Smyrna times., 1899-12-27
SOME QUEER DREAMS,
VISIONS THAT RESULTED IN THE CAP
TURE OF CRIMINALS.
Marvellous Manifestations that Battle the In
genuity of Man to Explain Which Prove
that Truth is Stranger than Fiction.

A very remarkable instance of the
tracing of a criminal by means of a
dream occurred in ST. Louis A woman
named Mary Thornton was detained
in custody for a month, charged with
the murder of her husband. A week
or so after her arrest she requested to
see one of the prison officials and told
him she had dreamed that an individ-
ual named George Ray had murdered
her spouse. giving the official at the
same time full details of the tragedy
as witnessed in her vision. The man
Ray was not suspected at the time,
but the prison authorities were so
much impressed by the woman's OBJ
vious earnestness that a search was at
once made for him.
After some delay he was traced and
charged with the crime. the details of
the same as seen in the dream being
rehearsed to him. Overcome with as
tonishment. he then and there con-
fessed that he had committed the
crime. Curiously enough. the woman
had only met the murderer once and
believed him to be on the very best OF
terms with her husband.
Almost as remarkable was the case
of a woman named Drew. who dream
ed one night that her husband. re-
tired sailor. had been murdered by
peddler at a Gravesend tavern, where
the said husband was in the habit of
putting up when visiting the town in
question. The first news that awaited
her on rising in the morning was that
| her spouse had been assassinated at
the very tavern she had seen in her ex
traordinary vision. whereupon she
burst into hysterical tears and cried
out that her dream had come true.
She calmed down somewhat after a
few hours and then handed the police
officials an exact description of the
peddler of the vision, giving a minute
account of his dress. which included
blue coat of a very peculiar pattern.
Marvellous as the fact may appear,
man wearing such a coat and follow
ing the occupation of peddler was
discovered two days later at an inn
some six miles from Gravesend, and,
on being taxed with the crime, he at
once admitted that he was guilty and
that robbery had been the motive of
the outrage. He was hanged soon aft
erward. his doom having been brought
about by the fiimsy evidence of a wom-
ans dream.
Women as dreamers seem more sue
cessful than men. but a rather peculiar
instance of crime being traced by a
vision and in which the dreamer was a
member of the male sex comes from
Rennes. in France. A worthy mer-
chant. having quilted his office one
Saturday evening. proceeded home to
dinner and after enjoying a substan-
tial meal lay down on the couch and
fell into a light doze. A very vivid
dream then came to him wherein be
saw two men of the burglar type en-
gagged in rifiing the safe in his office
and so much impressed was he by the
vision that he resolved. upon awaken
ing. to at once go to the Office and see
y that everything was under lock and key
. His amazemcnt may be imagined
! when. on arriving there. he discovered
the door forced and a burglary in prog
ress. To summon couple of gen
darmes was the work of an instant
and five minutes later the thieves. wht
t proved 10 be notorious housebreakers
, were on their way to the police depot
|. where the prosecutor told his extraor
dinary story. In view of the fact tina
the safe contained valuables to the ex
tent of some thousands of pounds. tn
| in
tunate one for the dreamer.
How to explain these marvellous man
8 ifestations. which prove once NOR
4 that truth is stranger than fiction. is
! task beyond the ingenuity of man I
compass. Perchance the theory of te
lepathy may have something to do wit
/ the mysterious business. but even tina
s theory would appear rather inadequat
es In such cases as the aforementioned.
r. A skillful forger who moved in th
Il highest circles of society was once d.
% tected by the agency of a dream. I'll
- affair occurred in Boston and cause
the greatest excitement of the time.
III The forger. a young man of eight {
n nine and twenty. had become acquain
a ed with a rich publisher. at who:
le house he became a constant guest. Or
le day the publishers bankers discovere
he that some one was forging their client
n. signature to various large checks. al
a. two detectives were at once instructC
to look out for the culprit.
Their efforts proved useless. but oil
. evening the publishers youngest daug
ter. a little girl of IL. dreamed tn
she saw a man whom she described
like Mr.. Blank" the visitor to who
,w reference has been made. sitting in
of room In Maine street copying her {
i'd theirs signature. The child's drea
les was communicated to the police. wh
Ter though inclined to ridicule the same
ne the outset. eventually promised to ha
49, the gentleman 10 question watche
or with the result that his lodgings we
IN. raided and a complete plant for t
ily making of bank notes found there.
M then transptred that he was a man W
'us was wanted for manifold forgeri
all throughout the Union. and he was Sc
es. @ TO prison for very long term.