The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1900-02-27
SINGULAR DREAMING
TWO PECULIAR CASES OF BRAIN Ac-
TIWTY IN SLEEP.

A Lawyer Who Solved n Knotty
Problem He Could Not Master
While Avvake-An Exciting and Al
most Tragic Railway Journey.
j An Edinburgh lawyer, q confirmed
somnambulist, went through a pecul-
lar experience some little time ago.
One evening. after dinner, he told his
wife that he 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 be 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 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
hole where he had hidden it. AS he
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
outl He had not the slightest recol-
lection Of having written the docu-
ment.
Another extraordinary case is that of
a young man who, an hour or so be-
fore starting on railway journey. paid
a visit to q 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 man sent down there to
superintend the paying out of the chain
In due course the traveller went to the
railway station and engaged a snug
seat in the corner of first class corri-
dor and sleeping carriage. He had the
compartment to himself. The train
had not been long on it's 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 steamer
to move before.
His first idea was to go on deck at
once, but he could not get out Of the
cell-like chamber. He could not stand
erect even. the compartment was so
imaginary bumped head when he at
tempted to rise. Then, to his surprise.
he found that the room had a window,
evidently a dead light. but square and
unusually large. This he tried to raise,
but, falling determined TO break 1t,
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 I
his clinched fist He knew that this
would result in a cut hand probably,
but he risked II 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 Il 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. 1t 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
accidentally reached In the direction
a way fr9m the headlight To his sur
us tina touched swaying window
~ s he,1, the next moment he found
urplng on the floor Of the corri-
sne onrushing train, with win
IN. through which he had evil
Zen trying to reach the deck of
ginary steamer. The wonder
did not lose his grip and fall on
he. 1t was his fear of being |
med that prevented him from be-
ing Killed on the railway. The young
fellow had long and serious Illness
after his experience. and. strange to
say, when he recovered his somnambu- |
listic habit left him.-Washingto Star