The Dickinson press., 1900-03-03
SINGULAR DREAMING
TWO PECULIAR CASES OF BRAIN Ac-
TlvlTY IN SLEEP.

TWO PECULIAR CASES OF BRAIN Ac-
TlvlTY IN SLEEP.
A Lawyer Who Solved q Knotty
Problem He Could Not Master
While Awake-An Exciting and Al
most Tragic Railway Journey.
An Edinburgh lawyer, a confirmed
somnambulist, went through a pecul-
lar experience some little time ago.
One evening, after dinner, he told his
wife that lie had a most difficult law
case which would occupy him half the
night to study out. For hours there
after he grappled with its intricacies,
but finally desisted, saying it would
be impossible to make his brief until
morning, since the case presented some
difficulties that he had been unable to
master.
He fell asleep from exhaustion al
most as soon as he went to bed, but in
a few minutes rose, and, seating him
self at his desk, wrote furiously for an
hour or more. Then, carefully folding
and indorsing the sheets he had writ
ten upon, he put them away in a pi-
geonhole Of his desk, after which, with
out speaking, he returned to his bed
and slept soundly till late in the morn
ing.
At breakfast he expressed some un-
certainty as to his Finding a solution"
His wife told him to look through his
desk, which he did, discovering the
paper he had written in the pigeon
hole where he had hidden it. AS he
read it joy mingled with amazement
showed plainly in his face, for the pa
per was q clearly reasoned. correctly
phrased brief on the intricate case,
with all the obscure points smoothed
out! He had not the slightest recol
lection of having written the docu.
ment.
Another extraordinary case is that OF
O young man who. an hour or SO be
fore starting on a railway journey, paid
q visit to n steamer in which his par
ents were financially interested. In
the course of the inspection he entered
the little chamber in the bow of the
vessel where the anchor chain Is eoiled
and was impressed by the chambers
smallness and the crampcd quarters 1t
would afford a man sem down there to
superintend the paying out Of the chain.
In due course the traveller went to the
railway station and engaged n snug
seat in the corner of n first class corri-
dor and. sleeping carriage. He had the
compartment to himself. The train
had not been long on its journey before
the young man was sound asleep. But
he imagined that he was awake and,
moreover, that he was imprisoned in
the little anchor chain compartment Of
the steamer. The vessel was under
way, he thought, and moving more rap
idly than lie had ever known a steamer
to move before.
His first idea was to go Oh deck at
once, but he could not get out Of the
cell-like chamber. He could not stand
erect even, the compartment was so
little, as he found out at the cost of an
imaginary bumped head when he at
tempted to rise. Then, to his surprise,
he found that the room had n window,
evidently a dead light, but square and
unusually large. This he tried to raise
but, failing, determined to break it.
thinking that he could seize the anchor
chain and by its aid reach the deck.
There was only II way to smash the
glass, and that was by striking it with
his clinched fist. He knew that this
would result In a cut hand probably
but he risked it all the same, for he fell
certain now that the vessel was in q
storm and likely to go down any mo
ment, in which case he would be
drowned like a rat in a trap.
Having smashed the glass, he founG
that the window was double, and liz
distinctly remembers breaking the out
side pane, after which, with profusely
bleeding hands, he carefully picked out
the bits Of glass remaining in the
sashes, so that he could climb out.
After removing the last remaining
fragment Of glass from the sash he
carefully thrust his head and arms out
and began to feel for the chain. 1t was
nowhere to be found. Then he pulled
himself half way out Of the window
and reached upward.
To his great Joy, he found he could
reach over the edge Of the deck; but, t.
his dismay, it was curved and smooth
offering no projection whatever by
which he might pull himself up. THAI
being the case, and not wishing to fal
into the water and be drowned, ht
painfully drew back into the little
chamber. However, he must certainly
escape or be drowned, and after get
ting his breath he would make another
attempt to reach the deck.
AS he lay painting and frightened III
accidentally reached in the direction
away from the headlight. 10 his sur
prise, he touched a swaying window
blind, and the next moment he fount
himself lying on the floor of tho eorri
dor Of the onrushing train, with a win
dow down, through which he had evi
IDENTIFY been trying to reach the deck O.
the imaginary steamer. The wonde,
was he did not lose his grip and fall OF
the line. 1t was his fear Of being
drowned that prevented him from be
ing killed on the railway, The youn,
fellow had a long and serious illness
after his experience, and, strange t
say, when he recovered his somnambu
listic habit left him.-Washington Star
An Odd Coincidence.
In one Of the historical volumes O.
John +. Magginness is recounted :
most remarkable coincidence. On til,
very day that the Declaration Of indie
pendence was promulgated and OLE
Liberty bell proclaimed the joyful
news in Philadelphia q little band o
Scotch Irish cofflorc uifhoI1f nm