The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1889-11-21
MY SINGULAR VISIONS.

Early in the winter OF 1SS- was
lodging in large old-fashioned house
IN London. Insomnia, brought on by
business troubles, had reduced me TO a
state of nervous collapse, aud | was on
the verge Of serious illness.
Rising one night, after yainly counting
sleep for two hours, | determined to take
a warn bath. The hour was 2 o'clock.
Having thrown on a dressing gown,
entered the bathroom, and turned on the
hot water. While the bath filed gazed
out at the rear oi house, about one
hundred yards distant in c. street.
Suddenly, on the Illuminated curtain of a
room two or three floors above the street,
| saw figures Of u man aud woman in
silhouette. Stirred by curiosity, /
watched the curtain with its tci-ta!e
pictures, wondering what movements
they would execute. As gazed, surprise
and horror seized me- for saw the man
raise shadowy arm and pierce the
woman's bosom with dagger. She
threw her arms wildly in the air, opened
her mouth, as il TO emit a scream, and fell
to the floor, whence, Of cogrsc, her
figure cast no shadow on the curtain.
All this had occupied perhaps less than
two seconds. but in that time | endured
mental torture such rs | had never felt
before. As the dagger descended in.
voluntarily threw out my arms, rs if TO
shield the victim, aud uttered an ex-
clamation of mingled rage and horror
The absolute silence Of the pantomimic
murder made it more shocking. and for
an instant | felt as.if the darkness and
loneliness of the night had shut me in
with the murderer, and made me
participator in his guilt. turned shud-
dcring from the window just rs the
shadowy criminal stopped toward the
spot where his victim lay aud before
could cry out, lreecd aud fell heavily to
the floor
Ny fall reused the whole house, and
Philip Holt, whose rooms were on the
same floor with mine, carried me 10 bed.
The vision of that night hastened my
long-threatened illness, and ten days
passed before my faculties returned suffi-
ciently for me to relate what had seen
The doctor smiled at my story and said
at was a pure haiiucnation, my dear
fellow. Such things are common to per-
sons in your condition
But, said l. "thc thing happened
when | was wide awake, and in every
detail IL was as distinct ms any genuine
occurrence ever bched'
"Not at all remarkable was his re-
ply. "lou ought 20 be satisfied with /,
the knowledge that there has not been "a
word of such a crime in any newspaper. |
An affair Of the kind could not have been /
concealed for ten days Don't think of |
it any more
Two weeks later / was in my usual |
health, save that my old trouble of in f.
somnla lowered near, and rccurrcd with /
any imprudcnce in eating, worry, or ex- /.
citemcnt.
Not entirely satisfied with the doctors /
theory Of my vision, went to the lodg- |
ing house in C street and inquired /
for rooms. A snutiy old hag, with peer
ing, suspicious eyes, and an air of undc- |
tectcd criminality, showed me through |
the house, and offered to let furnished |
suite, consisting of bedroom, sitting /
room, and bathroom. As near rs could |
guess, the sitting-rOom was the one where |
the crime OF my vision had been CON-
mlted.
"Who occupied these rooms last?" l .
inquired.
"AIr. Carr and his wife, " answered the
hag, with evident unwillinguess.
"DO you know Mr.. Carr's business?" /
'The tenants business haint none o. .
nine, she replied, sharply.
"When did the Carrs move out!"
"About three weeks ago"
'Did you see Mrs. Carr on the day
.hey left the house,"
"Now what do you ask me that for? ,
| don't watch peoples don's IN this .
house. The tenants is respectable fam I
lies, and they don't like no meddiin'. If /
you want these rooms you can have 'em, |
but you won't stay long if you ask too ,
many questions about your neighbors. We .
don't want no troublesome or worrying
people here"
II was evidently useless to ask further .
questions, so | tramped downward |
through the ill-smelling, narrow halls, 4
my suspicious far from lulled.
When | again spoke to Holt on the .
subject, and told him that my suspicious
still existed, he frowned and said: 'If !
your permit yourself to go on in this way !
you'll be in bed again. There is no rea-
sonable doubt of your hallucination. The
books are full Of such cases. Further !
more, the woman could not have been
actually murdered, or the crime would
have come to light before this, and if
she was only wounded, it is not your
business to ferret the matter out. If I
you're not careful you'll get into the
newspapers and be made ridiculous.
This last argument was enough. l,
came to accept the theory of my !
friends. | passed through the winter
without further illness, but gained |
strength slowly, and when spring APP
Il, L..