The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1900-02-23
SINGULAR DREAMING
TWO PECULIAR CASES OF BRAIN AC-
TlvITY IN SLEEP.


While Awake--An Exciting and Al
most Tragic Railway Journey.
J An Edinburgh lawyer, confirmed
somnambulist, went through a pecul-
lar experience some little time ago.
One evening. after dinner, he told his
wife that he had 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 1t would
be impossible to make his brief until
morning, since the case presented some
difficulties that he had been unable 10
master. ut
He fell asleep from exhaustion al
most as soon as he went to bed, but In
q 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
ont 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 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 1t. AS he
read 1t 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-
ment.
Another extraordinary case Is that or
young man who, an hour or so be-
fore starting on railway journey, paid
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 a 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 a 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 a steamer
n to move before.
, His first idea was to 60 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
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 window,
l evidently a dead light, but square and
unusually large. This he tried to raise,
but, failing, 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 1t 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 a
: storm and likely to go down any mo-
ment, in which case he would be
drowned like rat in 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 wny 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
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
q the line. 1t was his fear Of being
: drowned that prevented him from be-
= ing killed on the railway. The young
: fellow had n long and serious illness
e after his experience. and, strange to
say, when he recovered his somnambu-
: listic habit left him. Washington Star.
| An Odd Coincidence.
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