A MODERN RIP VAN WINKLE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 234, 1 October 1881, Page 4

A MODERN RIP VAN WINKLE.

I Irving's romanes of Rip Van Winkle is almost paralleled by an actual experience of a man now residing in lowa. The lowa Falls Sentinel tells the story &g follows : — " About twenty years ego, In an Eastern State, there wrs a man, prosperous in business, happy in social relations, respected and beloved by all, with a handsome competence amassed, ami a family consisting of himself and wife. He was about sixty years of age, a man of fioe presence aad mind. Suddenly, with iha swiftness of a bolt from heaven, his reason fled, and he became 8 harmless, querulous, insane man. All of his former life was blot'.ed our, and only occasionally bis observations on pissing matters indicated that a faint spark from the fcrze of reason illuminated tbe dark void within. He wbb in tbe bends of a faithful, patient wife and near relations, who made all things a? happy and pleasant aa passible undor the circumstances. The family and relations moved to Michigan, and ultimately to lowa Falls, where they have resided over two years. Thus for twenty years h*d the victim of a myaterious cause groped in the dark, until one day recently tbe wife aod friends were araezed when the old man suddenly askad about his prey marp, an animal that was a great favourite of his twenty yeara ego, but long aince dead. They were more amazed when he asked about his business and demanded to 668 hii papers. He had woke np after a eleep equal in duration and fully as mysterious ss that mystical one which Jeflarson makeß so potential for tears and smiles on the stage. The awakening has been slow snd natural, and cow he is in full possession of his faculties, at the age of eighty-two yesre. But the thread of life is picked ap at (ho place where the warp brokf, twen'y years ego. He does not know how he came to lowa ; in fact, his mind ia exactly at the point it would have been had he woke up the morning after hie reason fled. Since be went to sleep a great war has passed over the country. Changes have so marked tbe maps, that many old lendmarka have been wiped ouf. Great men have died and others hove their placea. Change is written over all the history of those years. We can faintly imagine the mind of the restored man as he attempts to grapple with and understand the mighty panorama that has passed by.