Rock Island Argus., 1897-01-06
ASTAR SOMNAMBULIST
Miss Rossman's Uncontrollable
Propensity For Sleepwallking.
Has HAD Many LUCKY ESCAPES.

Climbed . Telegraph Pole snA Tried 70
walk On the water-Lscks and Ropes
Could Not Restrain Her-Trying the
Cold Water Cure.
Miss Annie Rossman Il now being treat
cd at the Arapahoe County hospital in
Denver after having broken the record in
somnambulism. During her excursions
while asleep she has been rescued from in
jury or death by the police more than $50
times Bolts, bars, handcuffs and chains
have all failed to keep her within her
room, and clad in a nightgown she has
roamed the streets of Denver night altar
night.
Everything possible was done 10 euro
the young woman, but to no purpose un-
til she was placed in the hospital. There
she has been watched by an attendant,
and cold water has been thrown in her
face every time she has sought to leave her
bed or escape. This plan seems to be prov
ing efficacious, and for the present at least
her sleepwalking career has been closed.
For eight years Miss Rossman has been
q sleepwalker, ever since she was 18 years
old. She is a stenographer, but her affiio-
ton has forced her to abandon her calling
and work as a servant.
Many methods have been unsuccessfully
adopted to restrain her from her nocturnal
excursions The windows of her room have
been locked and the key to the door hid
den, but to no purpose. When the door has
been locked from the outside, she has
managed to pick the lock and make her
way to the street. At other times she has
been tied in her bed. In releasing herself
she has exhibited the skill of the conjurer,
for no knot could be tied that she was un-
able to loosen, and, no matter how the
ropes were arranged, she always found q
way to release herself Handouts have
been attached to her wrists and then chain
ed to the bed, but her hands slipped
through the rings in her sleep in a fashion
that she could not explain when she
awoke. In a waking condition she could
never perform the feat. At another time
the key to her room was placed Mt the bot
tom of a barrel of water that rested in one
corner Of her apartment, but she secured
the key, and the contact with the chilled
fluid did not awaken her
There has been no particular method
which she has followed in her walks about
the city, and, contrary to the general idea
seemed to have a definite idea Of doing
any particular thing on any occasion.
About the only instance when she dis
tinctly remembered having a purpose in
view was the time when she was found
seated on letter box with her arm around
the lamppost, when she declared she had
believed herself to be seated on q rail at
the theater with her arm about one of the
supporting pillars This fact Of general
lack Of intention is all the more singular
because of the belief that the actions of
sleepwalkers are merely the fulflllment of
dreams.
One OF the most narrow escapes she has
had, II not the narrowest Of all, was on the
occasion of q trip on which she started to
North Denver. Sic reached the bridge
which crosses Cherry creek, but instead
of crossing the structure made her way
down BY its side. and apparently was 60
ing to walk through the water It 30 hap
pened that the creek was not booming to
any great extent just then, and police
man happened to sec her action and res
cued her from drowning. Even the shock
Of the water did not fairly waken her, and
1t was several moments after her rescue
before she entirely regained consciousness.
1t has always happened that whenever
Miss Rossman has left her room and home
at night on one Of these sleepwalking trips
she has never stopped to don any clothing
besides the nightgown and has been guilt
less OF shoes or stockings. Just how she
could 90 often make her way about Dsn.