The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-09-30
pUANTASMS OF THE WALKERS.
The Hours of Sleep What They See and
Hear In Their Dreams.
In. y. SUM

Nine cots, with excelsior mattresses, sCatia
heneath the tents ut the side OF the trac ~,
4 Weston and Rowell sleep IN rooms a. ~ ~
eastern end OF the garden. Guyon Iesss , -
the Putnam House. near the fou li a., thai,
entrace All the other walkers sleep III eR .eaL
tents. The hours OF unconsctolsness are ieW
~ lin 10 midnight Merritt had slept Only seven
hours since the opening 81 tne ~. 49,, MI
They can hardly be called hours on rest. nIe
weary pedestrian Is spG H IL wrapped in his
hanke1s The lights In his tent are extln-
.ndsh.d, Ha closes his eyes and enters =
World III phantoms. The cheers Of Lhe GroWd.
the music OF the band, the clapplng Oh htnus
ne n,uruur of a vast hive Of bees, and the tread
of MANY feet fiji through his sleep. His body Is
rarEed with pain There is an appalling heat
Il Il Nil teat,. His temples throb. The blood
harumes stHgnaDt and frequently nightmare
follows The dreamer ls sui on the uracK.
lie spes, his competitors passing him one by
me, and Is unable to increase his own speed.
4 III 'aarv saws that during his walk for the
heit iii London he never went 10 sleep with
mi The shallow of Vaughn before him. 1t
would follow him around phantom track
with looks of exultatlon in its eyes. At times
II world bar his way. 1t would stand facing
Nm and making grimaees and contortions.
IIp to the moment Of waking VaughD's shade
never left his sleep. Guyon has similar OK
peiience. On Wednesday night he slept the
alepn of the damned. The pain In his feet
g4s 40 intense that it had turned his stomach.
4 Weston was ever before him. When ne turned
n Merritt had passed him and taken second
Mace, Weston was doing splendid work, and
rapidly overhauling him. ghostly
Weston pursued him In his dreams
whichever way he turned Weston was
at his heels. Nor was Weston the only
nhantom The diais assumed the
a,1s, OF the other contestants, and haunted
him as he passed. A spirit Krohne fifty feet
high was walking over him. Although he Was
\ p,,tI far ramnypd from sight
~ sound of the garden ne heard the murmuf
Of the crowd, the roar Of brass instruments,
the tread OF thousand feet and peals OF
laughter When he awoke toward morning
he found a tumber under his pillow. The
pillow WAS drenehed. tie was unable 10 &C
cnlnt for il until he remembered that In his
frams he had n spirited contest with
Weston The dreams of the pedestrian
are based on the condition Of his stomach.
When the stomach refuses nourishment
threatening apparltions frequently appear.
In one case q pedestrian faIcied that he was
rolling among old logs covered with thou
sand-legged worms. In another case the
pedestrian Thought himself on the track,
but unable to walk Upon CHANGING at nv
feet he was shocked to see that they mad
turned into hickory saplngs. and the sap
iIngs grew with such rapidty that they
raised him In the air. The agony OF these
hours Of unrest Is Increased when the ',aplesS
walker awakes. His Dlood - stu staKnant
Z
feels as though he was being pricked by u
million Of needles. Neuralgia pains throb
through his muscles. His joints are stiff.
His eyeIids seem paralyzed. Worst 81 I'll, his
it,tt ana shin-boneS are nuInbed. Every
movement sends thrill of pain through the
body. He is oiled and rubbed. swallow of
warm beef tea or some other decoctton puts him
Into d little glow and iniIses him witha pain
\ iu energy. He wobbes upon the track, and
tie noise, the lights and the dark shadows OF
his competitors confuse him. The cold air
strikes him unpleasantly. He makes one lap.
and the impulse to re-anter his cot Is frequent
" 90 great that he finds it Irresistible. Before
coming On the track he lies npon his cot in 9
semi unconscious state while he Is rubbed and
clad He hardly appreciates the situation be-
fore he finds himself upon the track. IT his
shoes have been changed during his rest, his
feet feel like Jumps Of lead. The sore spots
smart more than ever and 1t Is with the
greatest difficulty that he can lift his feet
from the track. He occasionally feels q
nausea about the stomach, ana his nerves are
strung to the utmost tension. The swapping
Of whip, a defOrmed face. a Wda-brimmed
hat or a peculiarly shaped bouquet e2cites
his mind. and he becomes i'll Il measure In
sane. Weston has peculiar adherence OF
tobacco smoke. 1t probably affects his
stomach At times the sight Of pipe or
cigar throws him into a nervous spasm, and
he becomes SO excited that he frequently
leaves the track