Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1893-12-02

VI lllt night, Sucu us llOuPSl people
should shun. | was in the slums.
Down strange street of dilapidated
houses | went. Ascending some stone
steps | pushed open door with a
broken panel and made my way up Il
shaky flight of stairs. l entered Il
room that was dimly lighted by II
smoking oil lamp. There were Il few
pieces of broken furniture, and on II
bed in one corner slept man who
wore Il closc-croppcd. coal-black beard
The moment | saw that sleeping man
| was seized with fearful fury-an
uncomfortable desire to leap upon him
and crush out his life. 1t seemed thai
he had done me an unpardonablc
wrong at some past period, and in my
heart was fierce thirst for vengeance.
could not control my mad impulse.
Grasping a heavy bottle by the neck,
| flung myself on the sleeper and beat
him with the bottle. There was Il
fearful struggle. but in the end he lay
still and lifelcSs before me.
Out upon the street l crept l felt
no remorse for my act; only a wild
eXultation and satisfaction. Yet |
knew | was kin of the dark shadows
which skulkcd so close to the dirty
walls and Stunned the light of the
lttDlt HultcIlllS ldlllpS bdCh W lJN
lodging house l went, entering as eau
tiously as l had left it, washed the
stains off my hands, removed my cloth
ing and crept into bed. When | rose
in the morning there was dull pain
in my head. This l did not consider
strange on thinking of my late dinner
and the wine that had followed it, |
diSlkcd to get up, but remembering
my duties | arose, taking a quick
glance at my watch. 1t was not run
ming. | shook it, and it refused to
start. Then | tried to wind it, but in
this l failed. 1t had stopped at TWEEN
ty-thrce minutes past o'clock! Then
all at once | remembered my dream
for dream it seemed, although vivid
one.
For an instant l was shocked, but.
thinking of the late dinner l quickly
dismissed the matter. However, as I
was dressing, | noticed on the right
cuff of my shirt single red spot that
looked like blood. l didn't eat much
breakfast. On my way to the office
stepped into a watchmaker'S and told
him something was broken about my
timcpcce. He examined it, quickly
saying:
There is nothing broken. 1t is sim
ply wound too tight 1t did not run
half Il minute after you wound it
This was a staggerer. Had | really
wound the watch in dream? If so.
what about the remainder of the
dream?
When | reached the office the city
editor dispatched me at once to invcs-
tigatc Il reported murder on James
street | hurried thither. AS | turned
down the street, which l was ready to
swear | had never before set foot in,
| observed that things looked familiar
about me. 1t did not take me long to
reach the number indicated, and there
| found Il crowd assembled. My press
badge enabled me to pass the police
on guard at the door, which, to my
diSmay, had Il broken panel. AS | as
ccndcd to the fatal room the stairs
shook and crcakcd beneath my feet in
a way that brought back the memory
of my terrible dream with appalling
yividncSS. When | reached the top
| turned to the left and entered the
room. 1t was the same! The same
broken furniture was there-thc same
miserable bed was in the corner. |
knew what should see when | adj
vanced towards that bed. Still, when
my eyes rested on the dead face of Il
black-bearded man, beside whom lay
a heavy black bottle, | rcclcd back.
uttered loud cry and fell to the floor
The two weeks which followed are
Il blank to me. They said had brain
fever, brought on by overwork and
exposure. When l told them I mur-
dered that man they tried to quiet mo.
saying the dellrium of the fever had
not entirely passed away. The muir
derer, who was the unfortunate mans
roommate, had been found dead in the
river, according to the newspapers.
He had not confessed to the killing,
but other parties in the house testified
to hearing an alteration and a strug-
gle in the room between 2 and 3
o'clock in the morning.
70 me the mystery of that night is
as profound and fearful as ever. Did
| dream or did l really walk in my
sleep? Is it possible that, governed
by will not my own, l made my way
to that house and committed the muir
der? How did 1t happen that my
watch was wound up so tightly that
it stopped at twenty minutes past =
o'clock! Was it really blood l saw
on the cuff of my shirt? AS l have
said, l would give all my earthly pos
sessions to know l had no hand in the
preparation of that crime. l try to
ease my troubled mind by thinking 1t
possible, II / really walked in my
sleep, that / entered that room, saw
the murdered man and fancied myself
his assassin.-Waverley.