The Cecil Whig., 1883-01-13
DANGEROUS NIGHTMARES.

In one of the up town houses Of New
York city the night before Christmas
head of the house had retired to rest
with his spouse. and, after hours OF slum-
ber. had vivid dream Of the nature of
nightmare. He dreamed that he had
been attacked by hi.hwsymen. VIII" held
his hands behind his back while one of
them was about to plunge a knife into
his heart. He struggled tiercely in his
dream against his supposed aSsailants.
tore himself from their gra>p. and laid
about him right and left, till he was
awakened by the screams of his wife at
his side, who had, unconsciously to him
heen the victim of his assault. and who
had been flung to the floor, terrified to
Aistl"cti"r and s,ve,h injured. II, wis
hArritieh tn tinn y hat IL, lad d"le. and
The result nt II. \ sung .,n w.,,, iH,tdu;.
l., sumnancti, and 1t was f"und that hi,
rervices were very much needed. The
lady was in great distress thrnnwh the
lay. but she mas since then been in fair
way of recovery.
1t need not be said that the dreaming
gentleman of the nightmare was entirely
sober on retiriI e for the night, Or that he
has been plunged into grief over an event
which might have been fatal to the com
panion of his bosom.
DR.. W. II. Hammond said: This case
belong to the well lderstood and defined
derangrdment of sPep known as s1mno
lcntil. ORE sleep dr. nkenneSs. The first
to discuss it was ne eminent German.
some Of the mental facilities and senses
are fully awakened. others but partially
so. while still others remain as they are
in profound sleep. One Of the most
noted cases on record is that OF sentry
who, on being suddenly awakened from
sleep by an officer, made violent attack
upon him with a sword, and would have
killed him but for the interferenca of
others. There was no doubt that the
man in the moment of awakening lancied
himself attacked by enemies and fighting
for life. and that he was perfectly uncon-
scious of what he was doing. In Ger
many day laborer killed his wife by
blow with wagon tire. He had been
sound asleep. She awakened him. He
sprang up and dealt her the fatal blow.
In this case there was collateral evidence
that he fancied woman in white had
seized his wife and was carrying her off
from his side. His mental agony at TIE
imaginary separation was so great that
his whole body was batned in perspira-
tion. Another case in Germany: On
Sept. /. 1891 gentleman. his wife, and
their sou were living in a retired place.
where they were much afraid of robhers
and were accustomed to keep firearms in
their bedrooms for protection. On the
night in question they had hpen talkitg
before retiring to he'd ahnut their snppns
ed danger In the middle of ,he night
the lady awoke her husband imagining
sprang up and sleepilv blurdered against
his sons door. The voung man leaped
from his bed, seized his gun, and. throw
ing open the door, with the exclamation.
Dog What do you want here?' fired
and killed his father. Then. in an in,
slant. fully awakened bv the report ni
the frearm. realized what he had don,
and threw himself upon the body of his
father with the cry. 'Oh! Jesus. have
killed my father In the examination
into that case it was developed that the
whole family were much afflicted by rest
lessness in sleep. and were addicted t"
snmnambulism.
"Hof'baur relates striking case tina,
of Bernard Schidmaizig. who. awakened
suddenly from sleep at midnight, in the
same moment thought that he saw a
phantom standing near him. 1t seemed
to him a phantom, and fear prevented
his recognizing it. S-ammerinSly h.
called out twice. Who goes there?'
Receiving no answer. or conscious OF
none, he seized his hatchet, which was
in it's accustomed place near his bed and
dealt blow at the supposed phantom.
which sank to the earth. Awakened b,
this time, he saw that it was his wifi,
whom be had strnck down. She died
the next day of the blow. Wharton and
Stilley recount an interesting case that
occurred in London in 1859. \ woman
named Esther Griggs was arraigned in
the Marylebone Police Court, charged
with throwing her infant out of the in
tant out of the window. The police Off
GERS testified that their attention was
called by woman S screams Of Oh, my
children. save my children" issuing from
an upper room of the house. They forced
they way into the house, and after much
delay, during which the screams continu-
ed. the prisoner opened the door of her
room to them. There they found all in
darkness. When a light was brought
the apartment was seen 20 be in grea'
confusion. Two children were still there
but the youngest, an infant, was missing
and the woman, in great agony of mind
exclaimed that she must have thrown il
out OF the window. Th,t was just what
she had done. The baby was tunnd ~.
the sidewalk. very seriou>. injured. bur
fortunately, MT killed. She said thai
she had dreamed that her little boy tni.
her that he house was Oh fire. aud in tie
impulse ot the moineut. thinkinG only t..
save her ch,idrru she must have throw
thp httle one from H.. window. The "lh
celS said that her screams hal c 'nriua'-'
for five nil uies and they believed thn'
if they had not gained adnittance whtr
they did. shs would have thrown cut rh,
othcr two children. aud possibly herself.
The woman WIS sert to All hut WAS n
indicted
THE TOO PREVIOUS PERSON
A convict in the Indiana penitentiarl
hit the nail on the head when asked how