him ; and at the termii a iou of twentvnine days disch^ed him with a certificate, but could give no explanation of his freak of nature. Mr Hnunders is n«>w fifty-six years of age, and says he has not known what sleep isfor eighteen years. He iiimselt' cannot account f»r it as he says the cbange in his organization occurred within three days, and that he never was sick in his life, aud took medicine but once and that was when he had a catarrh, about three years ago. He is conscientiously oppos< d to making a display of kuuself, or no doubt would long ago uave been before the public as one oi the human curiosities of the world.