The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-06-29

Of careful study by eminent scientists.
This Is the story of 1t, as printed: On
beautiful farm lying one and one-half
miles southwest of West Newton is the
scene of the opening chapter of one of
the most remarkable feats of somnam-
bulism ever witnessed by mortal eyes.
This story is authenticated by numbers
Of persons living in the neighborhood.
and also witnessed by several persons
of this place, but the names of the par
ties are withheld for obvious reasons.
The young lady in question came to the
farm mentioned as a domestic from
near Brownsville, and her name is
withheld owing to her timidity and her
family relations. She Is about "a years
of age, tall and robust built and very
graceful in manner, dark-eyed. dark
brown hair, and of loving disposition.
These nightly walks are wearing away
q once strong constitution. and in the
morning when she rises from her
couch she feels very much fatigued,
realizing that she has again been on
one of her somnambulistic walks.
Miss Katie came to this residence
Just nine weeks ago this evening. and
It was not until four weeks ago that
any signs of somnambulism were no.
ticed. The first night she attempted
one of her feats in this direction was
after she had retired about two hours.
sleeping in the same room with the
lady Of the farm. About the hour of
IL o'clock she arose, lit the lamp.
washed herself, combed and plated her
hair and walked toward the door lead
ing to the hallway. Without making
a false move she grasped the knob.
turned 1t, and in a moment was in the
hallway, walked q considerable dis
tance through the dark, turned and
down the stairway leading to the
kitchen.
Hunting Carpet Tacks.
Members of the family, by this time,
were close at her side. When she ar
rived in the kitchen she struck match.
lit the lamp, arranged the yeast she
had prepared the evening before for
baking, and had started to knead the
dough, when the folks interfered and
she was placidly led to her room and
placed in bed without awakening. AT
different occasions she would get up
from the bed, light the fires, put on the
tea kettle and start to get the break
fast. even at 2 or o'clock in the morn
ing.
One day few weeks ago after hav-
ing given the kitchen a thorough clean
ing and finishing scrubbing the floor
and dusting the carpets. the young lady
asked a member of the family If he
knew of any carpet tacks about the
place. as she desired to replace the car
pet the next day. He informed her that
enough Of the desired tacks could be
found in the room above the wagon
shed in an old bureau drawer. Thei!
the conversation ended. At II o'clock
(he hour that the somnambulist gen.
orally takes her walk and accomplishes
her daring feats) of the same night
she was heard to arise from her bed,
move stealthily out Of her room, down
stairs and out through the yard to the
wagon shed. located about seventy-five
yards from the house. Here she paused
for moment, lifted the latch, opened
the door and moved slowly up stairs to
the room where the old bureau was
standing in the corner, pulled open the
exact drawer designated and thers
lay the tacks, which she deXterously
placed in a box that sine had carried
with her. one at time. On all these
occasions some one of the family fol-
lows her to see that no harm comes
to her person. This night, a neighbor
boy was in the room above the wagon
shed while she was picking up the tacks
from the drawer, and the neighboring
young man, thinking he might awaken
her, slipped up to the bureau with
board in hand and struck the top of the
bureau, which sounded like a pistol
shot.
The noise did awaken her, but only
for a moment. She then dropped to
the floor as If stone dead, and 1t was
with considerable difficulty that she
was carried to the house by the young
men and placed I'M bed, where she was
worked with by members of the family
for several hours. Ever since this
nights awakening they have been un-
able 10 bring her to her senses while
under this influence, whether by throw
ing water on her, rapid shaking or
whatsoever tests they put her through.
Made Thrce.Mile Journey
On another occasion, at the usual
hour, she was heard to rise from her
move downstairs out into the yard,
across the fields and then around the
farm, walking in all about three miles.
This night they followed her, and after
crossing several fields and fences she
came into field where the sheep were
pasturing. And to see whether she
could not be again awakened or her
course of meandering changed, the
parties that followed her called the
flock Of sheep before her. She appeared
to realize that her path was obstructed,
when she paused for moment, turned
around and started in another direc-
ton. After walking a considerable dis
tance she reached the house, went up
stairs to her room and again retired.
At another time and at the hour Of
II o'clock She arose from her bed,
opened the door of the room in which
the son slept, walked silently in. donned
ais pants, todt ubu uiaty IHoNtu uo"h-
stairs and again out into the yard,
then to the barn. In the meantime one
of the young gentlemen of the house
had slipped inside Of the barn and held
the door shut. After exerting consid-
cradle strength in her efforts to open
the door she left the barn and wan
dered down to the swine house, opened
1t and ascended to the loft in quest of
hens eggs. After gathering quite a
number Of eggs ard placing them in
her nightrobe she started back to the
house. placing the eggs in their accus-
toned place. While on her way back
to the house with the eggs some Of the
folks held the gate shut but this, not
daunting her in the least, she turned
away and went to the house by another
route. After doing what she consid-