The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1889-11-29
a DREAM WITHIN A DREAM.
A Chicago Man Who Dreamed That II,
Dreamed Of Committing Suicide.

Chicago Man Who Dreamed That He
Dreamed Of Committing Suicide.
Ever have a dream within q dream
and get the two all mixed upr asked
the man at the club whose speciality q
dreams. "Well; had one the other
night that has made me think some
about it since. thought was walking
west in mighty disconsolate frame of
mind and wondering if, after all. life
didn't cost pretty much all it was worth
when / came to the Madison street
bridge. 1 stopped and looked over the
rail and fell to calculating how it would
feel to take a plunge in the Shiny depths
and how much attention It would at
tract If were to climb over the side and
jump. l had always thought that any
body who ever contemplated suicide was
great fool to ever start for the other
world by way of the Chicago river. but
-uvvs.;--tina I didn't seem TO hang mite
80 closely to my forEier PRES. , ~,
was looking down ut the black sucs;ss ,ss
in q rather friendly way when somebody
stopped at tho rail few feet away from
me, heaved a sigh, and put his foot up
on the lower board
"At glance i saw the man was q
friend of mine whom hadn't seen for
several years and who / supposed to be
in frisco. l spoke to him and he turned
with startled exclamation Of annoy.
ance, recognized.me, and waited for me
to speak. asked him what he was
going to do. He looked ut me as mourn.
fully rs the spirits in tho Inferno did
at Dante, and said:
"'I'm going to jump over this rail into
the river.
81 asked him what he intended doing
anything so foolish as that for, and he
told ME with tears yelling up to his eyes
that the girl he loved was dead.
II sympathizcd with him with all my
heart because I was in q precisely similar
fix, but / told him he was foolish and
that while it was natural for him to feel
like that for awhile he would soon real
izs that it was the height of folly to at
tempt to remedy matters by dodging out
Of tho world in this irregular and alto
gethor disgraceful fashion. ] brought
all the philosophy could muster to bear
on the case and pumped it all ut him.
but he never wavered. He shook hands
with me, told me to walk on and leave
him, and turned to look over into the
river again. OF course didn't comply
with his request The horror Of allow.
ing human being to rush to death over.
powered me with O shocking sense OF
realization, and I remember thinking
how differently things affect persons
when applied to others than the same
conditions applied to ourselves.
~ persisted in my efforts to dissuade
the would be suicide from h!s TasiI act,
but he was obdurate, and, finally. seeing
that wouldn't relent, he made n spring
and threw one leg over the rail.
grabbed him to drag him back, apd, tlssn
Tshegan struggle. I saw soH.nnso4
before bfnna fheEyq hTeEqm qehe the end Of ths sund of NJ.
looscned my grip on tho raiih of Cub. .Siir
mo over riverward and toget4 NRTfRa
1t seemed like we were falling 40
center Of the earth, and felt the cold
sweat stand out all over me. Then we
struck the water and-I awoke. I hello
my breath involuntarily as went down
which Us a swimmer was bound to do
and when came up had an excellen,
opportunity of testing my ability tc
swim with all my clothes on. saw the
people running down the stairs to the
dock to help me, and struck out val
rope was thrown me and was dragged
up on the dock, where the bridge tender
and several others proceeded to abuse
me for blankety-blank idiot. who ought
to have been left to drown.
~ tried to tell them that 1t was all a
dream, and that didn't know the first
thing about it till struck the water. but
they looked at me with the most pro-
found disdain and said:
"'Oh, you weakenedl You ant got nc
more nerve n q rabbit
"Then the bridge tender grabbed me
by the dank neck of my dripping Goa,
and took me up the steps and turned me
over to policeman, who called q wagon
and loaded mo into it. was ratified
away to tho station, while the officers In
the wagon swore at mo and tho people
on the streets turned to look after me
curiously. At the station was intro.
duced as blank blank fool who jumped
in the river and then changed his mind
and yelled for help hadn't yelled fol
help, and I knew 1t. but thought I'd
let that pass, inasmuch as had been In
the river. The desk sergeant asked me
my name and put it In his book with q
charge Of disorderly opposite, and was
hustled down stairs to be locked up. Or
the way down the officer gave me q
shove, and tripped and fell headlone
down five steps and struck my head.
"That was when'I did awake. Every.
thing was dark, and 1t took as much as
q full minute to realize that was in my
own room, but half out Of bed. The part
Of me that was In bed was my feet. The
rest Of me had fallen out and my head
had collided with a'box Of books sitting
at my beds head. Luckily the bruise
was on the back Of my head, where Il
didn't show. If it had been on my face
would have been sight. didn't &c
to sleep again for an hour, and you can
bet when did was located exactly in
the middle Of the bed. But wasn't that
q funny complication Of dream fancies2'
Chicago Mail.
He Had Been There.