Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1889-02-20
HORRIBLE NIGHTMARE.

HORRIBLE NIGHTMARE.
"A Mans Hair Turns White with Fright
e. in q Dream.
I read with great interest the opinion
Of a physician expressed in your paper
to the effect that death sometimes &C.
ours in sleep from fright in nightmare.
I thought some of your readers might
be interested in my case, foriI can re-
late an experience that seems to be
phenomenal.
lam twenty-seven years old, robust
and sound, and never knew of pre-
mature age coming on any of my peo-
pie. Yet am gray and old far beyond
my years. It all came about. in single:
night. When I was boy, hungry,
poor and forlorn, I was tempted into
crime. saw in window open pack.
ages of rich candies. BY steppingin-
side the door and watching my oppor-
tunity, I could reach one of them. l
thought nobody was looking, but when
snatched one and fled I ran straight
into the arms of a policeman on the
pavement outside. had a good
mother, and the thought came that l
had betrayed her and ruined myself.
l was almost crazed with remorse. /
begged to be released, but the officer
did his duty. Next day, when was
brought from Jail and put on trial,
saw among the motley crowd in the
police court a man who did not seem
to belong there. He proved to be the
owner of the store from which had
stolen the candy. When I found this
out my fright was increased. You can
not imagine my surprise that this gen.
tleman. when called as witness, with
drew all charges against me, and
asked the court, as a personal favor, to
discharge me. The request was grant,
ed. My new friend called me to one
side after the trial, heard my story.
and seemed to have faith in my prom
ises- He even took me into his store,
and advanced me from one position to
another as the years rolled on, and
finally made me chief clerk and gave
me the keys of the safe.
One night, just year ago, I found
myself down at the store at late
hour. We had received a large sum
of money after banking hours, and
this had been placed in the safe
in my keeping. For some reason
I was tempted to go down town
that night I wandered into the
store, sat down awhile and finally
opened the safe. I was trembling
violently all the time-why, I would
not confess until the conviction forced
itself upon me thatI was about to COM
NIT second burglary. An Internal
desire for that money had complete
control of me. Finally took out the
money, put it into my pocket and
locked the safe. Then l went to work
in clumsy manner to conceal the
crime. I thought could pry off the
lock and thus make believe that the
safe had been robbed by experts.
was sweating at this felonious task
when heard step behind me, fol-
lowed by a voice: ''What in the world
are you doing, John?''
It was the voice of my old employer
and old friend-the man whu had
saved me from prison, and who had
given me chance in the world.
Great heavens! How I suffered. Cold
blood sweat stood out on me, and the
thought of my treachery was agonizing
beyond human endurance. / was suf-
fering all the torture that DR.. Jeykil
must have known in being transformed
into Mr.. Hyde. felt the very ele-
ments of my body changing. Oh, the
glorious relief, sweet delight, when !
found that all of this real suffering
had been in nightmare only, and that
was still the trusted employee of a
just man. Yet when I looked into the
glass next morning I found that the
snow which comes upon ordinary NOR
tails in old age had wh1tened my head
during that struggle in my sleep.-In-
dianapolis News.