Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1861-05-28
AREMARKARLE STORY
The Lifs Of Celebrated Scholar Sar.a by a,
T1Qri ION

| pari ion.
| A writer in the Atlantic Monthly for No.
vember narrates the following strange story,
which ''superstitionists" will, of course, greed
| lily swallow:
| DR.. DeWette, the famous German biblical
critic, returning home one evening, between
nine and ten O'Clock, was surprised, upon ar.
irving opposite the house in which he resided
| to see bright light burning in his study In
| fact, he was rather more than surprised, for he
| distinctly remembered to have extinguished
! the candles when he went out, an hour or two
| previously, looked the door and put the key in
his pocket, which, upon feeling for it, was still
| there. Pauslng moment to wonder by what
means and for what purpose any one could have
| entered the room, he perceived the shadow of
person, apparently occupied about something
| In remote corner. Supposing it to be a bur-
glar engaged in rifing his trunk, he was upon
| the point Of alarming the police, when the IN n
advanced to the window into full view, as if
| for the purpose of looking out into the street
1t WaS De WIette himssIr The scholar, au
thor, professOr-his hight, size, figure, stoop-
his head, his face, his features eyes mouth
nose chin, every one-skull cap, study gown
| neck-tie-all, everything.
There was no nistsking him, no deception
whatever; there stood DR. De Wette in his own
library, and he out in the street! Why, he must
| be somebody else, The Doctor instinctively
grasped his body with his hands, and tried
himself with the Psychological tests of self-con-
sciOusncss ard identity, doubtful, if he could
believe his senses, that black were not white,
| that he 10 longer existed his former self, and
! stood perpleIed, bewildered ard confounded,
gazing at bis other likeness, looking out of the
| window. Upon the persons retiring from the
window, which occurred in few minutes, De
| Mette resolved not to dispute the possession of
| his study with the other doctor before morn
| ing; and ringing at the door bell of a house
| opposite, where an acquaintance resided, be
| asked permission to remain over night.
The chamber occupied by him commanded q
| full view of the interior of his library and
! from the window he could see his other self
| engaged in study and meditation; now walk
| ing up and down tho room immersed in
thought; now sitting down at the desk to write:
/ now rising to search for volume among the
book shelves, and initiating in all respects the
peculiar habits of the great doctor, engaged at
work and busy with cogitations. At length,
| when the cathedral bell had finished striking
through first four and then eleven strokes-as
German clocks are wont TO do an hour before
| twelve-De Wette No. 2 manifested signs of
| retiring to rest-took out his watch, the iden-
4 teal large gold one the other doctor in the
other chamber felt sure was at that moment in
\ his waistcoat pocket, and wound il up; re-
| moved portion Of his clothing, came to the
| window, closed the curtains, and in a few min
utes the light disappeared. De Wette No. |
| waiting little time till convinced that No 2
had disposed himself to sleep, retired also him.
self to bed, wondering very much what all thi:
| could mean.
Rising next morning, he crossed the street
! and passed up stairs to his library. The doc,
was fastened; he applied the key, opened it
| aud entered. No one was there; everything
/ appeared in precisely the same condition il
! which he bad left it the evening before-hi
pen lying on the paper as he had dropped 1t OF
going out, the candles on the table and mantle
piece, evidently not having been lighted, tn,
| window curtains drawn aside as he had lef
them; in fine, there was not a single trace O
any person having been in the room. "Hac
he been insane the night before? He mus
| have been. He was growing old; something wa
the matter with his eyes or brain. Anyhow
he had been deceived, and 1t was very foolisl
Of him to have remained away all night
Endesvoring to satisfy his mind with som,
such reflections as these, he remembered b,
had not yet examined his bedroom. Almos
ashamed to make the search, now convinced i
was all hallucination of the senses, be CROSSED
the narrow passage way and opened the door
He was thunderstruck. The ceiling, a massiy,
brick arch, had fallen during the night, film,
| the room with rubbish and crushing his bee
into atoms. DeWette, the apparition, haC
| saved the life Of the great German scholar.
Tholuck, who was walking in with me in tn,
fields near Halle, when relating the anecdote
added, upon concluding: 81 do not pretend /,
| account for the phenomenon no knowledge
scientific or metaphysical, in my possession, il
adequate to explain it; but have no NOR,
doubt it actually, positively, literally die
occur. than have Of the existence of the SUI
iR HimmeI d."