The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1882-03-24
A s0MNANBULIsT's DOINGs.
QUEER FREAKS OF a MAINE Man AS D
SCRIBED BY HIMSELF.


QUEER FREAKS or MAINE MAN AS De
sCRIBED BY HIMSELF
The sOmnambulist is a middle aged man
of nervous, imaginative temperament, who
lives in Lewiston, and who casually told
one of his midnight adventures TO a Journal
reporter last evening. 'I'ye never given the
matter much thought, - said he, "but 1 sup
pose l am a sOmnambulist. Ny Sleep-waIk-
ing has never given me any permanent in
convenience, and l have always regarded its
ludicrOus side rather than its psychical bear
ing, Perhaps after tell you my story some
learned scientist may come along and say
am no sOmnambulist; where will you be
then ?" "Nell, well call you a somnambu-
list until somebody can prove you are not
Let's hear about your sleeping feats. When
did you first become aware that you were
sleep-walker 90
q remember the circumstance with great
yividness, although it was % years ago, when
I was a mere boy. l was in a strange house.
/ arose from my bed, walked the length Of
long corridor and successfully evaded the
stairs. I fumbled around the latch of the
room occupied by gentleman boarding at
the house, causing him to shout but not to
deter me. ! entered his room and carried on
an animated conversation with him before
I came to my senses. 1t was fortunate that
be recognized me in the moonlight, as he
would otherwise, probably, have rewarded
my persistency with a shot OF two from re-
vClver which lay on a chair by his bedside.
He told me, after l awOke, that I said 1 was
trying to find my folks and knew they were
in there somewhere. The sensation expe-
rienced was novel, 1 assure You, and far
from agreeable. 1t was with feeling OF re
lief that 1 returned to my blankets after 1
gained consciousness. Consciousness came
to me suddenly, and felt so crest-fallen at
my discovery of my actions that didn't stay
to make many inqdiries.
"These phenomena did not happen very
frequently. 1t was fully year after this
happened that I next displayed my sOmnam-
bulistic tendency. My father caught me by
the bair one night, and l suddenly realized
the discomforts of somnambulism. 1 had
wandered down stairs, simply put on my
hat and overcoat over my chamber reCalia,
Git being the winter season. had placed my
books under my arm and was going over
the threshold of the front door. when re
reached and restrained me. 1t was not un-
til returned to my normal state that felt
cold, although ! was in my bare feet. At
the instant Of returning consciousness, how
ever, the sensations were severe, and 1t Is
wonder that illness did not result
Another time, my folks were aroused in
the night by racket down in the sitting
room. The sound was as if a saw mill had
been started somewhere in the vicinity
They thought of me, though, the first thing,
and down stairs they rushed. They didn't
arrive any too soon. 1t was a hard story to
believe, but 1 had actually found my way to
the wood-shed, got the saw, and was busily
engaged in saving the legs from the sitting
room furniture. 1 ruined one chair. / was
perspiring over the last leg when I was
pounded into consciousness. 1 think we
would have had a better supply Of kindlinG
wood than veneered chairs il / had been al
lowed to operate. Upon awakening I re-
tanned a well-defined impression Of the mo-
tiYes which had seemingly actuated me, 1
seemed to be impressed with the idea that
amputation was necessary to save the
chairs from a general tipping over, crashand
smash. In my nightmare the furniture had
assumed abnormal proportions. It seemed
to be on stills and to be susceptible Of tum-
bling over at the least jar. SO weird are the
somnambulist's faneIes. / was but follow
ing an impulse which urged me to save the
establishment from ster-dissolution-
chaos-by this heroic treatment.
CAS- have grown older, my experiences Of
this kind have been far less frequent But
within five or six years l have made TWO OF
three demonstrations and had succeeded in
alarming the household. one fall, during
political campaign, 1 was discovered about1
O'Clock A. NJ. standing in uBdress In the mid
die Of the floor, wildly gesticalating and
making a not very well connected political
speech I talked for two or three minutes
in a rambling way, and my folks put stop
to it. But now j am going 10 iCll you one Of