Daily Kennebec journal., 1884-04-11
miscellaneous.
Insomnfz's Victims.
How THE BUSY LIFE on WALL STREET
MURDERS SLEEP.

How THE BUSY LIFE on WALL STREET
MURDERS SLEEP.
..It,s one of those things can't account
for said Brooklyn policeman . few
nights ago. The officer was tall. broad
shouldered man, perhaps little gruf in
his manner, for he was patrolman in
bad precinct, where voice and facial
expression soft and gentle are not often
needed. Yet withal he was . man for
whom the expression, Beneath this rude
EXTERIOR etc., might well be suited. He
called the reporters attention to q man
closely muffied in heavy overcoat who
was disappearing in the darkness down
the street. The officer tried the knob OF
store-door, and then, in answer to look
of inquiry, continued:
81 was thinking when spoke of some
thing that every policeman on night patrol
must have noticed in Brooklyn. l refer
to the number of people who are seen
wandering about the city at night. 1t has
been study to me ever since came on
the force, and as l said before it's one of
those things | can't account for. I've
been on duty in this city for nearly seven
teen wears, and in five different precints.
the problem of night-walkers, but without
success. Some peculiarities of that class
have come under nv notice as police
man. and will tell you what I've learned.
BROOKLYN, they say. is the bedroom OF
New York. Well, to q certain extent 1t Is,
but besides it is midnight promenade Tor
citizens who have little use for bedroom.
"When was on duty in the Fourth pre-
cinct several years ago, met a man about
35 years old one morning. He was COM
ing up Clinton avenue and was standing
TN the corner of De-Kalb. paid no par
ticular attention to him, but do remem-
Der, now | think of it. that his head was
bent forward so that his chin rested upon
his breast. As he passed me very slowly
saw that he was worried. l said TO my
self as he crossed the street: He's been
caught in some game over in New York
and the lads have soaked him. Two
nights afterwards met him again. He
was coming down the same street. He
hadn't been drinking. When | stopped
him he looked up rather suddenly, and he
gave me his card. After | had read his
name and found that he was one OF the
partners in a wholesale establishment on
Broadway, over in the city, he said: My
business or something, don't know what
it is, keeps me awake nearly every night.
When l 90 to bed early in the evening !
do nothing but roll and toss about, and
when retire at midnight or later it's just
the same | don't sleep more than one
night week on an average. and so l come
over to Brooklyn, where very few people
know me, and walk about until l think
I'm tired enough to drop off through ex-
haustion Some nights can 60 home af-
ter a couple of hours walk and 60 to
sleep and other nights it is impossible to
get wink
THAT man who went around the corner,
is he the same man?" asked the reporter.
"Yes. sir; but-let's see. four and five
are nine-yes, first saw him in 1875, and
that's nine years ago. Changed? Why
I've never seen man grow old so fast in
all my life. When first met him he had
been in business five years. His hair was
black and he could not have been more
than 35 years old. l remember that's
what thought he was at the time. But
now l shouldn't know him if l didn't
meet him nearly every week. His face
has grown haggard and his hair and
beard are as grrv as rat.
Now from learning little of his his
tory have made it point 10 look into
this subject OF night-walking, and it's
astonishing the number of men who allow
the cares of business to worry them so
that sleep is the turtherest thing from
their minds at night could point out
not less than 40 men-sOme of EN- are
lawyers, others are in Wall street and still
others are merchants-if you were only
on post with me for a week. The busi-
ness they transact during the day is all
gone over with again at night by those ac-
tive brains and insomnia is the result.
There was a failure down in Wall street
not long ago, and l see by the
papers that the man who went under is
suffering from mental strain. might
have given the reporters something about
that case, for the man has been a night
walker for nearly year. He can't sleep,
and on several occasions when have met
him at 9, 3 or O'Clock in the morning he
has complained abont his head and of the
continual wretchedness his business, stocks,
bonds and even his money caused him.
When heard it thanked my lucks stars
that was Brooklyn policeman at a
thousand year.
Il had talk with a doctor about this
matter a couple of months ago and he told
me that this insomnia, think he called it,
was getting to be very common COM
plant. He was astonished when | told
him that met men on my post who had
come from New York to find relief for
their troubled brains. OF course. there is
nothing particular about Brooklyn that
makes a man feel better but. you see. it's
quiet over here, and a man of business
doesn't run the risk of meeting his busi-
ness friends at night.