The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1896-04-10
CAN soMNAMBULIsTs sEE7

A Physician Tells Good Story In Answer
to This Question. y
A Star writer was asking the physi-
clan great many questions and getting
answers to them, while the physician
wasn't getting cent Of pay for the part
he was performing.
"By the way" inquired the Star man,
"do you think that somnambulist can
see? p
do you mean when he is awake or
when he is communicating, SO to
speak?" smiled the physician.
while he is communicating, of
course. I'm not talking about blind
men,"
"Wcll, won't answer your question
directly, but I'll tell you story which
may go as an answer. About ten years
ago had as a roommate young fell
low who was a student in the medical
college, and bright fellow he was, too.
He was fond of shooting, and to keep up
his practice he had fine air-gun and he
converted the hall on the third floor,
which we occupied, into shooting
gallery. I used to take hand my
self every time had chance, and some
times for an hour at time he would be
banging at the target he had fixed at
the far end of the hail.
Zone morning came in from a pa
tents about three o'clock and found the
whole upper story dark. lit the gas
in the front room, which we used as
sitting-room and was about to go out !
and light the gas in the hall, when the
young fellow came walking in from our
sleeping room, attired in his night |
clothes, and with his eyes wide open. l
spoke to him, thinking something was
the matter with him, but he did not
answer, and in minute saw that ne
was walking in his sleep.
''This was not altogether unusual
with him, but had never caught him
in the act before, and concluded l would
watch him. He came directly across
the room, going around a chair and
table that stood in his path, and, open
ing drawer where he kept the air gun,
he took it out, and then he loaded it,
getting the small bullets we used out of
a box on the mantelpiece. This box he
stuck into what would have been his
coat pocket if he had had coat on, but
as he didn't the box fell to the floor,
which he took no notice of.
"Then he went into the dark hall,
avoiding all furniture in his
way, and going as straight to the door
as if he had been awake. / followed
him cautiously into the hall, and when
he had reached the usual point from
which we did our firing, he stopped,
took careful aim and fired. The slight
snap and shock of the gun seemed to
have quite different effect than either
my voice or the bright light in the
room, for on the instant he dropped the
gun, made half step forward and fell
into my arms, just about as he would
have fallen out of bed if he had been
walked suddenly on it's edge.
"He was wide awake in minute and
began laughing and asking me what
had happened. told him, and we at
once lit the gas in the hall land examined
the target. The target had been re-
painted after we had had our last prac-
tice, so that we could see plainly where
his bullet had hit, and assure you he
had almost made a center shot. Now
concluded the physician, Gin the lighted
room he missed all the furniture in his
way, and in the dark hall he hit the
target. Do you think he could see, or
couldn't hep
The answer wasn't quite satisfactory
as an answer, but it made problem TO
wrestle with, and the physician kindly
to let his questioner figure it
out to suit himself.-Washing Star.