Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-12-09
p North NmS Baker Block I&BH SRB RSm Gabriel N@ Po address, SmC M
NJ TERNAN Local Agent ShorbS Station address, Ahambra CAL

of course, the talk of the town for the
next fortnight, and it had not yet been
worn out when another surprise was
s~ung on them.
Again the merchant awoke at his usual
hour to find that he had been myster-
iously visited during the night. A roll
of SlS5 had been taken from his trousers
pocket, and the gold watch which he
had borrowed of his sister-in law that
very day was gone. Again the doors
and windows were found all right, and
again the detectives were called i'll.
This time they declared that one of the
colored maids was the thief. She was
questioned and cross.questioned, but no
clew was obtained, and in her indigna.
tion at being suspected of such crime.
she left the house. The other servants
would have gone, too, had they not
been frankly told that the merchant
would as soon suspect his own wife as
them.
The clerk naturally felt embarrassed
over the situation, aud insisted ON cccu.
pying room in the store. Matters ran
along for about three weeks, when one
night shortly after midnight, the mer-
chant was awakened by the voice of his
sister in.law, and he sprang up to find
his wife absent. 1t was explained that
she had gone down stairs, and the hus-
band hastily threw ON his clothes and set
out to find her. 1t seemed that the sis.
ter-in-law secretly cherished suspicion
of one of the servants, and each night
after the last robbery, had been the last
one to 60 to bed. She bad stretched a
thread across the upper hall iu such II
way that it must be broken by any one
passing, and the breaking must alarm
her. She was asleep when the signal
came, but she got to the door in time to
see the half-dressed wife descending the
stairs. The merchant found the kitchen
door wide open, and spent quarter of an
hour looking around before his wife was
discovered. She then came from the di.
rection of an open field, and though he
spoke to her, expressing his amazement
at her actions, she passed him by with.
out a word, her eyes wide open and
looking straight ahead. He followed
her into the house and up stairs, and she
went straight to bed and covered herself
up, and in moment was as quiet as any
sleeper.
That it was O case of somnambulism
there could be no doubt; that she was
the burglar seemed to be certain when
the merchant inspected his clothing and
found that he had again been robbed
this time of about $40. The wife was
not awakened, and next morning, when
told of her adventure, she could scarcely
credit his words. She could not remem-
Der of having any dream about money
or burglars, nor had she the remotest
idea of how far she went from the house,
CT in which direction. She had pulled
on her stockings and shoes before going
out. These were inspected and three or
four burrs were found clinging to the
stockings. Near hollow stump on the
commons, and fully quarter of mile
from the house was large burdock.
The merchant examined the stump,
and there, carefully wrapped up in
piece OF burlap, were his two watches
and the lost money. The wife could not
remember ever having noticed the stump,
and she had certainly never gone within
fifty feet of it in her waking hours. On
one or two occasions within the next
month she got up and wandered over
the house in her sleep, seeming to be in
search of something, but not finding it.
The habit or mania, or whatever it may
be termed, then left her as suddenly as
it came, and she was not known to walk
again except in her waking senses.