Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1884-04-30
STRANGE DREAMS.
from tho New York Herald. !

last week i'll Il private room o. an uptown
resort. One Of them made casual reference
to dreaming. and mentioned incidentally q
paper read The plight previous by & clergy
nla4 on the phenomena of dreams. Two Of
the party scuiitd at the idea that persons
ever dreamed of events To come. They ad-
nittcd iha; they seldom had dreams, but
when they did dream the iancies had little
continuity and relevancy. One gentleman,
however, nc!,lly affirmed that he had had
several demonstrations that the mind did
often carry out IN sleep The designs Of the
day.
"Whcn was about twelve years Old, ;" he
said, like most boys OF that age my princ-
pal occupation was deviltry of one kind or
another. An old man, heartily detested By
ali the BOYS, nad died in our neighborhOod,
and every evening his widow and grown
daughter had 10 pass down a lane running
parallel with cur fence, along the top of
which was laid flat boarding Noticing the
nightly trips Of these two females an idea
occurred to me- Keeping my own counsel,
| laid NY paDs. | intended, some night
when NV parents were out, 10 wrap Il sheet
around my body, and climbing the fence,
run along it when the women came by.
"Now here is the curious fact Two days
after. and before had chance TO carry
out the plan, ali the people about were
greatly excited. A ghost had appeared and
there could be no mistake as to its identity.
II walked down the lane and distinctly
said II am the ghost of old S. This
was s%urn to by two witnesses. ] wondered
VINO had tCrestaled me. ! asked all the
other boys, but none Of them, that was
sure, l;nc.. anything Of the matter.
"Ihc next night there was a battalion of
watchers, among them. All patiently,
some trcmbiingly. awaited the coming of
the spectre Twelve o'clock, one o'clock
passed but it ilidn't come. Then we all
went 10 bed. The next morning it was an
nounceG that = gentleman had seen the
spool: later in the night, and heard it's cry.
By this time my soul WAS filled with envy
10 think OF the unknown who was kicking
up such row. 4 night interviewed without
disturbance, but On the following night it
was laid forever, and with it the belief of
manY that souls can return from ihc other
shore.
"Iwo men had watched. At las they
saw the CLEAN Of white at The end Of the
iauc Suddenly ii occurred 10 them what
was the cause OF the ghosts great stature.
II i walking on the fence. They !ald
Tor i. grabbed it BY the arm, tore away
the sheet and with such cndearing names
as Id little imp Of he'll they awoke
the spirit. CHANGING wildly about me,
! hecimc unconscious. The mystery
was solved. The naighbora were en-
ragged until il was found That | was really
sick from fright. | was sent away 10 school
soon after, and never told until long years
had succeeded thai tho scheme | carried
7 I,,. I,ol 81, Il
Several years afterward ] maGe up my
mine to strike out for myself and leave
home. Most Of you, no doubt, have gone
through the experience, SO | had been away
two weeks and had, besides some money, u
stock of attachments for sewing machines,
hui I had moi the skill or boldncss TO dis
pose Of them One day went to the Grand
Central depot and took the first train for
home Arriving at Stamford, Conn, felt
inlpellcd 10 stop over. 1t was the first time
had ever been in the town, and yet every
thing seemed iamiliar-streetS. houses. the
very trees shading the walks. At last it all
came TO mel had seen Stamford III Il
dream. Details returned To my memory,
and walking along could tell what was to
appear next. knew that, in a triangular
sracc, formed by The junction Of two streets
should find g brick building, the lower
| floor occupied as y dry goods store, WIN
| sign over it in black and gold. In this store
| sold nv stock 10 Il man whose lace had
never before looked in mine, except III a
! dream.
"Some time before | had had q suit OF
| clothes made by Il tailor in q town twenty
miles distant from my home, and on wear
ipg them found the vest did not tit. de-
cided to return the garment for alterations
and went To bed In the morning it was
missing, and the most thorough search could
not find it, About ten days after it came
TO me bv express, with note from the
maker, hoping that it would now prove al
right. Investigation showed that in the
night had decided to return it, l had got
ten out of bed at half-past ten p. M, gone te
the express office and had written note to
the maker stating the alteration to be MADE
and then had expressed the package Al
the time must have been sound asleep. In
1881 friend Of mine went TO Wisconsin
under engagement 10 q manufacturing con-
Germ in Racine Two months after | had a
dream. in which l fanced myself Oh a train
bound for Albany. Waiting in the depot in
Springfield, Mass, saw my friend coming
/ toward me, and. getting down. shook hands
with him and asked him to explain his sud.
den appearauce. He said, the factory had
burned down two weeks before and the
firm had refused to continue its contracts.
In Joking way I told the dream next morn
inr 20 gentleman who had been offered q
nosition by the firm named. An hour after
/ had repeated it a telegram came from
Racine announcing the total destruction o.
the factory by fire the previous night. suo
seoucntlv letters brought the news that the
| firm had cancelled all contracts.
"In the township of Guilford, Conn, lives
o queer character known as 'Sherm' Davis
4 n.i,n.,,,, bpntor olou, 3iooar-he is aDy