The evening times., 1896-11-02
WORK OF A sLEEP-WALKER
Denvir Woman Saved $50
Times by the Police.
DOCTORS TRY TO CURE HER
She Picks Locks, Writes Letters.
Buys halfway Tickets and Walks
the Track When Asleep-Cries
With Identification when Walked
Up, and Anxious to Escape Spell.
tDenver Republican,

scious journeyiBgs about the city late at
| night have made her a familiar person
| to the police and the public, has been in
| custody since Saturday evening.
On the order of County Physician Clark
! she was removed from police headquir
| ters 20 the hospital. The precautions
| taken by the attendants of the latter insti-
| tuition to keep her from going abroad
| during her active slumbers are certain TO
| prove effective. She is kept all alone N
| ward that is equipped with the most
| securely fastened windows and doors in
| the entire hospital. Night and day
| nurse is within hearing of even her slight
| est movement.
Miss RoSSmans although her helpless
| condition might very properly make such
| u course seem necessary, is not by any
means detained against her wishes. WheE
| DR.. Clark ON FriGay issued his order for
commitment. she ObIc1fcd to acting in
accordance with 1t. This repugnance to
becoming in any sense public charge
was not unnatural to her, for the unfor-
tunate young woman is Of a most respect
able family, and were 1T not for her
affliction is thoroughly competent TO take
care OF herself on Saturday, however,
she took the more reasonable view OF the
situation and agreed TO place herself
under the eminent specialist who has
charge of the nervous disease cases at the
| county hospital.
The physician is now STUDYING her case
with view to prescribing a regular sys-
TEN OF treatment. II is agreed by the best
neuroIogists in the city that Miss Rossman
is the most interesting sUmhambuistic SUD-
ject that ever came un1er their notice.
SHE is YOUNG AND PRETTY.
Her history, since she came to Denver
over two years ago, strongly bears out
this sweeping assertion. She is now in her
twenty-seventh year, and except for her
irrepressible tendency to activity while
in the sleeping state and a sluggish cirvl-
IatiOn OF the blood, she enjoys excellent
health. She is of the perfect blond type.
large OF physique and cUnely OF feature.
When normal her mentality is of high
standard and she is well educated. These
attributes make her an intensely rare
psychological study, as sumnambulists
seldom possess them
Although disinclined to talk about her
affairs. statements made with much reti-
cence from time to time at police head
quarters by her have given the authorities
fair biographical knowledge Of Miss Ross
man. Her home Is in PecuIa, Kans., where
some of her relatives at present reside.
She also has 4 brother living in Cheyenne.
About eight years ago Miss Rossmau first
became a slecp-walker. So far as can
be learned the maIady had 10 definite pre-
disposing cause that its victim Processes
to be aware uf. In the early stages Of
her snmnambuliSm Miss RuSSman was not
attacked with frequency. 1t was only
after her advent to Denver that the disease
assumed the Intense phase in which it now
manifestS itself. The altitude doubtless
has had great deal to do with it, dey eI-
Opueut. when she first came here Mss
RosSman entered nne Of the local business
colleges, from which, despite her trouble,
she was graduated IN due time. Her noe
turnal travels, however, 50 exhausted her
in mind and body that she WINS unable TO
hold any OF the positions she OBJ. ned more
than Al bri6 f'periGd.
During her sta in the city she has been
Conveyed to her home or TO city hall by
the police on Il t least 80 different occ asionS.
Except once or twice. she was never known
t. leave her room until after midnight
Usually she wandered about the business
section, close to which she always rather
wisely lived, until the police got her. She
walked straight ahead. with autumaton ap-
pedring strides, until some startled citizen
drew tire attention of policeman to her.
As i rule. the first person who saw her gave
the alarm to the officers.
HOW SHE LOOKS on THE STREET.
Her appearance wasquite enough to catch
the attention of even the least ohservant
In har
for L nightly ramble she always dressed IN
gown or wrapper. Sometimes she added
stockings to this article of apparel, but was
never known to don either shoes or head
gear, Thus attired. her eNpressionless eyes
WIDE open and her loose hair tossed about
her neck and shoulders she stalked along,
Needless of vehicles or other street obstrdc-
tions like = spccter evolved from the mid
night atmosphere. More than one terrified
citizen who saw her under these cifcum-
stances took her for a vefitable ghost.
When spoken to she paid no attention
Her first evidence Of returning conscious
ness she manifested by feeling her own per
son with her hands in vague, tentative
fashion as if the performance was inspired
by an intelligence outside of her body.
The first time Annie RCssman came under
my care" said Police Surgeon Mack yes
terday, Il wasted nearly an hour in trying
To restore her to consciousness / used
every known means for that purpose, bat
without the least effect. Since then learn
that she must be allowed to awake Of her
own accord, as aids to that end are of uO
avail whatever in her case. Her first sign
Of awakening comes when she begins to pass
her hands over different parts OF her BODY
She does this as If her mind were trying 10
puzzle out whoor what she is in her rh ysicaI
existence.
when she became fully conscious she
never could remember what she did or where
she had been while in the sleep walking
state. Shealw waySrealizcdh her position how
ever, and used to ask where we had found
her, and what she had been doing. Oar
answers caused her much apparent morii-
fication. Invariably she burst into tears
and showed every sign Of the deepest dis
treSs.
ITO my questions about herself she some
times gave intelligent and truthful answers
only half 2w wake, bat when entire self-con-
sciousness returned she closed up us tight
a clam. think her trouble is in part due
tc sluggish condition of the blood When
asleep her face was always dcathly pale
and cold, as though the blood had almost
ceased to circulate in her veins She is the
most interesting andperlect sc:nnamhulis;ic
subject ever saw
WROTE A LETTER WHILE ASLEEP.
A glance over the police records shows
that Miss Rossman's somnambulistic at
tacks have increased steadily. both in their
frequency and malighancy for the past tw5
years. when she first appeared she did