The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1896-01-10
A DOCTORS STORY.
Showing tho Ability of a somnambulist to
Use His Eyes.


Use His Eyes.
A Star writer was asking the ,)hy-
sician a great Elany questions and
getting answers to them, while the
physician wasn't getting q cent of
pay for the part ho was performing.
BY the way" inquired The Star
man, "do you think that somnam-
bulist can see?"
do you mean when he is awake
or when he is communicating, so
to speak?" smiled tho physician.
while he is somnambulizing, of
course. I'm not talking about blind
men,"
"Well, won't answer your ques-
ton directly, but I'll tell you story
which may go as an answer. About
ten years ago 7 had q roommate, a
young follow who was a student in
the medical college, and bright
young fellow he was too. Ho was
fond of shooting, and to keep up his
practice he had fine airgun, and he
converted tho hall on the third floor,
which we occupied, into Il shooting
gallery. used to take q hand my
self every timo l had chance, and
sometimes for an hour at time he
would be banging away ut the tar
get he had fixed at the far end of the
hall.
"Ono morning I came in from a
patients about o'clock and found
the whole upper story dark. l lit
the gas in tho front room, which we
used as O sitting room, and was
about to go out and light tho gas in
the hall, whom tho young fellow
camo walking in from our sleeping
room, attired in his nightclothcs,
and with his yes wide open. spoke
to him, thinking something was tho
matter with him, but lie did not an
swcr, and in minute / saw that he
was walking in his sleep.
This was not altogether unusual
with him, but had never caught
him il the act before and concluded
] would watch him. Ee camo di-
rcctly across tho room, going around
clllir end n table that stood in his
path, and opening drawer whore
ho kept tho airgun he took it out,
and thon ho loaded It, gesHin., tho
small bullots we used ont &C box
on tho nlCnte!piece. This box he
stuck into what would havo been
his coat pocket, If Lo had Lad coat
Oh, but as ho hadn't tho box fell 10
tho nOor, which he took 10 n01o of
"IHOn he went into tho dal K hail,
carefully avoiding al furIit>ro in
his way, and going as straight to
the door as if he had been awake. ]
followed him cautiously into the
hail. and when ho had reach cd tho
usual point from which wo aid our
fri z .ho stopped, took careful aim
and II l. Tho slight snap al shock
of m seemed TO have quite
dij I eject than either my voice
OF H. wight light in tho room, for
On tholnsrant he dropped tho gin,
m&do half step forward and fell
would have fallen cut of bel if no
had walked a;lddcnly On is cGgc.
"IEo was wide awake in q minute
and began laughing and asking mo
wh3t had happened. told him, and
wo at once lit tho gas in tho hall and
examined tho target. Tho target had
been rcpaintcl after VIC had had our
last practice, so t3at we could SEQ
plainly where his bullet had hit, AMI
l assure you ho had mGGo almost
confer shot. No%,' concluded Il.
physician, in the lighted room hn
missed all tho furniture in bis way,
ana in tho darl. hall no had hit tho
target. Do You thinl; no could sec
on couldn't hep"
Tho answer wasn't quito s2tjsfac-
tory as an answer, bat it inado u
problem to wrostlo with, and the
physician kindly consented to Let
his quCstioncr figure it out to suit
himsclf. Washington Star.