The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-20

doubtless has had a great deal TO do with
its development When she first came
here, Miss Rossman entered one of the
local business colleges, from which, de-
spite her trouble, she was graduated in
due time. Her nocturnal travels, how
ever, SO exhausted her in mind and body
tAat she was unable to hold any of the
positions she obtained more than brief
period. During her stay in the city she
has been conveyed to her home or to the
city hail by the police on at least $50 diff
ferent occasions. Except once or twice.
she was never known to leave her room
until after midnight. Usually she wan
dered about the business section of the
city, close to which she always rather
wisely lived, until the police got her
She walked straight ahead, with automa-
ton-appearins strides, until some startled
citizen drew the attention of a policeman
to her. AS a rule the first person who
saw her gave tine alarm to the officers.
When spoken to she paid no attention.
Her first evidence of returning conscious
ness She manifested by feeling her own
person with her hands in a vague, tenta-
tive fashion, as IL the performance was in
spired by an intelligence outside of her
body.
THE first time Anna Rossman came UNI
der my care" said Police Surgeon Mack
yesterday, Il wasted nearly an hour in
trying to restore her to consciousness. /
used every known means for that purpose,
but without the least effect. Since then l
learned that she must be allowed to awake
of her own accord, as aids to that end are
of no 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 to puzzle out who or
what she is in her physical exis tence.
he faslI safp CHI
never could remember what she did or
where she had been while in the sleep
walking state. She always realized her
position, however, and used to ask us
where we had found her. and what she
had been doing. Our answers caused her
much apparent modification. Invariably
she burst into tears and showed every
sign of the deepest distress.
ITO my questions about herself she gave
intelligent and truthful answers when
only half awake, but when entire self
consciousness returned she closed up as
tight as a clam. | think ner trouble is in
part due to sluggish condition of the
blood. When asleep her face was always
deathly pale and cold, as though the blood
had almost ceased to circulate in her
veins. She is the most interesting and
perfect somnambulistic subject l ever
saw"
A glance over the police records show
that Miss Rossman's attacks of SOM
nambulism have increased steadily, both
in their frequency and malignancy, for
the past two years. When she first APP
peared she did little more than walk stead
lily onward until she fell into the hands
of the police, and later on she grew
adept In her somnambulfstic exploits, UNI
til she could pick the lock of her room
expertly, write an Ineligible legibe let
ter and mail it and to do other things
which the normal person accomplishes
only when broad awake. One night about
four months ago she wrote a letter to
her brother in Cheyenne, and was about
to drop it in the regular outgoing mail
box at the postoffice when a policeman
took charge of her. Considering the con-
dition under which it was written, the
somnambulist's letter was a marvel of
chirography and composition. There was
not grammatical error to be found in
1t, not an Il" without it's dot or a st"
left uncrossed.