Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-10-11
PUNISHED BY A DREAM.

Physical Changes Wrought BY the Anguish OF
Nightmare.
1 read with great interest the recent
opinion of a physician ex prassed in your
pa per to the effect that death sometimes
occurs in sleep from fright in nightmare.
L thought some of your readers might be
interested in my case, for I can relate an
experience that seems TO be phenomenal.
l am twenty years old, robust
and sound, and l never knew of premat-
ure age coming on any of my people.
Yet l an gray and old far beyond my
years. 1t all came about in single
night. When l was boy, hungry, poor
and forIorn, was tempted into crime.
saw window open, and packages OF
rich candies.
By stepping inside the door and watch
ing my opportunity I could reach one of
them. l thought nobody was looking
but wien snatched one and fed l ran
straight into the arms of policeman on
the pavement outside. / had good
mo1her and the thought cane that I had
betrayed her and ruined myself. | was
almost erazed with remorse. [ begged
70 be released, but the officer did his duty.
Next day when l was brought from jail
and put on trial l saw among the motley
crowd in the police court man who did
not seem to belong there. He proved to
be the owner of the store from which l
had stolen the candy. When | found
this out my fright was increased. You
can imagine my surprise that this gentle
man, when called as a witness, withdre Y
all charges against me and asked the
court as a personal favor to discharge
me. This request was granted. My new
friend called me to one side after the
trial, hearo my story and seemed to have
faith in my promises. He even took me
into his store and advanced me from one
position TO another as the years rolled on
and fualiy made me chief clerk and gave
me the keys TO his safe.
One night, just year ago. found my
self down at the store al q late hour. We
had received a large sum of money after
banking hours, and this had been placed
IN the safe III my Geepiog. For some
reason L was tenn pied to 90 down town
rhst night. I wandered into the store,
sat down a while and finally opened the
safe. | was trembling violently all the
time-why | would not confess until the
conviction forced itself upon me that l
was about to commit my second burglary.
An Internal desire for that money had
complete control OF me. Finally l took
out the money put it into my pockets
and locked the safe. Then I went to
work in a clumsy manner TO conceal the
crime. [ thought I could pry off the
Iock and thus make believe the safe had
been robbed by experts. L was sweating
at this felonIous task when | heard a step
behind me, followed by voice, what
III the world are you doing John?"
It was the voice of my old en- ployer
and friend-the man who bad saved me
from prison and who had given me a
chance In the world. How l suffer ed.
Cold sweat stood out on me, and the
thought of my treachery was agonizing
hey end human endurance. | was suffer
ing ali the torture that DR.. Jekyll must
have known in being transformed into
Mr.. Hyde. [ felt the very elements of
my body changing. o the glorious re-
lief, sweet delight, when [ found that all
this real suffering had oeen in nightmare
only and L was still the trusted en- ploye
of just man. Yet, when looked into
the glass next morning l found that
the snow that comes upon ordinary
mortals in old age had whitened my head
during that struggle in my sleep.-In-
dianapOlis News.