The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1897-01-10
ASTAR SOMNAMBULIST
Miss Rcssman's Uncomfortable
Propensity For Sleepwallzing.
HAS HAD MANY LUCKY ESCAPES.
Climbed n Telegraph Pole and Tried to
Walk on the Watcr-Looks and Ropes
Could Not Restrain Her-Trying tho
Cold Water Cure.

Miss Annie Rossman Is now being treat.
cd at tho Arapahoo County hospital in
Denver after having broken tho record in
somnambulism. During her excursions
while asleep sho has been rescued from in
jury or death by the police more than $50
times. Bolts, bars, handouts and chains
have all failed to keep hcr within her
room, and clad in n nightgown she has
roamcd the streets OF Denver night after
night
Everything possible was done to euro
the young woman, but to no purpose I'M
til sho was placed in tho hospital. There
sho has been watched by an attendant,
and cold water has boon thrown in her
face ovory tino she has sought to leave hcr
bed or escape. This plan seems to be prov
ing eiiicacious, and for tho present mt least
her slcopwalking career has boon closed
For eight years Miss Rossman has becn
sloepwalker, ever since sho was Is years
old. Shc is IL stcnographer, but hor aillc
ton has forced her TO abandon her calling
and work as II servant.
Many methods have been unsuccessfully
adopted to restrain her from her nocturnal
excursions. The windows of her room have
been locked and tho key to tho door hid
den, but to no purpose. When the door has
been locked from the outside, she has
managed to pick tho lock and mako her
way to the street. At other times She has
been tied in her bed. In releasing herself
sho has exhibited the skill of the coniurcr.
for no knot could bo tied that sho was I'M
able to loosen, and, no mntter how the
ropes were arranged, she always found IL
way to release herself. Handouts have
been attached to her wrists and then chain
oil 70 thp hal
through the rings IN her sleep in n fashion
that she could not explain when she
awoke. In n waking condition she could
never perform the feat. At another time
the key to her room was placed at the bot
tom of u barrel of water that rested in ono
corner of her apartment, but she secured
tho 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
| regarding somnambulists, she has rarely
seemed to have u definite idea of doing
any particular thing on any OCCASION
About the only instance when she dis
view WAS tho timo when she was found
seated on a letter box with her arm around
tho lnmppost, whom she declared she had
believed herself to DO seated on n rail at
the theater with her arm about one of tho
supporting pillars This fact of general
lack of intention is all the more singular
because of the belief that tho actions of
sleepwalkers are merely the fulfllment of
! Dreams
| One of the most narrow escapes she has
had If not tho narrowest of all, was on tho
occasion of o trip on which she started to
| North Denver. Size reached the bridge
which crosses Cherry creek, but instead
| of crossing she structure made her way
down by its side, and apparently was GO
ing to walk through the water. 1t so hap
pcncd that the creek was not booming to
any great extent just then, and IA police
man happened to SEQ hcr action and res
| cucd her from drowning. Even the shock
| of tho water did not fairly wakcn hor, and
| it was several moments after her rescue
before sho entirely rcgaincd consciousness
! lt has always happened that whenever
| Miss ROssman has left her room and homo
| at night on ono of these slcepwalkinc trips
sho has never stopped TO don any clothing
besides the nightgown and has been guilt
| less of shoes or stockings. just how she
/ could 30 often make her way about Den