The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-07-14

VA lit
William Flicker, boarding with the fam
lily of F. E. Temple, $50 North Exchange
street, startled the neighborhood at
o'clock yesterday morning by danger
Gus somnambulistic feat Fast asleep,
Mr.. Flicker climbed out of a second-stoET
window, crawled along a distance of
nearly twenty feet on narrow projec-
ton of stone, to a small veranda at No.
1856 Exchange street, three doors above
the house in the brick row in which he
lives. A peculiar feature Of Mr.. F1cker's
dangerous journey is that he carefully
carried with him the screen which he
removed from the window of his room
when he started out. His course along
the projecting ledge was fully thirty feet
from the ground, and in broad daylight
person in full possession of his faculties
would find it hazardous to undertake the
midair walk.
When Mr.. Flicker was discovered crawl
ing along the side of the building he was
allowed to continue his journey until he
reached the porch of the other house,
lest in awakening he should fall With
caution almost beyond any one in his
senses, the young man carefully edged
along, pressing himsel fat against the
wall, supporting himself with one hand,
while dragging the screen after him in
the other. Having arisen from bed, Mr..
Flicker was lightly clad, and it was just
as well that only a few belated pedes-
TRANS witnessed his feat. But in creep
ing past a window opening upon the
porch at the boarding house at 1856, the
rafting screen awoke a sleeping female
inmate. AT the same instant the SOM
nambulist stepped into a pool of water
on the porch and awoke. AS he peered
about in bewtlderment the woman utter
ed several piercing shrieks and fled from
her room. The cries increased Mr.. Flick
ers dismay. He could not get his bear
ings. What was he doing on a porch,
three doors away from his own home, In
his night clothes, clutching a screen, at
o'clock in the morning? He did not
know. 1t was his first experience at walk
ing in his sleep, and while the screams
from the inside of the house increased
people began warning him from the
street below to be careful lest he fall.
Then heads popped from almost every
window in the block. The same sight met
every gaze Some thought the specter-
like figure was a burglar, others shouted
maledictions at the sleepWalker, while
some one from the house where Mr..
policeman. The situation was anything
but pleasant for the young man. He was
still dazed, but finally realized that he
had been walking, or, rather, climbing
in his sleep. By the time Officer Gustaf-
son arrived Mr.. Flicker had managed to
reach his own room. The Temple family
was also aroused by this time, and Officer
Gustafsen investigated the case, which
proved, beyond doubt, he says, that Mr..
Flicker had been in a SomnambuliStic
state from the time he climbed out of
his own window until he stepped in the
pool of water, three doors away. Neigh
bors who saw Mr.. Flicker say he was
completely dazed and bewildered when
he awakened
Mr.. Flicker was much embarrassed over
his experience. He, never walked in his
sleep before, and AYERS now that he will
hereafter lodge on the ground floor, so
as to be nearer terra frma in case he
should start out on another similar ad-
venture.