The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-01-29
DREAMS AS EVIDENCE.
THRILLING MURDER TALES RECORD.
ED IN THE OLD LAW BOOKS.
Peculiar Actions of Disinterred Corpse.
One Man Dreams of a Crime Before 1t
Is Committed-A Mother Sees Her Son
Killed and Avenges His Death.

Law reports of the Sixteenth and Seven.
tenth centuries contain numerous refer
ences to supernatural occurrences in court
and On the scaffold. One of the most re-
markable records of this kind Is connected
with murder trial which took place in
England early in the reign of the first
Charles. Sir John Maynard, one Of the
first lawyers of the century, is the author
ity for the supernatural events of the trial,
and in his quaint preface TO his notes he
says he thought good to report the evil
dence which was given. which many did
hear, that the memory thereof might not
be lost by miscarriage Of papers or other
wise"
One Johan Norkett. farmers wife, had
died, and at the coroner's inquest evidence
was given proving that the woman's throat
had been cut from ear 10 ear. At first the
jury favored verdict Of felo de Sc, and the
body was inferred; but rumors became
general pointing 70 foul play, and the body
was exhumed. Thirty days after the death
the jury assembled before the body, and
four suspected persons were brought in.
The only evidence against the prisoners
was that they slept in an adjoining room,
and that no one had passed that room;
they must be the murderers."
QUEER ACTIONS OF A CORPSE.
What took place at the remarkable post
norton inquiry may best be described in
the words of a witness at the subsequent
trial, who was described as IAN ancient
and grave person, minister 10 the parish
where this murder was committed" This
estimable gentleman said: "They (the
| prisoners did touch the dead body, where
/ upon the brow of the dead, which was be
| fore livid and carrion color, began to
| have dew or gentle sweat arise upon it,
which increased by degrees till the sweat
ran down in drops upon the face, the brow
turned and changed to lively color, and
! the dead opened one of her eyes and shut
it again, which she did three several times
She likewise thrust out the ring or mar
rage finger three times, and pulled it in
again, and the finger dropped blood on the
floor"
Naturally enough such remarkable evil
I dence as this was received with some sus-
picion by the court, although the wit
ness, to again quote Sir John Maynard,
twas a reverend person about 60 years of
age, as could be guessed. His testimony
was delivered graveiy and temperately, but
to the great admiration of the auditory"
Ample confirmation of an obviously inn
partial character was, however forthcom-
ing, and the admiration" turned to hor-
ror, so much so that the prisoners were
convicted, and two of them suffered death
at the hand of the common hangman.
Neither of the victims, one of whom was an
aged woman, could ever be prevailed upon
to confess any completely in the crime.
SAW THE CRIME IN A DREAM
In 1851 an Irish murderer was convicted
largely upon dream evidence. A Water
ford publican named Rogers dreamed one
night that he saw a man murder another
man on a green spot on the summit of an
adjoining mountain. He was able next
day to describe both men with perfect ac-
curacy, and did so to many of his friends
One of the men was exceptionally strong
the other weak and puny; but it was the
latter who, in the vision, committed the
murder. Rogers persuaded the parish
priest to accompany him to the spot, which
he found without difficulty, but where
there seemed to be no traces of a murder
or struggle. Hence Rogers got rather
laughed at. Next day, however two men
entered the public house and Mrs Rogers
at once recognized them from her husbands
description as the heroes in the vision.
Much alarmed she fetched her husband,
who was also certain they were the two
men.
When they rose TO leave Rogers begged /
the one he expected TO be murdered 10 re-
main, but without avail. He nearly faint /
ed with fright after the me-. had left, and /
finally persuaded neighbor to accompany /.
him to the green spot on the hill, where,
sure enough, the tragedy of the dream had .
taken place in reality. The murderer was 1
tracked and caught, and Rogers was the /
principal witness. His recital of his dream
was so vivid that the prisoner at once CON /
fessed, adding that he killed his compan-
ion exactly as foretold in the dream. The /
weapon used was a knife. and as eight .
stabs were seen by Rogers in his dream, 50
the murderer admitted that he drove his
knife up to the handle in his companions
body exactly that number of times.
MOTHERS VIVID DREAM.
In 1910 woman named Kraeme appeared
before Frankfort justice and asked to be
sworn, as she had valuable information
about a crime committed in a remote vii
lage in Russia, many days journey from
her German home. The story she told the
justice was this: Ten years before her only
son had left home. She heard nothing Of
him, and had no idea at all where he was liv-
ing until the night before, when his spirit
20 her and told her what she now
FASTENED to relate The revelation was that
after leaving home the young man had
wandered about Europe till he had finally
found permanent work in the village of
kiaf, in Russia. Here he had fallen in
love with a serfs daughter who had Rus
sian beau. On the preceding night this
latter had inveigled the young TeutOn into
the country, where he had stabbed him
and then concealed the body in a cave of
the highway.
The justice knew that his informant was
poor and had never been outside Of her
native town, and he was 50 struck with
the yividness Of her description Of victim,
assailant and location that ne forwarded IL
to a notary in kiaf
Meantime Carl Kraeme had been missed,
and on the receipt Of the dream story the
police hunted for the cave, found it exactly
80 located, and also found the body, with
a wound corresponding with that described
u the vision. The murderer was at once
and the Widow kraeme under
took the long journey 10 avenge her sons
death Her recital in court was vivid in (
the extreme, and she screamed with fright I
when she first saw the prisoner, whom she
identified and picked out from among =
crowd OF men IN a dimly lighted Gel She
also identified the woman who was a. the
bottom of the troubie.-St. LOUIS Globe
Democrat.