The St. Johns herald., 1900-03-03
STOLE IN HER SLEEP.
Mortifying Experience of a Girl at
 House Party.
An Intense Passion for Jewels Work ed Upon Her While Asleep and She Committed
 the Theft.

It gives one weird feeling to be told of words said and acts committed when one is unconscious of external condi- tions. It is for this reason that walking [ ol talking in ones sleep is so terrify- ing A young woman who for years was in the habit of walking in her sleep said that she felt as if she were pos sessed of some uncanny power which without her volition might at any time caase her to do something dreadful.
 "Unfortunately I have passion for fine stones," she said, ''and that, com bined with my somnambulism, brought me once into a most uncomfortable po- sition. was invited to go with house party to large country place on the Hudson. Knowing my infirmity, l had never heretofore dared to accept such invitations, but as 1 had not had any recurrence of my trouble for over g year I hoped I was rid of it forever, and, urged by my family, finally ac- cepted. For the first two nights 1 probably remained quietly in my room, but on the third strange thing hap
 
 B., a girl from San Francisco, wore peculiar jewel. It was a large pearl hanging from an equally large ruby, which was suspended from diamond, which in its turn quiyered from an en- erald brooch admired the effect of the stones resting on the white lace o. her gown and she unfastened the pin Ha 1,1a to look at. It was really pleasure to me to hold the beautiful gems and l re- member telling her as 1 returned then; to her that it was actually a physical pleasure to handle them.
 ''The next morning I walked feeling that something had happened and I inn mediateiy became possessed with the idea that I had walked in my sleep, al- though 1 saw no evidence that l had done so. 1 felt most uncomfortable, however, and my feeling of vague ap- prehension was not lessened when. 1 went downstairs and found that during the night Miss B. had been robbed of her jewel, which she had carelessly left sticking in the pin cushion.
 ''As it happened no one had come down except Miss B. and our hostess, and the latter seemed curiously indis- posed to make a disturbance by an- nouncing the loss publicly and begged us not to mention the fact to the rest of the guests. This Miss B. readily promised, as she realized what dis agreeable finale it would be to the par ty, but she insisted upon sending at once for detective and she quilted the room to wire her husband, who was in town.
 "While Miss B. was telling of her los. had the most curious feeling of being in some way connected with the affair, and as soon as we were alone l told her of my somnambulism and strange inn pression. Whereupon she in her turn told how in the middle of the night she had been startled by noise like the shutting of her door, and, being of nervous disposition, she had sprung from her bed, opened it and looked into the dimiy lighted hall and was aston ished to see that my door, which was op- posite, was open.
 "When she missed her pin in the morning she concluded not to speak of the incident, as she really attached no importance to the coincidence, but now we both regarded the occurrence as significant and together we hastily returned to my room. There, careless ly laid on chair near my bed, was the missing jewel, which had escaped my notice while 1 was dressing. The dis covery was great shock to me-so great one that it probably effected my recovery, for I have never, to my knowledge, walked in my sleep since" N. Y. Tribune.