The penny press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1859-1860, 1859-10-08
somnambulism-ThrilIing Incident.

An incident Of thrilling and almost terrible
interest, combining in itself all the palpitating
chances of hair-breadth escapes and tho
strange, romantic ventures OF that wierd sem
blance Of life, sOmnambulism, is thus related
by tho Detroit Free Press as having occurred
in that city a few nights ago: >
The scene was on Catherine street, at the
residence of Mr.. Israel Moreton. At about
half-past two A. M. no was awakened by q
knocking at the front door, and found man
on the steps, who, in very incoherent and
excited manner requested him to walk across
the street and look at the top Of his house.
He declined, and was about retiring, suspicious
of foul play, when his eye caught moving
shadow on front Of the opposite house. 1t in
dicated that some moving, living thing was
walking noiselessly along the narrow ridge Of
his roof. An indiscribable chill crept over
him. The shadow stole across the front of the
opposite building, and was lost for moment
in the darkness, and then crept into view
again, returning In an opposite direction, with
the same slow, gliding motion. His companion
had regained the opposite sidewalk, and stood
gazing up in silence, seemingly struck speech
less with horror, and with trembling steps Mr..
Moreton gained his side, when his gaze fell on
form shrouded from head to foot in a long,
white night dress, about which a mass Of long
hair fell in wild confusion.
The spectral form paced slowly to and fro on
the narrow ridge-board which covered the ap-
pex of the roof, approaching in frightful prox-
Unity Of tho abrupt termination at the ends,
and calmly turning about to retrace the dis
tance. The house was a high one, and mis-
step or step too far would have plunged the
night walker down to certain destruction.
The walker occasionally raised her hand to
her head, as though engaged in thought or
troubled with pain. The head always main
tanned the same position. A chimney stood
directly in the middle of the roof, around
which she passed with ease, placing one hand
upon its top, and walking down the sloping
roof to get around. Once, in this spectral
walk, she paused at the edge of the roof, and
looked straight ahead.
A waving movement of the right hand
accompanied the act, when the walk was again
renewed. The same spot was reached again
few moments after, when the figure again
paused, and again gazed out into the darkness,
and then, with slow motion, stretched out o
hand, and with outspread fingers clutched at
something which had no existence except in
the fsvered mind of the sleeper. The other
hand was then extended in like manner, and
the body went forward in such way that the
upper portion hung over the abyss, while the
fingers reached out, until there was no further
reaching, and then clutched again with a
quick, convulsye snatch, and were withdrawn
The form was motionless q moment, and then
commenced Its walk again, continuing as fal
as the middle of the roof, when it turned
toward the rear of the house, and moving
down the slope of the roof, was lostto sight.
Mr.. Moreton recognized the features and
form of his servant girl, about eighteen, named
Jane Mooney. She descended through a sky
light to her own room. Fastening in, he
aroused his wife, and went with her to the
girls room, and found her sitting on the side
Of the bed, wide awake, and in state of mind
bordering on distraction. She had no knowl.
edge of the occurrence, but had been awakened
by the noise of her employer entering the
house, and found herself standing in the mid
die of her own room in the condition described
The girl had been suffering from brain
fever, from which she was gradually recover
| inc. .tl-.