The Dickinson press., 1889-05-25
WALK IN THEIR SLEEP.
QUEER PERFORMANCES OF PEOPLE
WHO ARE soMNAMeuLlsTs.

How n Lawyer Once Disturbed Some Hotel
Guests A Young Lady Violently Attacks
u Dressing Case. Surprising 1t u burglar.
An Old Warrior Un the Roof.
Many SuperStltlouS, weak minded and tirnld
people are prone to regard with awe Il person
subject to attacks of communication as one
possessed of familiar spirits and on speaking
terms with ghosts and all sorts of dreadful
things But such people are not nearly so
common US they were III the days of p%uritanic
bliss, when even the astute residents of bean
lowing Boston believed it quite the thing to
cast old wives into the sea, and if they sur
vived the pillows 70 hang them Us witches
But those good old times are well out of the
way S~omnambulism remains, however, and
even here in Chicago men and women, and
sometimes maids of fashion, have been known
to do marvellous things in the silence of the
night, when golden sleep doth reign"
A well known jurist, who resides west Of
the Chicago river, went to a watering place
mt Colfax, la, for his rheumatism. The hotel
was crowded and the judge was placed in the
same room with a travelling man, who was to
be there only over night. 1t was bleak and
$685. eaAA SAS "AAA SoAS oIS ny ~ SAsA
the tall trees back of the hotel. And, as If to
further prepare the guests for a tragedy, the
landlord. All old settler, related the story Of
an awful murder committed in the vicinity
years and years before to a party of chronic
invnlids iii the parlor
at II O'Clock the guests, sick and we'll,
were all i'll bed AT midnight every one was
sound asleep, and by | O'Clock there was
nothing save the moaning of the wind
through the trees interlarded with an occa-
sional snore from some sound sleeper to he
trara. 1t was ut this moment that the Chi
cugo jurist distinguished himself and scared
nearly 2OO sickly men and nervous women
out of their wits.
"llclpl Helpl Murderl Helpl Murderl
Murder! Helpl He.l-pl O-h-h-hl" walled
the judge in u voice that fairly made the
building tremble, and then no moaned as one
dying in awful agony
ONLY Il NIGHTMARE.
With tho first cry Of help from the judge
every man, woman and child in the hotel sat
up in bed and let the coldc hills crcep unpleas.
antly along their spines, Tho next cry
brought half the guests to the floor and sent
the other half deep down benea h the covers,
and then pell nell, neck or nothing, heller
SHELTER, like a flock of stampeded sheep, the
frightened guests ran-men, women and chill.
dren-arrayed in fantastic slumber garments
of all sizes, sorts and styles, from red flannel
to pure white cambria with aounces and frills,
until the corridor around the Judges cham
Der was packed SO close you couldn't nave
dropped n pin.
BY this time tho judge realized that he had
had all attack Of the nightmare, and so did
the travelling man, but not SO with tho crowd
of alarmed guests. They were determined
that the judge had been assassinated by some
Anarchist, and were doing their best to kick
the door in with their bare feet. When the
door was finally opened and matters explained
the motley crowd realized their lack Of
raiInent and beat a hasty retreat. But it
was all hour before every one was in his own
room. The embarrassment caused some to
get confused and enter the wrong apartment,
causing pitiful screams of modesty in all parts
of the hotel.
a young lady from Monmouth, who visit
rl the family of her uncle on La Sale ave-
nuc, aroused the neighborhood and several
policemen likewise while in a somnambulistic
state. The uncle and aunt left the city one
evening to be gone over night, leaving the
niece and her two cousins with the servants
III the house. Fearing that burglars might
tlitti, VIZ ~ SOlSlll 0cSIuGl ~ slecp Ill
one bed. They were quite timorous, and
lots were cast for place, and it fell to tho Wis
itor TO sleep in front. For better protection
mallet placed within easy reach at tho head
of tho bed. All went we'll until shortly after
| O'Clock, when the visiting cousin sprang out
Of bed, seized the mallet, and attacked the
dressing case in tho corner Of the room in a
most savage manner.
I've got himl I've got himl Come on,
girls. I've got himl" she screamed, and with
each word she brought down tho croquet
mallct with disastrous effect. Smash went a
perfume case and crash vent the mirror,
while tho two girls in bed lent their voices to
the din in wild alarm. 1t was all over in five
minutes, but i'll less time than that the neigh
buri,ood was aroused, and q few minutes later
two officers arrived. 1t was soon explained
that Amy had had a nightmare, and the
neiglborhood resumed its normal quiet.
ON A HIGH POST.
a gentleman who is prominent in Grand
Army circles created a great disturbance in
tho little suburban town in which he lives
shortly after the national ~encampment at
Columbus by Il ridiculous performance in
his sleep. Ho arrived home late Sunday
night, and was so tired he could scarcely say
How do you dor to his wife, and no went to
sleep rs soon as no touched the bed. About
5 o'clock in the morning his wife woke up
and was not a little alarmed to find her weary
husband gone. After calling him, without
receiving any reply. she got up and donning
u wrapper went down stairs. The front door
stood open and she went out on the walk.
Post No. 81, and alls WE'LL Grant has cap
tured Vicksburg, and the j ohnnies arein hell!'
sang out her husband in stentorian tones
from some lofty perch. 1t was bright moon.
light, and going out a little farther she looked
up. md there. on the ridge of the roof, was
her husband. Back and forth he paced with
measured tread, arrayed in his night shirt
and an old cartridge belt and knapsack, with
a gorgeous hapeau on his head and a musket
on his shoulder At regular intervals he sang
out a doggerel rhyme. 1t is needless to say
she was alarmed. She coaxed him and called
for him to come down, but he was proof tc
all entreaties. The noise woke several of the
neighbours, and windows in the adjoining cot
tages began to go up. and white objects t.
appear thereat and inquire in alarm what thu
trouble was.
The wife was fearful lest her HUSBAND
should walk off the end of the roof ant
break his neck. A score of neighbors ane
friends had soon collected and held council
as to the best means of getting the ole
soldier down. But while thus engaged b.
disappeared Oh the opposite side of the roof
and before the mortified spectators could in
terfere hurled the pusket to the ground ant
then jumped after it. 1t was a distance O
nearly twenty feet, but, strange to say, b
was not hurt. The shock awoke him, how
ever, and since then he has not been troubled
with ~somnambulism, but when he goes ava
to Grand Army doings o his wife goe
with him. -Chicag Times.
Are your parents at homer asked agentle
man of a young woman who responded to hi
knock on the door of a cabin down in Georgia
My parent mother is, but my paren
father ara nut.n VAS the u~uexpectel reply