The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-11-25
Some Strangely FULFILLED Dreams.

Dickens once had dream which was ful-
filed .at least to his own satisfaction. "Here,"
he wrote on May 3d. 1868, "is Curl
Gus case at first hand. Oa Thursday night last
week, being at the Office here" in London,
al dreamed that saw a lady in red shawl
with her back toward me, whom supposed
10 be Il. On her turning round found
that didn't know her, and she said, am
Miss NAPIER All the time lwas dressing
next morning thought, 'What a prepos-
ferrous thing to have so very distinct a
dream about nothing! And why Miss Ma
pier ! for never heard Of any Miss Napier
That same Friday night | read. After
the reading came into my retiring'room
Mary Boyle and her brother, and the lady
| in the red shawl, whom they present as
Miss Napier These are all the clrcum-
stances, exactly told" This was probably
case OF unconscious cerebratioh. Dickens
| had no doubt really seen the lady, and been
told that she was Miss Napier, when his al
teption was occupied with other matters.
There would be nothing unusual In his
dreaming about a person whom be bad thus
seer without noticing. OF course IL was an
odd coincidence that the lady OF whom he
| had thus dreamed should be introduced to
him soon after possibly the very day after.
u
sunpose that Dickens had been specially
warned in dream about so uninportant a
matter as his introduction to Miss Napier
would be absurd; for, fulfilled or ubful-
| flied, the dream was. as Dickens himself
described it., a very distinct dream about
| nothing Far different in this respect was
The strange dream which President Lincoln
had the night before he was shot. Ii the
story was truly told by Mr.. Stanton to
Dickens, the case is one OF the most curious
on record. Dickens told it thus in letter
| TO John Forster: "Un the afternoon OF the
dsy on which the President was shot there
was a Cabinet council, at which he pre-
sided. Mir. Stanton being at the time
commander-in.chief OF The northern troops
that were concentrated about here,
arrived rather late. Indeed, they were
waiting for him, and on his entering
the room the President broke off In sOme-
thing be was saying, aud remarked: Let
| us proceed to. business, gentlemen Mr..
Stanton then noticed with surprise that the
president sat with an air OF dignity in bis
chair, instead OF lolling about In the most
ungainly attitudes, as his invariable custom
was. aud that instead Of telling irrelevant
and questionable stories he was grave and
calm. aud QHite different man. Mr.. Stan.
ton, on leaving The council with the Atior.
ney. General, said to him. THAT is the
mos. satisfactory Cabinet meeting ]
have attended for many long day.
What an extraordinary change in Mr..
Lincoln The Attorney. General re.
piled, We all saw it before you came in.
While we were waiting for you, he said,
with his chin down on his breast, Gentle
men, something very extraordinary Is going
to happen, and that very soon.' To which
the Attorney General had observed, Some
thing good. sir, bope!' when the Presi-
dent answered very gravely, Il don't
know-I don't know. But it will happen,
aud shortly. tOo.@ As they were all i'm
pressed by his manner the Attorney General
took him up again. Have you received
sny information. sir, not yet disclosed to
usf' No. answered the President, but
| have had dresm. And have now had
the same dream three times. Once on the
night preceding the battle OF Bull Run. Once
Ion the night preceding such another
l(naming battle also not favorable to the
Norih.) His chin sank on his breast again,
and he sat rejecting. might one AK the
nature Of this dream, sir?' said the A!tor'
ney- General. sWell,' replied the President,
without lifting his bead or changing his at
titude, i am on great broad, rolling
lriyer--and am in boat-and / drift =
and drift! but this Is not business
lsudienly raising bis face and looking round
the table as Mr.. Stanton entered let US
proceed TO business, gentlemen. Mr.. Stan
ton and the Attorney-Geuera said, as they
walked ON together, II would be curious to
notice whether anything ensued on this.
and they agreed to, notice. He was shot
That night" Here the dream itself
was not remarkable; 1t was such one
as might readily be dreamed BY man from
the western States who bad been often on
broad rolling rivers. Nor Has Is recur.