The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1908-09-02
MYSTERY OF DREAMS
Whence Come the Warning Wis
itors We See In Sleep?
TWO VERY PULLING CASES.

vUO v1llV O6e6lHV SHoIOs
One Where Mother and Son Both Got
Tidings Of Disaster at the Same
Time and Ono Where Child Saw
Her Father Saved In a shipwreck.
Out of 149 dreams of a very striking
kind investigated by one of the lead
ing psychic research societies no fewer
than seventy-nine related to a death.
and perhaps the rarest of all these
dreams is the case where two persons
night, and the episode came true. This
striking instance is reported by the
Rev. R. B. Elrington:
"a woman parishioner Of NINE" he
says, whose husband was fisher
man, at that time on the sea, dreamed
one night in terribly vivid fashion that
his little craft had been cut in two by
the towering steel bows Of great
liner. Her eldest son was with the
husband, and as she woke she screamed
out, oh, save my boy. my boy! This
was remarkable enough, considering
the sequel, but almost at the very mo
ment the poor woman was in her dis
tress, yet still asleep. another son was
pounding at her door, half asleep and
half awake, and crying. oh, mother,
where is fatherY The terrified woman
now rose and let the boy in. He was
crying. He told her he had distinctly
heard his fathers heavy tread coming
up the stairs and his ponderous kick
with sea boots against the door, as had
been his manner when returning alb
ruptly from q long cruise. Next morn
ing the alarmed mother and wife told
all the neighbors, and before the day
was out the dreadful news came that
every detail Of her dream was true
The little TRAVELLING lugger had been run
into by coasting liner, nearly cut in
two and sunk with all hands, includ
Ing her husband and son."
Premonitory dreams occupy large
part Of the psychological records, and
the following case is very puzzling
one: A Mrs. Spruit lived at Balmain.
one of the suburbs Of Sydney, Austria
liza. Her husband was sea captain
in command Of the Atacama, wooden
ship Of 1.3OO tons, which had arrived in
Sydney in a leaking state and was
picked up cheap by firm known as
Cowlishaw Bros. for $780, Twice as
much was spent in repairs, and then
the Atacama was sent up the coast
with cargo Of coal. She delivered
this and next set out for San Diego.
But when 500 miles out from Sgd
ney she sprang q leak. and Captain
Spruit decided to put back. In spite
Of the pumps the water gained, and
soon there was a depth Of eleven feet
in the hold. Spruit now resolved to
abandon the ship and launch the three
boats. The captain himself, with one
seaman. the steward, boatswain and
an apprentice. was in the twenty -four
foot lifeboat while the rest Of the
crew. twelve In all, were in the other
two boats. Heavy seas were running.
and the boats were nearly swamped.
AS Spruit could not swim, he was
nearly drowned. Some Of his men
were lost Their situation was indeed
fearful In boats half filled with water
and exposed to fierce gale 400 miles
from land. Again and again was
Spruit washed out, but at last his boat
was picked up when its occupants were
In the last stages of exhaustion from
fatigue. exposure and lack OF food. A
reporter Of the Sydney Morning Her
aid called to interview the captain and
found him barefooted, with terribly
swollen legs, covered with severe cuts
and bruises.
Now consider Mrs. Spruit's report to-
the Psychical Research society, which
Is most remarkable.
Last Thursday week" she writes,
''at 8 o'clock IN the morning my thir-
teen-year-old daughter Lily came into
my bedroom and woke me by tap on
my forehead oh, mamma she cried
in brenthless whisper. I'm 80 fright
ened! tried to soothe her, but she
only covered her face with her hands
and whispered tremblingly: oh, look!
My papa's ship is sill wrecked! Papa's
come home all In rags, with his feet
and legs cut. and see two or three Of
his men drowned out Of the boat
II told Lily sternly it was oil non
sense.
cit isn'tr she said passionately.
I've seen 1t in my dream. and know
It's all true!
But coaxed her of to bed. The
girl kept worrying about It until the
next Sunday. A week after her dream
my husband returned. and Lily found
me crying when she came In from
| school.
"'Oh. mamma she cried sharply. is
| the Atacama wrecked?
II told her evasively her papa had
come home.
"She was not to be denied. however,
and asked. with strange persistence,
Are papa's legs cut?'
II said they were.
"And the very first thing she said ia
her father Yves: Why. you didn't have
those clothes on when ! saw you! The
ones you had on were all torn In the
shipwreck.'
l