The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-02-26
SLEPT WITH A LEPER.

-Is~f.1 T,orcicr.
SLEPT WITH A LEPER.
Newspaper Man. Experience with IAN
Uncanny ssesfeliow.
..Thcre arc strange things in this
world" said an old newspaper man whose
hair was gray ID years ago, to IA Denver
Nssrs reporter. "I'm not much of a he
lover i'm supernatural occthrrchces' nut
whcn "a plain fact comes into my cxpcr-
fence l am willing to admit IL. What 1
am going To tell you ] know and am salts
Acd with. You may or may not, just as IL
suits you"
s.You remember" lac hogan. "thc time
President Cleveland visited minneapolis.
and what n crowd was thereT The state
fair and one or two athcr things attracted
pcoplc enough, but the presidents
presence drew every one In the state, u
seemed Ia me. was al n Chicago paper
AZ that time, and got AN assignment to go
up and take in the combined show"
.When 1 stepped up To the counter of
sho heading hotel Ia register noticed that
the man i'm front of me. who had just aid
down the pen, WAS also "a newspaper man
from Chicago. There wasn't anything
special about his appearance except that
Took very we'll. Naturally, when I had
put down my maine i turned to him and
Introduced myself: We shook hands and
the old man who was proprietor of tho
hotel was inspecting his room rack. Turn
ing 90 us he said that there was only one
werc welcome to il IL we would double up.
That suited mo all right hut the tall man
Objected S%igoroYs'y: was q little pulled %n
room II he was so selfish over IL. 1 could
sleep in n chair or walk the streets all
"sO, no. said the tall man, lit isn't
that. 1 snorc so badly that no one else
could sleep i'm tho room. ! was thinking
al laughed at the idea. and assured
him that ! would sleep AZ soon AS j struck
the bed. Finally he gave i'm and we
n little bit of ~ cubby hole mt the top of
the house, aud the only furniture in il
chairs. Another Chicago n~ewspayty- man
who heard we were there came up tn sec
us, and the three of us sat there and
the morning. Neither myself nor the Wis
itor could recollcct anything unusual
about the behavior of the tall man when
we notes afterwarh. AT last
We said good light and went tn bed.
II don't know how long ] slept ;in fact l
have never been able to bring up - per
fectly clear recollection of what happened
i'm that ROOM. IL seemed to mt that ]
woke up i'm about five minutes, hut il
, vss an na. si s sssn,a aGn dread. NJ fsh ,irs' M fss.l m.i
huge lump OF leo seemed to- lie ON my
eating. tried 10 shout, hut I could not
emit n syllable. IL was only after IA long
struggle. that brought sweat pouring out
TO the inert freezing mass ON my chest.
at WAS a pulseless hand, the hand of a
corpse. that clasPsSi. dropped !. in
borrow and climbed n~crvously ont of bed.
The camel in through the lit
Ale d~ust-covcresl window and played
Tbe feeling of the hand was still on my
chest. ! could not overcome the frightful
sensation of helplessness. lit the gas
and proceeded To call for help. Then il
WINS. in thu better light, that I saw he was
not dead. went To his side to look mt his
hand. but some movement OF mine awokc
him and Inc softly pulled IL under the
co~unterpanc. / could not go to bed and
remained up all night.
I'm the mcrning when ! spoke Of the
must have been dreaming, as did the land
lord so did my newspaper friend. ]
could not answer them, but I felt that
night in tho little room.
'Shortly aftcrward the news came over
night had committed suicide under cir
cumstances of almost Uncomfortable hor-
to me from "1 Eins ai'f Hc hna u Mr ie ! e Sn anne
left il ON his table the night he took his
life. II solved the mystery.
"Tbc Christmas night before I met him
i'm Minneapolis he was Thinking i'm "a sa-
loon in Chicago with several friends. He
made the remark, i suppose We have To
One of his companions asked him tn not
speak that way. upon the ground that IL
would Ike IA personal favor. This led to-
argument. The biasphcmer said: Prove
70 me that there is IA Cod His friend
said:. Prove Ia me that there il not IA
Col"
The tall man drew himself erect and
raised his arm on high. Il will call upon
Cod: IL he is a God said he, to strike me
dead right here where I stand
"TLose around drew back, hut no mira
Gle followed. The tall man laughed at
his young friend. They parted for the
night perhaps "a little solcmnly, hut not
much was thought of the matter.
ZONE week later "a strange pain devcl-
opcd i'm that arm, and ia less than "a month
IL was useless. Ia his letter to me he said:
you are the only man who ever suspected
my secret. l am N lepcr.'"