Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-06-20
DREAMS AND CRIMES.

DREAMS AND CRIMES.
THRILLING MURDER TALES RECORDED
IN OLD LAwBooks.
a Dream Tint Anticipated a Crime.
A Mothers Trngic Visfon-The Re-
mnrlknble Performance of . Disin..
tered Corpse.
Law reports of the sixteenth and seven
teenth centuries contain numerous refer
ences to supernatural occurrences in court
and on the scaifold. One of the most re-
markable records Of this kind is connect
ed with murder trial which took place
in England early in the reign of the first
Charles. Sir John Maynard, one of the
greatest lawyers, is the authority for the
supernatural events of the trinl, and in
his quaint preface to his notes he says he
Thought good to report the evidence
which was given. which many did hear,
that the memory thereof might not be
lost by miscarriage of papers or other
wise"
had died. and at the coroner's inquest evil
dencc vas given proving hat the wom
ans throat had been cut fl on ear TO ear.
At first the jury favored verdict of felo
de Sc, and the body was inierred, but ru-
mors became general pointing to foul
play. and the body was exhumed. Thir-
ty days after the death the jury assem-
bled before the body and four suspected
persons were brought in. The only evil
dence against the prisoners was that they
slept in an adjoining room and that no
one had passed that room: therefore, it
she did not murder herself. they must be
the murderers'
What took place at the remarkable post
mortem inquiry may best be described in
the words of a witness at the subsequent
trial, who was described as ian ancient
and grave person, minister to the parish
where this murder was committed" This
festirnable gentleman said: They (the
prisonersl did touca the dead body, where
upon the brow of the dead, which was be-
fore a livid and carron color. began to
have n dew or gentle sweat arise upon it,
which increased by degrees till the sweat
ran down in drops upon the face, the
brow turned and changed to lively col
or, and the dead opened one of her eyes
and shut it again. which she did three
several times. She likewise thrust out
the ring or marriage finger three times
and pulled it in again, and the finger
dropped blood on the floor"
/ Naturally enough such remarkable eyi-
1 dence as this was received with some sus-
i picion by the court. although the witness,
| to again quote Sir John Maynard. was
a reverend person about 60 years of age,
! Us could be Guessed. His testimony was
!. delivered gravely and temperately. but to
4 the great admiration of the auditory"
! Ample confirmation of an obviously inn
! partial character was. however, forth
coming, and the Admiration" turned to
horror. so much so that the prisoners
were convicted. and two of them suffered
death at the hand of the common hang
man. Neither of the victims. one of
whom was an aged woman, could ever be
prevailed upon to confess any completely
in the crime.
In 1851 an Irish murderer was convict
/ ed largely upon dream evidence. A Wa
4 terford publican named Rogers dreamed
one night that he saw n man murder an
other man on a green spot on the summit
Of nm adjoining mountain. lie was able
next day to describe both men with per-
y
friends. One of the men was exception
ally strong. the other weak and puny; but
it was the latter who in the vision com
mitted the murder. Rogers persuaded the
parish priest to accompany him to the
spot. which he found without difficulty.
but where there seemed to be no traces of
4 murder or struggle: hence Rogers GOT
rather laughed at. Next day. however.
4 two men entered the public house, and
4 Mrs. Rogers at once recognized them
1 from her husbands description of the
4 heroes in the vision. Much alarmed, she
fetched her husband. who was also GER
tain they were the two men.
1 When they rose to leave, Rogers begged
y the one he expected to be murdered to re-
main, but without avail. He nearly
tainted with fright after the men had gone
/ and finally persuaded neighhor to ac-
company him to the green spot on the
/ hill. where, sure enough, the tragedy of
the dream had taken place in reality.
The murderer was tracked and caught,
4 aad Rogers was the principal witness.
4 His recital of his dream was so vivid that
4 the prisoner at once confessed, adding
i that he killed his companion exactly rs
foretold in the dream. The weapon used
i was a knife. and as eight stabs We're seen
4 by Rogers in his dream. so the murderer
admitted that he drove his knife up to the
handle in his companions body exactly
that number of times.
/ In 1901 woman named Kraeme ap-
/ peared before n Frankfort justice and
/ asked to be sworn, as she had valua Bile
information about n crime committed in
remote village in Russia, many days
i Journey from her German home. The
story she told the justice was this Ten
years before her only son had left home.
She heard nothing of him and had no
\ idea at all where he was living until the
night before. when his spirit appeared 10
her and told her what she now hastened
4 to relate. The revelation vas that after
leaving home the young man had wan
/ dered about Europe till he had finally
! found permanent work In the village OF
/ kiaf, in Russia. Here he had fallen Ia
4 love with a serf's daughter who had
Russian bean. On the preceding night
this latter had inveigled the young Teu-
/ ton into the country. where he had stab
! bed him ana then concealed the body in
cave off the highway.
! The justice knew that his informant
j was poor and had never been outside OF
4 her native town. and he was so struck
Z with the yivdness OF her description of