The Press., 1893-11-23
"Yes- asleep now. Do not wake inc

l ner0 IolU the nmDS ana 1OTnQ them AS rigid as ever. The right arm, as before, obeyed the direction of my hand. Iques- tioned the sleep walker again:
 "Do you still feel pain in the breast, M. Valdemar?'
 The answer now was immediate, but even less audible that before:
 "No pain-I am dying"
 did not think it advisable to disturb him further just then, and nothing more was said or done un :il the arrival of Dr. F., who came a little before sunrise, and expressed unbounded astonishmcnt at finding the patient still alive. After feeling the pulse and applying mirror to the lips, he requested me to speak to the sleep walker again. I did so, saying:
 I'M. Valdemar, do you still sleep?'
 As before some minutes elapsed ere @ reply was made, and during the interval the dying man seemed to be collecting his energies to speak. At my fourth repe- tition of the question he said very faint ly, almost inaudibly:
 "Yes; still asleep, dying"
 It was now the opinion, or rather the wish, of the physicians that M. Valde- mar should be suffered to remain undis- turbed in his present apparently tran quil condition until death should super vene, and this, it was generally agreed, must now take place within few min- utes. I concluded, however, to speak to him once more and merely repeated my previous question.
 While l spoke there came 8 marked change over the countenance of the sleep walker. The eyes rolled themselves slowly open, the pupils disappearing upwardly: the skin generally assumed a cadaver- ous hue, resembling not so much parch- ment as white paper, and the circular hectic spots which hitherto had been strongly defined in the center of each cheek went out at once. 1 use this ex- pression because the suddenness of their departure put me in mind of nothing so much as the extinguishment of candle by puff of the breath.
 The upper lip at the same time writhed itself away from the teeth, which it had previously covered completely, while the lower jaw fell with an audible jerk, leaving the mouth widely extended and disclosing in full view the swollen and blackened tongue. I presume that no member of the party then present had been unaccustomed to deathbed horrors, but so hideous beyond conception was the appearance of M. Valdemar at this moment that there was general shrink ing back from the region of the bed.
 now feel that have reached point of this narrative at which every reader will be startled into positive disbelief. It is my business, however, simply to pro- ceed.
 There was no longer the faintest sign of vitality in M. Valdemar, and conclud- ing him to be dead we were consigning him to the charge of the nurses when a strong vibratory motion was observed in the tongue. This continued for perhaps 8 minute. At the expiration of this period there issued from the motionless and distended jaw voice such as it would be madness in me to attempt de- scribing. There are indeed two or three epithets which might be considered as applicable to it in part. might say, for example, that the sound was harsh and broken and hollow, but the hideous whole is indescribable, for the simple reason that no similar sounds have ever jared upon the ear of humanity.
 There were two particulars, neverthe- less, which thought then and still think might fairly be stated as characteris- tic of the intonation-as well adapted to convey some idea of it's unearthly pe- Iculiarity. In the first place, the voice seemed to reach our ears-at least mine from vast distance, or from some deep loo 4 r., place, it impressed mel fear indeed that it will be impossible to make my self comprehended-a gelatinous or glu- tinous matters impress the sense of touch.
 have spoken both of ''sound' and of ''voice." mean to say that the sound was one of distinct-of even wonderful fly, thrillingly distinct-syllabifca M. Valdemar spoke obviously in reply to the question had propounded to him a few minutes before. I had asked him, it will be remembered, if he still slept. He now said:
 "Yes-no-I have been sleeping-and now-now-I am dead"
 No person present even affected to ldeny or attempted to repress the un- utterable, shuddering horror which these few words thus uttered were so we'll cal culated to convey. MT. L-l, the stu dent, swooned. The nurses immediately left the chamber and could not be in- duced to return. My own impressions I would not pretend to render intelligible to the reader. For nearly an hour we busied ourselves, silently-without the utterance of word-in endeavors to re- tyiV 1o +r h.; self, we addressed ourselves again to an Investigation of M. Valdemar's condition.
 It remained ill all respects as 1 have last described it, with the exception that the mirror no longer afforded evidence Df respiration. An attempt to draw blood from the arm failed. I should mention, too, that this limb was no fur ther subject to my will. l endeavored in vain to make it follow the direction of my hand. The only real indication indeed of the mesmeric influence was now found ill the vibratory movement of the tongue whenever I addressed M. Valdemar question. He seemed to be making an effort to reply, but had no longer sufficient volition. To queries put to him by any other person than myself he seemed utterly insensible, al- though endeavored to place each mem Der of the company in mssmeric rapport with him. I believe that have now re lated all that is necessary to an under standing of the sleep walkers state a this epoch. Other nurses were procured and at 10 o'clock left the house in com
 Am Open Zetter to Wo1nev. Laurel Ave-, San Francisco May IS, 1892.
 Dear friend of women:
 "When my baby was born five years ago, l got up in si, days. Far too soon, Result