St. Paul daily globe., 1896-03-23
VISIONS OF THE NIGHT.
Queer Dream That Came to n Prom
inent Philadelphia Lawyer.

Philadelphia Times.
A few days ago several gentlemen
were gathered in the law office of
Counselor j. Joseph Murphy on Walnut
street talking on variety of subjects
when the conversation, after drifting
from one topic to another. at last
settled upon queer dreams. II think -
said Mr. Murphy, that I have had an
experience which is peculiar, to say the
least, and proves to me very con-
clusively that long slumbering
thought, or more properly speaking. a
long slumbering remembrance. may
come to life in our sleeping instead of
our waking hours. Do you see that old
safe there?" pointing to an old-fashion-
ed affair in one corner of the office.
well, when / was a newly admitted
member of the barlow many years
ago 1 will not now confess-I bought
that safe of M. Thomas & Sons, think
ing it would be a good receptacle for
my papers. An old brass key came
with it, weighing about a pound and
half. A few days after bought the
safe L picked up that key and without
any particular thought or intention
traced an outline ofsit on a thick piece
OF paste board and hung up the draw
ing in a bookcase. At the same time
[ pressed the barrel Of the key against
the woodwork, leaving an impression
OF its diameter. 1 had half uncon-
scious thought that this might be use
ful at some time, but before night 1
had forgotten the key and the drawing,
and in day or two the whole thing
was completely wiped6out of my mind.
about -four years after that I was
called upon to try san important case in
one OF the common pleas courts and
after remaining until after noon. hard
at work, locked UP the papers in the
safe and, as usual, hung up the big
brass key behind the door. 1 went
out to get some luncheon, and during
my absence a thief came into my office
and stole the key. 1t possessed no in
trinsic value, but !. suppose he saw
the price OF a drink in it as old brass.
Here was pretty how'd ye-do. After
wasting fifteen or twenty minutes in
quoting from the Sanskrit I started
down to the safennakers to get another
key or to have the lock picked
Neither one, nor the other could be
accomplished. The key could not be
manufactured in less than twenty-four
hours, and there was no man about
the place at that time who could pick
the lock. I was very much disturbed
and went home with the full determina-
tion to open the safe in the morning
myself with sledge hammer if I could
not get anyone else to do it.
1T was of the utmost Importance
that l should have the papers locked
up in the safe in court by 10 O'Clock,
and when I went to bed I was so thor
oughly impressed with this that it was
a long time before / fell asleep
could think of nothing else. In the
night [ dreamed that l was in my Of
flee and that l saw a picture of the
missing key and a hideous-l looking
tramp stood grinning behind my desk,
pointing to the bookcase. When 1
awakened in the morning the dream
was vividly impressed upon my mind,
and I spoke to my wife about 1t. I
came down town cudgeling my brains
as to how I could get the papers out of
the safe. When 1 arrived at the office
the dream was still upon my mind, and
without any idea that it would be YER
ified, went to the bookcase and un-
locked it. I want to call your atten-
ton to the fact that had no remem-
brance whatever of having drawn an
outline of that key three or four years
before-not even a shadow of reman-
brance-and you can judge of my as
tonishment when | opened that case
and saw hanging there dust-covered
piece of pasteboard with the outline
of the missing key drawn upon it, OF
course, it was only the work Of an hour
to take the cardboard and a tracing
of the diameter of the barrel to a lock-
smith, and have him make me a key
from a brass blank. l unlocked the
safe, went into court, and won my