Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-02-22
A CONSTANT SOMNAMBULIST.
The Strange and Satisfying Testi-
mOnY Recently offered In q French
Court.
Paris Correspondence LOn4,

Paris Correspondence London Sta 9atd
The Court of Appeal il pars was re
Gently the scene of a most uri0us and
remarkable spectacle. Las August
young man named Didier was arrested
for an offense in the Champ E.v
and sentenced to three months mpr.s1n-
ment. His friends considering him ii.
nocent, advised him to appeaI, and er
gagged Maitre Reitlinger as his counsel.
The learned gentleman at oncs de
manded that his client should be sub
mitted to medical examination, aud the
court appointed for that purpose Drs
Mottet and Mesnet, two well known
specialists in mental diseases, under
whose surveillance the young man was
placed for three months in the Hospital
SAINT Antoine. At the end of that pc I'd
the doctors made the following Tcper
"Didier suffers from most rerdarn8.
BILE nervous affection. He liyes ia
state of constant somnambullsn, the
attacks of which can be provoked at
will. The numerous doctors who have
watched him at the hospital have proved
that he is entirely destitute of any will
of his own, and submits to all iniunc-
tions in the most automatic manner.
When he is in a state of somnambulism
he can be made to write letters and per-
form other things without being con
scious of what he is doing. In addition,
these acts may be accompanied by very
strange phenomena. Thus, for exam
pie, if, having two sheets of paper be-
fore him, the one on which he has begun
to write is taken away, he will continue
his letter on the second sheet without
perceiving the change. individuals of
this category are so singular that they
may remain, no matter when or where,
in state of trance. which may last three
or four hours. They remain motionless,
entirely unconscious of place or time.
One day while on the Place de la BastilIe
he was seized with a fit of somnambu-
lism, and his comrades had to carry him
to a lodging house for the night. A stu.
dent at the hospital saw him get out of
bed one night, dress himself and copy
several pages of music. He was sleep
ing all the time. The next morning he
was quite astonished at the work he had
done. Various experiments were made
on him. On two occasions he OWNED
the secret thoughts of the doctors. One
of these may be mentioned. A student
SAID to him in the night time: Look,
Didier; there's pretty woman 1t was
pitch dark, and of course there was no
woman present. Didier replied: No,
no; she is ugly. She has a child in her
arms This remark corresponded ex-
actly to the thoughts of the student.
Didier then rushed forward to save from
falling the child which he imagined he
saw in the arms of the imaginary Wo-
man."
The prisoner, who is about twenty
two, appeared in court accompanied by
his counsel and the doctors. His appear
ance aroused great curiosity, and all
eyes were turned on him as he tottered
rather than walked to the bar Maitre
Reitlinger having addressed the court in
his defense the Judges were about to
withdraw TO consider their verdict when
the doctors offered to confirm the state
ments made in their report by practical
experiments on the spot. The bench
consented, and then occurred the follow
ing painful scene:
DIR. Mottet, followed by the magis-
trates and the prisoner, retired into side
room. Here. by the usual means of
rapid passes of the hands before his eyes,
and strong fixed gaze, the unhappy
"subject" was mesmerized. Didier was
then left in charge of two of the munich
pal guards on service, the doctors and
the Judges returned to the court, and
the door of the room was shut DR..
Mottet now called the prisoner by his
name The next second fearful noise
was heard. 1t came from the sick young
man A few minutes before touch of
the finger would almost have knocked
him over, so feeble and emaciGted was
he. Now, under the influence of mag
netism, he was like raging lion. Up
setting the guards who held him by
the wrists, he rushed at the door,
broke itopen, and, knocking down every
body in his path, run up to DIR. Mottet.
Here he suddenly stopped, and, fixing
his eyes on his mesmerizer, trembled
from head to foot in a manner terrible
to see. Shrieks of horror ran through
the court. The doctor then set to work.
"Undress yourself" said he to the
prisoner. In a few seconds Didier
stripped himself of nearly all his gar
ments. 'Dress yourself again, said the
doctor, and again the prisoner obeyed |
with the same lightning rapldlty. The |
experiment appeared conclusive. DIR. |
0lOElcL buGu dMOhC uA5 oAOJCNt W /
blowing on his face. Didier fell TO the
ground as if shot; the doctor, however, /
soon brought him round again. ''Why |
did you undress yourself before these
gentlemen" asked DR.. Mottet, that |
was very improper" Didier, gazing !
with vacant astonishment, replied: /
"Whatl undressed myself; impossible.
And the young man clung TO the I
doctor for protection like child. The |
bench, however, was not convinced, |
and appeared to look upon the whole |
affair as comedy. DR.. Mesnet, in his
turn, now operated on the prisoner. /
Having mesmerized him, he ordered him
to write from memory letter addressed
to him while in prison. Didier replied; |
Cannot, because am in prison. |" The |
doctor insisted, whereon the prisoner |
sat down to table and wrote, word for
word, the letter in question without a |
single mistake. While he was writing
it DR.. Mottet took long needle out Of |
his instrument case and plunged it into |
the young mans neck, but he felt moth.
ing. By this time, however, the bench
had seen enough of these painful ex-
peimenis, and aosne of tka audience
cgylng cst Assez4 asseI she etuag
came 90 En- end. The court ooBa.dsring
The prisoner was nc. respGE 9le ol u's
acts laashed the verdict as the over
I'll