Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-02-20
REVEALED IN SLEEP.
GRIMES CONFESSED By THEIR PER-
PETRATORS WHILE SLUMBERING.
Dramatic Episode That Followed a
Wedding In = Prussian Town-A
Doxe That Brought Retribution.
Overheard In a Lodging House,

Overheard In a Lodging House.
Criminologsts say that the greatest ter
Tor that aficts that fraction OF humanity
suffering from an uneasy conscience is
not dread Of the police by any means nor
awe Of any other acknowledged enemy Of
law defiers.
What the criminal breads is sleep.
Sleep is. It appears, the friend OF the
righteous only. To men with the knowl-
edge of dark deeds stored within them
sleep is the most treacherous Of foes. The
countless poems that have been written
in praise Of it very naturally appear as so
much cold blooded mockery to such as are
in hourly dread of betraying themselves
under its influence.
An untold number Of crimes have been
confessed by their perpetrators during
sleep. Is II any wonder that those con-
scious of Irregularities Of conduct prefer
to remain awake?
Perhaps the entire history of crime
contains no more dramatic episode than
that which occurred some years since in
Prussan township. The husband of a
certain attractive young woman had van
ished in mysterious manner from his
home. and all attempts to trace his
whereabouts failed completely. Mean
time neighbor called Schmidt, who had
been devoted to the young wife before
her marriage, reappeared on the scene
and paid her assiduous attentions So
successfully did he press his suit that
within year Of his rivals disappearance
the woman consented to marry him, and
they were united at the parish church.
Now comes the extraordinary sequel.
On the second night following the we'd
ding the newly made bride lay awake TN
able to slumber. Presently there came n
gurgling cry from the sleeping form be-
side her. and moment Later the man in n
loud voice proclaimed that he had killed
the missing husband and had buried the
body in neighboring wood. This state
ment the sleeper reiterated several times,
naming the exact spot where the corpse
lay inferred.
The wife, well nigh mad with terror,
drank in the confession and next morning
carried the remarkable story to the police
bureau. The place named by the sleeper
was searched, and, sure enough. the body
OF the vanished man was discovered there.
The murderer was at once arrested and
brought to his trial. where he was found
guilty and sentenced to death. He went
TO the scaffold cool and cynical. having
been sent there by his own confession,
made during sleep
Somewhat similar in several details
was the case Of an Austrian peasant who
murdered his friend in order that he
might woo the latter's sweetheart, a girl
Of unusual beauty. All attempts to trace
the missing man had failed. and doubtless
the affair would have remained a mystery
to the end Of time had not the criminal
signed his own death warrant by confess
ing the crime while doing by the fire in
a friends cottage. Bit by bit he de-
scribed the incidents Of the terrible affair,
stating that he had destroyed his vic
TINS body By fire.
Mortified by this awful confession, the
friend Immediately went out and sought
magistrate, to whom he confded the
singular record. The man was then ar
rested and bis cottage searched. Some
garments and watch belonging to the
deceased being found there, his guilt was
considered half proved. and when placed
In the dock he made full confession, re-
peatng, in fact. what he had said during
his slumber. The scoundrel was SEN
fenced to death and was eventually exc
cuted amid the execrations Of the popu-
lace who had assembled to witness his
end.
Less tragic in tone, but sufficiently in
teresting. was the case which occurred,
not so very long ago. in an American
sleeping car, when detective, who
CHANGED to be occupying a certain lower
berth. heard the sleeper above him burst
forth into a long wnded confession re-
garding several Jewel robberies wherein
he had taken part. Much impressed by
the slumberng fellows words. the official
kept an eye on him. Further inquiries
proved that the confession had been an
exact record Of what had taken place.
Many years ago n Liverpool common
lodging house was the scene of a sleeping
criminals confession. The room was oc-
cupied by himself and one other, a young
sailor. who was on his beam ends" and
well nigh penniless for want of ship.
While the sailor was lying awake, con-
templating his dire position, he suddenly
heard a curious and CHASTITY laugh issue
from his room companions lips. The
laugh was followed by long and ram
bling description OF a murder he had COM
mitted in a suburb Of Liverpool. and so
horrible were the details uttered by the
unconscious tongue that the sailor came
near to fainting with terror.
However, he mastered his emotion
ana, having assuutu sOlue ClOtulDR, Crtpl
down stairs and informed the landlord OF
what had occurred. The latter at once
fetched policeman, who accompanied
him to the bedroom. where the constable
Immediately recognized the sleeper as the
man wanted" for the crime in question.
He was. of course. arrested, and AT the
trial which followed he was found guilty
and sentenced to death. As for the sailor.
he came in for a considerable reward
from the murdered mans relatives.
A Russian woman while fast asleep in
the hut of a shepherd, where she had
taken refuge from a heavy snowstorm.
confessed to having killed no fewer than
seven infants ntrusted to her charge.
The shepherds wife overheard the terri
Bile admission and caused the woman to
be detained. Investigations proved beyond
all doubt that her unconscious lips had
spoken absolute truth, and she was sent
to penal servitude for life.
Perhaps one OF the most extraordinary
cases of crime revealed during sleep
was that OF Polish peddler who had
killed n merchant on the road to Odessa
and robbed him OF huge sum. The con-
fession was made while the criminal was
doing on sledge and was. of course,
overheard by the driver thereof, The
barrenness Of the snowclad landscape and
the speed at which the sled was travelling
added 10 the weirdness Of the confession,
and as a result Of the same and of investi-