San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-04-01
THREE VISIONS.

Early in the winter of 1885 l was lodging
in a large, old fashioned house on Spruce
street, below Eleventh. Insomnia brought
on by business troubles had reduced me to @
state of nervous collapse, and although did
not suspect it, was on the verge of a serious
illness. Rising one night after vainly court
ing sleep for two hours, | determined to take
a warm bath by way of sopOrifc. The
hour was quite o'clock. Having thrown on
a heavy dressing gown, entered the little
bath room and turned on the hot water.
While the tub filed | gazed oct at the rear
of house about 100 yards distant on Clinton
street. Suddenly, on the Illuminated curtain
of a 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 won
dering what movements they would ex-
ecute As l gazed surprise and hor-
ror seized me, for l saw the man
raise shadowy arm and pierce the womans
bosom with 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 cur
tain All this had occupied perhaps less than
mental torture such as | had never felt be-
FORE As the dagger descended | invOlun-
tarily threw out my arms as if to shield the
victim and uttered an exclamation of mingled
rage and horror. The absolute silence Of the
pantomimic murder made it more shocking,
and for an instant l felt as if the darkness
and loneliness of the night had shut me in
with the murderer and made me partici.
pant in his guilt / turned shuddering from
the. window just as the shadowy criminal
stopped toward the spot where his victim lay,
and before | could cry out | reeled and fell
heavily to the floor. My fall reused the
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 sufficiently for ne to
relate what had seen. The doctor smiled
at my story and said:
at was pure hallucination, my dear fell
low. Such things are common to persons in
your condition"
But" said l, ''the thing happened when
was broad awake, and in every detail it was
as distinct as any genuine occurrence ever
beheld."
mot at all remarkable" was his reply.
You ought to be satisfied with the knowl,
edge 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 | was in my usual health,
save that my old trouble of insomnia lowered
threateninGly near and REQUIRED with any
imprudenCo in eating, worry or excitement
Not entirely satisfied with the doctors theory
of my vision | went around to the lodging
house on Clinton street and inquired for
rooms. \ snutfy Old bag, with pcering, sUs
picious eyes and an air of undetected Grim
inality, showed me through the house anG
offered to rent furnished suite, consisting
of bedroom, parlOr and bathroom. As neal
us l could guess the parlor was the room
where the crime of my vision had been com
mitted.
"Who occupied these rooms lastI" in
CURED
Mr. Carr and his wife, =" answered the bag.
with evident unwillingness.
do you know Mr.. Carrs businessg"
THE tenants business hain't none O. mine, >
she replied, sharply.
"When did the Cars move out"
about three weeks ago."
Did you see Mrs. Carr on the day they lef
the houser
Now, what do you ask me that for9
don't watch peoples doins in this house. The
tenants is respectable families, and they don't
like no meddlin'. 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 o.
disorderly people here. It's quiet house"
1t was evidently useless to ask further ques-
tons, 50 l tramped downward through tn
i'll smelling, narrow halls, my suspicious far
from lulled. A bold faced woman wideneG
her eyes at me on ono stairway, and through
an open door below / caught a glimpse Of
tumb.ed bed and a soiled blue slipper. with
half smoked cigarette beside it on the
floor Pausing in the vestibule, I read the
names beneath three or four bell buttons
and learned enough to convince me that the
old woman's boast as to the good character Of
her tenants was a falsehood When | told
my reawakened suspicious to Holt he frowued
and said
''If you permit yourself TO 90 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. Furthermore
the woman could not have been actually
murdered, or the crime would have come tc
light before this, and if she was only
WoiWded it, 49,. business To. ferret the
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