The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1886-07-03
A STRANGE DREAM.
Wkst . Detroiter Saw In His Sleep ana
What Transpired the Next Day.

They were talking about fortune
tellers, clairvoyants and such at de-
tective headquarters the other day when
a citizen who was present said:
mo doubt they hit the nail on the
head now and then, but l prefer to trust
to dreams"
At this there was a general laugh,
but his face was very serious as he con-
tinued:
''Do any of you remember the so
called Weber case which happened
about twelve years ago on the Cleve-
land & Pittsburgh road? No? Well, I
had dream in connection with that
case which may interest you. l stopped
one night at Cleveland before tax ing
the train for Pittsburgh. 1 slept
soundly until after midnight and then /
had strange dream. thought had
taken the train. In the same car was
man about thirty years of age and a
woman fifteen years older. They
were man and wife. He was a dissi-
pated-looking fellow, while she was a
well-preserved woman with many
natural graces and evidently in fear of
him. That is he never addressed her
except in a rough, petulant tone, and
whenever he spoke she drew away as
if fearful of blow.
II dreamed that had watched them
for an hour or two when a waiter en-
tered the car and announced supper.
1t was just growing dark, and it was a
winters evening. passed to the din
ing-car alone, and had finished my
meal and was on my way back when l
met the pair. Five minutes later the
report went through the train that the
wife had fallen from the platform of
the dining-car as the couple were about
to pass in. The train was stopped and
backed up, and after long hunt her
body was found on the rocks at the
foot of an embankment, bruised, bleed
ing and lifeless. The man told very
plausible story of how the accident oc-
Cured, but the effort he made to APP
pear agitated and broken up convinced
me that he was her murderer. He left
the train at the first station to have the
poor mangled remains cared for and l
saw him no more. He was tall, dark
eyed man, with black hair, scar on
his cheek, and wore diamond pin.
He had cuff-buttons with W. en-
graved on them, and there was long
and bloody scratch on the back of the
right hand.
''Now, then, OH the afternoon of the
next day took the train for Pitts
hugh, and the first people saw in the
parlor car as I entered were the two
of whom had dreamed. Both looked
at me with start of surprise, and I'm
telling you the solemn truth that the
man turned pale as l looked into his
eyes. You are prepared to anticipate
what followed, but there were some
changes from my dream. When sup
per was announced l did not 60 on in
advance, but waited for the couple to
precede me. The man looked sharply
at me as they went out, but was busy
with newspaper, as if 1 did not in
tend to go in to supper. They were
no sooner out than 1 followed / was
only ten feet behind them as they
passed out on the platform of the car
ahead, and as opened the door there
was shrek from the darkness, and
the man, standing alone on the plat
form. shouted at me:
/" Great God but my wife has fallen
off the platform
THE train was stopped, backed up,
and we found the poor body as l had
dreamed. 1t was placed in the bag
gage-car. and as the husband bent over
it. seeming to try his best to shed tears,
l boldly denounced him.
"'You are her murderer l ex-
claimed. You pushed her off the
platform! Look at that scratch on your
hand where she caught at you in a vain
effort to save herself! You threw her
to her deathr
HE looked at me with an express
sion of terror and dismay, but could
not utter word. l picked up his I'M
resisting hand and looked at his cuff
button. 1t was marked with a W.
At the next station he was placed un-
der arrest for murder. His name was
William Weber, of st. Louis. He
neither denied nor affirmed his guilt,
but he had no sooner been locked up
than saw / had gotten myself into a
box. l was to be detained as wit
ness, and the only straight testimony
against him was dream. Before the
sheriff could get hold of me 1 had
skipped the neighborhood, and in
day or two, as / afterwards learned,
Weber was set at liberty and went his
way, the body having been buried in
the village graveyard. 1t was as clear
a case of murder as was ever known,
and had things been managed right at
first he would probably have confessed