Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-04-26

WW4S &k earliest remembrance. l MYZMA E& am a somnambulist. | SSHMA It is not my purpose | Ea2 eW to entA into any discussion of this fruitful theme; am simply recording those facts which bear relation to my strange story. Often in my youthful days was followed by my nurse and relatives in the night, while I was walking in my sleep. and carefully 1 watched, in order that should not come to l harm. My wanderings were generally of a | harmless kind, and sometimes afforded mer- | riment, as on occasions when made my way to the larder and helped myself to the good things deposited there. But there was one occasion when they took a moro serious | turn.
 l slept on the second floor of & semi.de- tached house. In the adjoining house re- l sided mana widower when first became 1 acquainted with him-with little daughter, l between whom and myself some innocent 1 love-making took place. The father of this little girl, whose name was Elsie, married l again, and the stepmother was not kind to | the child. Indeed, when the father was ab- sent from home, Elsie was cruelty treated by 1 this woman, and used to hear her cries through the wall which divided the two houses. Elsie slept also on the second floor, in the room adjoining mine. and when she was beaten in the night could hear her ap. peals for mercy very clearly. These sounds greatly distressed me, and my child.mind
 was exercised as to the means by which could rescue my little sweetheart from the
 torture to which she was subjected. On one occasion business took the father from his home tor two or three weeks, and during
 this time Elsies undeserved punishment-1
 was sure it was undeserved-was sharper and more frequently administered. She showed me the marks of the blows on her
 skin, and remember crying excitedly:
 "I will kill her will kill herr'
 l Iremember also Els1e's grave reply to the
 effect that 1t was very, very wrong to kill people. because, as she illogically added, you would get hanged for 1t. The killing busi-
 ness was therefore set aside, the conse- quences being too awful to contemplate, and | we decided instead that we would run away
 tomorrow when the clock struck twelve. Where we should run to was not decided 1;
 why we should take our flight in broad day light was not explained; how we should ex- ist was not considered. We were plaoidly |
 when the clock struck twelve would be
 crushing blow to the hard-hearted step-
 mother, and from that moment Elsie's life and mine would be a life of happiness.
 On that night 1t was that my little sweet
 hearts cries pierced my mind while l was sleeping and I unconsciously rose, with
 the intention of going to her rescue. It
 happened that those about me were less
 watchful than usual and thus l succeeded in
 creeping, unobserved, to the top of our
 house, where short ladder leading to a
 trap door in the roof enabled me to reach @
 similar door In the adjoining house, which
 found unlocked. It was a dark night, and
 my enterprise was full of dangers; but sleep
 walkers are like cats, and can walk safely on
 the edge of preclpice. I succeeded in rais-
 ing the door in the roof, and, in total dark
 ness, felt my way down the stairs, guided
 doubtless by the little maids cries for help
 and mercy. Dashing into the room in which
 the torture was beinginficted, I sprang upon
 the cruel woman, and tore at her and beat
 her that she, in her turn, probably more frightened than hurt, screamed loudly fol
 assistance. By this time my own people were
 aroused, and, obtaining entrance into the
 adjoining house, bore me away to my room
 When I awoke in the morning had nc knowledge or recollection of what had oc.
 cured, and gathered the particulars from | those who were interested in them. My bed l room door was found open, and I not in bed l the two trap doors In the roof were open 1 proclaiming the means by which left ont
 house and obtained entrance to the other l Elsie drew vivid pictures of myractions wheI l I rushed into her bedroom and sprang upo1 . her stepmother; and my: own people sup l piled the rest. The adventure made a grea
 impression, and was long remembered ant spoken of and from the day of It's occur
 ence was more carefully. watched at home ! Upon me 1t left. perhaps, g. deeper impression , than upon others, and in after life I ofteI , thought of 1t. I was not @ passionate or l vindictive man; very rarely indeed did allow anger to master me, and I may trul. ' declare that my nature was moro inclined tt F gentlsness than to violence. How was 1t
 then, that upon this occasional should have | behaved moro like a wild beast than a human I being? for this is what was given to under l stand by all the witnesses of the affair
 Elsie said, "Oh, Dick, you were dreadful , your eyes blazedr' My guardians. instead
 of pitying or sympathizng with me, reprovet , l me, and gave me long lectures upon tn
 passions; and the stepmother swore that i
 help had not arrived she would have beel
 murdered. My fingers, sne averred, wer
 fixed in her throat so viciously that she coult
 not remove them, and in another minute sh . would have been strangled. Never after wards, in my sleeping or waking hours, wa
 O charge of violent or incorporate behavio 1 brought against mo; but if the current yer
 sions of the incident were true, there was a sleeping within me, some instinct of savager . which needed only strong incentive to lea1
 into life. To such man as the reflection Q could not be otherwise than distressing.