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 Tint ne
Ilrean,.xI .S 6,~.--.Ax, 4

y S@N" WITHIN n phERM. 81
A Chicago Man Who Dreamed Tim. ne
Dreamed OF Committing Suicide.
Ever have dream within dream
and get tho two all mixed upY' asked
the man at the club whose speciality is
dreams. "Well; had one the other
night that has made me think some
about 1t since. thought was walking
west in a mighty disconsolate frame of
mind and wondering if, after all, life
didn't cost pretty much all it was worth
when l came to the Madison street
bridge. l stopped and looked over the
rail and fell to calculating how it would
feel to take plunge in the Shiny depths.
and how much attention 1t would at,
tract II 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
"Ss':;- time I didn't seem to bano ,nita
80 closely to my FORMER prs,.,s.s. @ ia a.s
was looking down Mt the black sust.ss ~
in n rather friendly way when somebody
stopped at the rail few feet away from
me, heaved sigh, and put his foot up
on the lower board.
"At glance saw the man was a
friend OF mine whom hadn't seen for
several years and who supposed to be
in frisco. I spoke to him and he turned
with startled exclamation Of annoy.
ance, recognized.me, and waited for me
to speak. I 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: tt'
"'1'm going to jump over this rail into
the river =
81 asked him what he intended doing
anything 80 foolish as that for, and he
told me with tears yelling UP to his eyes
that the girl he loved was dead.
II sympathized with him with all nv
heart because was in precisely similar
fix, but I told him he was foolish and
that while 1t was natural for him to feel
like that for awhile he would soon real.
izs that 1t was the height of folly to at.
tempt to remedy matters by dodging out
Of the world in this irregular and alto
gether disgraceful fashion. I brought
all the philosophy could muster to bear
on the case and pumped it all at 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 q shocking sense OF
realization, and I remember thinking
how differently things affect persons
when applied to others than the same
conditions applied to ourselves.
II persisted In my efforts to dissuade
the would be suicide from his rash act,
but he was obdurate, and, finally, seeing
that wouldn't relent, he made a spring
and threw one leg over the rail. j
grabbed him to drag him back, aud tlscn
began q struggle. ! saw sols. ri,
before bffoa fhaEyp hfaEpW The end Of th'n ieaS'
loosened my grip on the raifPiainh9..
mo over riverward and toget
1t seemed like we were falling tp.,. .6
center Of the earth, and I folt the cold
sweat stand out all over me. Then we
struck the water and-I awoke. l held
my breath involuntarily as ! went down.
which as swimmer / was bound to do
and when came up had ON excellent
opportunity of testing my ability to
swim with all my clothes on. saw the
people running down the stairs to the
dock to help me, and i struck out val.
iantly for the shore. WhenI reached II
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.
triad fo toll fI,ov,x <l,ok t. ,.-~ns III :.
dream, and that didn't know the first
thing about 1t till struck the water. but
they looked at me with the most pro
found disdain and said:
"'Oh, you weakenedt You ant got no
more nerve n o rabbit :.
'Then the bridge tender grabbed me
by the dank neck of my dripping coat
and took me up the steps and turned me
over to q policeman, who called q wagon
and loaded mo into It. was ratified
away to the station, while the officers In
the wagon swore at me 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 for
help, and 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 1t In his book with a
charge Of disorderly opposite, and was
hustled down stairs to be locked up. On
the way down the officer gave me
shove, and tripped and fell headlong
down five steps and struck my head.
"That was wheu'I did awake. Eyery-
thing was dark, and It took as much az
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 asbox Of books sitting
at my beds head. Luckily the bruise
was on the back Of my head, where II
didn't show. II 1t had been on my face
Iwouid have been sight. didn't 90
to sleep again for an hour, and you can
bet when ! did I was located exactly in
the middle Of the bed. But wasn't that
n funny com nIicaffor ~ draa ~, fopciao2o