Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-12-13
THE PREY OF DREAMS.
Persons Often obsessed by Hallueina'
tions and Nightmares.

Persons Often obsessed by Hallueina-
tions and Nightmares.
Dreams, dreams. dreams!" began
the specialist in mental diseases gloom
| lily. Dreams have sent me many a
melancholy patient
Il was early impressed with the
analogies presented by dreams to In
sanity. but some years ago I remember
this impression was strengthened by
an incident which can never forget A
young man consulted me about trif-
F., ling mental ailment. I dealt with his
case in the ordinary way, and l was
pleased to notice he quickly improved
Some weeks after l had told him he
was quite recovered, however, he re-
turned, looking an awful wreck, and,
fighting hard to keep the tears back, ne
begged me to help him. He had be-
come q victim of nightmare.
Here you are,' he whispered nerv-
ously, pressing a sheet Of paper into
my hand. Here you are. Some Of the
things see.'
"Sketched on the slip were skeletons,
crossbones. a gallows and a coffin.
And you really see these things"
inquired carelessly.
"'See them?' he replied. See them?
Why, feel them Feel them! Feel
the rope! Smell the comm "
And the poor fellow clutched at his
throat in real agony.
Il did my best for him, but he be-
came worse The last time he called
upon me he whispered in my ear that
he had been duping me; that he was
the man wanted for the B. murder.
Just as I feared, nightmare had shat
tered his reason.
He went away. and never saw him
again The murder Of B. was expiated.
but 1t was not my former patients
name read in the accounts Of the exc
cution. I have every reason for be-
lieving that he endsa his nightmare in
suicide. -
Such are the instances that stud the
mental physicians book Of dreams.
One Of my earliest patients was q
young man who labored under the de-
lusion, the result Of repeated dream,
that he had suddenly come into large
fortune.
"I am not surprised, DOCTOR he
said. I am not surprised. I am des-
tined to fill important positions, and
Every naturally the Providence which
demands that I serve the state has
come to my aid with the means I shall
find necessary
Then to my establishment, he in
formed me that In order to give the
proper touch Of dignity to his exalted
state he had ordered a number Of mo-
tor cars and horses and carriages and
was negotiating for the purchase Of a
large residence, which leading firm
Of house furnishers was to fit out in
lavish style.
"T must do these things. you know
he added. I must
Having uttered these words, I re-
call, he drifted to other subjects and
conversed as nationally as any one.
ut was a case in which took spe-
cial interest. The young man had a
good face. He was favorite, found,
with his employers, and when he ex-
pressed regret at having to leave them
consequent upon his imaginary good
fortune his look Of sorrow was some
thing to remember. told his employ
ers so and discovered that the regard
was mutual. They closed their eyes to
his strange fancies, accepted his notice
in gloomy silence, afterward compli-
menting him on his good luck. pre-
dicted for him a great future. and-I
was doing my best.
I'm the end. am glad to say, was
successful. I found that the young
man had actually given out the orders
enumerated to me, but these easily
countermanded. The dreaming and the
delusion ended when I induced my pa
tient to go to reside in another district.
HE never referred to his visionary
fortune again. 1t passed away from
him like the phantom that 1t was and
was forgotten. Indeed, very likely
were you to speak Of 1t now he would
laugh in his natural quick, business
like way and sarcastically request you
to explain the lamentable condition Of
your mind to the person he does not
remember-himself.
| Il had scarcely finished with this
case, strangely enough, when another
Of dreamland's dramas came before
my notice. Late one night 1t was and
the end Of an exceptionally busy day.
There was a violent ringing at my
bell. and a moment later a man burst
excitedly into my room and begged me
to accompany him to his home.
"'Strangest thing in the world!' he
jerked. My wife 1t is. First she is
covering the baby with kisses; next
she is wanting to kill it. Woke UP
with q scream and wanted to put the
infant out Of its misery, and it wasn't
in misery at all
II smiled and accompanied the man
to his home. 1t was not an extraordi-
nary thing for an insane woman to do
and this remarked to the husband
who at once replied:
"'But she is sane as you or l.
"And 1 smiled again. This horror OF
insanity in ones family is with US al
ways The man was, however, partly
right; his wife was simply another
victim of nightmare. The previous
evening she had visited the local the
ater, and, being very much impressed
with the melodrama she had seen
there, it had affected her sleep.
"She dreamed that her baby was be-
ing cruelty tortured and that she could
hear II screaming Waking up, with q