Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-05-21


somnambulist, went through a pecul-
lar experience some little time ago.
One evening, after dinner, he told his
wife that he had n 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
few minutes rose, and, seating him
self Mt 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 soundIy till late in the morn
ing.
At breakfast he expressed some I'M
certainty as TO his finding solution"
His wife told him to look through his
desk, which he did. discovering the
paper he had written in the pigeon
read it Joy mingled with amaZement
showed plainly in his face, for the pa
per was a 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 or
young man who. an hour or so be-
fore starting on a railway journey, paid
a visit to a 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 coiled
and was impressed by the chambers
smallness and the cramped quarters 1t
would afford 4 man sent down there to
superintend the paying out of the chain.
In due course the traveller went to the
railway station and engaged snug
seat in the corner of 4 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 he had ever known n steamer
to move before.
His first idea was to go on deck at
once, but he could not get out of the
ccIl-like chamber. He could not stand
erect even, the compartment was so
little, as he found out at the cost or an
imaginary bumped head when he at
tempted to rise. Then, to his SURPRISE
he found that the room had window,
evidently n 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 one 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 felt
| certain now that the vessel was in
storm and likely to go down any mo-
| ment, in which case he would be
| drowned like n rat in a trap.
| Having smashed the glass, he found
| that the window was double, and he
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. to
his dismay, it was curved and smooth,
| Offering no projection whatever by
which he might pull himself up. That
being the case, and not wishing TO fall
into the water and be drowned, he
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 he
incidentally reached in the direction
away from the headlight. To his sur
prise, he touched a swaying window
blind, and the next moment he found
himself lying on the floor of the corri-
dor of the onrushing train, with win
dow down, through which he had evil
IDENTIFY been trying to reach the deck of
the imaginary steamer. The wonder
was he did not lose his grip and fall on
the line. 1t was his fear of being
drowned that prevented him from be-
ling killed on the railway The young
fellow had a long and serious illness
after his experience. and, strange to
Isay. when he recovered his somnambu-
llistic habit left him.-Washington Star.