Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1889-12-06
MY SINGULAR VISIONS.

M L NlNU IAn lOlON Ss
Early in the winter of 1SS- | was
lodging in a large, old-fashioned house
in London. Insomnia, brought on by
business troubles, had reduced me to a
state of nervous collapse, and | was on
the verge of serious illness.
Rising one night, after vainly courting
sleep for two hours, l determined to take
warn bath. The hour was 2 o'clock
Having thrown on dressing gown, |
entered the bathroom, and turned on the
hot water. While the bath filled gazed
out at the rear of a house, about one
hundred yards distant, in c. street.
Suddenly, on the Illuminated curtain of
room two or three floors above the street,
| saw figures of man and woman in
silhouette. Stirred by curiosity, |
watched the curtain with its tell-tale
pictures, wondering what movements
they would execute. As gazed, surprise
and horror seized me, for l saw the man
raise a shadowy arm and pierce the
woman's bosom with a dagger. She
threw her arms wildly in the air, opened
her mouth, as if to emit a scream, and fell
to the floor, whence, of course, her
figure cast no shadow on the curtain.
All this had occupied perhaps less than
two seconds, but in that time l endured
mental torture such as | had never felt
before. As the dagger descended in
voluntarily threw ont my arms, as if to
shield the victim, and 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 a
participator in his guilt turned shud
dering from the window just as the
shadowy criminal stopped toward the
spot where his victim lay; and before |
could cry out, Ireeled and fell heavily to
the floor.
My fall reused the whole house, and
Philip Holt, whose rooms were on the
same floor with mine, carried me to bed
The vision of that night fastened my
long threatened illness, and ten days
passed before my faculties returned sufi-
ciently for me to relate what had seen.
The doctor smiled at my story and said;
at was pure hallucnation, my dear
fellow. Such things are common to per
sons in your condition"
but, f." said 1, ''thc thing happened
when l was wide awake, and in every
detail it was as distinct as any genuine
occurrence ever beheld."
"Not at all remarkable" was his re-
ply. ''You ought to be satisfied with
the knowledge that there has not been a
word of such 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 I was in my usual
health, save that my old trouble of in
somnia hovered near, and recurred with
any imprudence in eating, worry, or ex-
citement.
Not entirely satisfied with the doctors
theory of my vision, | went to the lodg-
ing house in C street and inquired
for rooms. A snuffy old hag, with peer
ing suspicious eyes, and an air of unde-
tected crimnality, showed me through
the house, and offered to let a furnished
suite, consisting of bedroom, sitting
room, and bathroom. As near as | could
guess, the sitting was the one where
the crime of my vision had been com
mitted.
''who occupied these rooms last?" l
inquired.
"Mr. Carr and his wife, answered the
hag, with evident unwillingness.
"Do you know Mr.. Carr's business?'
'sThe tenants business hain't none o.
mine, " she replied, sharply.
"when did the Cars move out3"
''About three weeks ago."