Semi-weekly Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1897-1901, 1901-08-20
WAS A SOMNAMBULIST
BUT NOT A FIGHTING ONE.
MORE EVIDENCE N THE
CRESsY.BRISrOLT TRAGEDY.

| College Roommate Denies the Stste.
! ments Attributed 10 Him by the Hart.
ford Psper-Tsnt Mate In the War
However. Tells OF Incidents Like Tina,
Described bv Cressy on the Fatal
Night-LOng Letter from Room. .mate
Another letter from f W Cross OF
South Royalston, Mass, who was a
witness at the inquest, encloses one
from William Rensselaer, Williams ol
Schenectady, NY. Bristol's comrade
and tent mate of the Spanish a merican n
war, who says: II never sas Sidney
walk in his sleep, but more than once
when we slept side by side In camp
was suddenly awakened to find him on
his knees bending over me and holding
me. On these occasions never attempt
ed to wake him up, but simply kept
still, and in a minute or two he won I'd
drop back into his place. do not know
how many times that happened, hut
probably about three times during that
summer"
Mr. Crawford supplements the above
letter With the following signed
statement made to the Hartford cor.
respondent of the Springfield Republi-
can:
| became acquainted with Sidney
Gray Bristol in October, 1898, 0hen
he entered our class from Williams
college. He had before him the ex-
tremely difficult undertaking of car.
Ding heavy course OF study and at
the same time earning money to pay
all expenses. 1t WAS 70 doubt the
overxork AID overstudy occasioned by
these circumstances that at night
caused the mental disturbances IL en- :
toned below | had before me
nearly the same problem, though
considerable acquaintance in New
Haven made my way much easier
than his. Our similarity Of circum-
stances threw US together, and. need
ing a roommate, was glad to take
him in. We occupied No l6G, North
college. a room unlike ell others in
the building 10 that the partitions
between the bedrooms had ieen re-
moved. Thus We slept in the sane
room, and 50 became fam iliar with Mr.
Bristois night habits. The electric
light few rods from our west win
dows made it possible to see his &C.
tions plainly
In the first place, it WAS Mr. Bris.
tolls regular habit to visit the toilet
room once in the night. Whether be
awoke at this time or not | do rot
kuoS. But of his sompambulistic
habits | do know. both from observa-
tion and from instances which he re-
lated to me. While awake he refused
TO waste energy 10 worrying. la sleep
hosever, he apparently worried over
both his tinAncial difficulties and his
lessons for freqgeptly talked aloud
of these matters. sometimes intelli-
ger tly, sometimes only incoherently
he would arise and attempt TO reclte
a lesson. Occasionally be would rise
entirely. 1t was my custom on all
these occasions to speak to him at
once. | will relate two instances which
| remember distinctly, on account of
their eXtreneless.
our ethics lesson and he had com
planned of it's incompreheDsbility. 10
tie night he wabed me by suddenly
sitting up on the edge of his beu
Then he made gesture ard sai1
Logic and ethics all mixed up.
pack ward and forward Ard every way
eyerybody's hats scsttered all over -
laughed snd said, Yes, but never
MUD, Bris: we'll fix that sll right ir
the morning." and laid down agaiu.
| fixed his words 10 nv mind. in
order to remember them. Ia the morn
ing he knew nothing of the incident.
Another night he awoke me by sud.
denly rising in his bed. He gave
quick glance all round, and then
sprang toward my bed fell Bloug
directly upon me. | put up ny bands
aud caught him as he FELL and heard |
him saying. Stop them Stop them"
] quieted him and got back to bed. |
La the morning told him what he
had done. AT first he could remember |
nothing about it, but finally he re
nemhered that he had dreamed He |
had dreamed, he said, of having a
large amount of monsy, ell in bank |
notes These were being blown out |
Of the window, and be was trying to
stop them. The window toward the |
electric light was just over my bed.
Knowing the facts stated above, | |
can easily credit Mr. Cressey's story
as beirg as near the truth as one
suddenly awakened and alarmed could |
would like to advance an explapa.
ton, which to me seems most prof.
lble. 1t is this: That Mr. Bristol
mad been up making his usual visit to
he toilet room, and was returning
% bed. In doing so aroused and
alarmed Mr. Cressey, who seized the
'evolver. Thinking to save himself,
Mr. Bristol caught his wrist and tried
% take the gun from his friend This
,uly increased Mr. Cressey's alarm ard
ed to the fatal struggle which fol
Owed. This solution seems reason
.ble and is SO nearly in Hccord with
ir Cressey story as not to contradict
t in any point.
Cbauncey NJ Crawford.
South Bethlehem, Pa.
Chauncev VI Crawford of South Beth
chem, Pa, roommate OF the late Sid