Omaha daily bee., 1908-09-13
THRILLS OF SLEEP WALKERS
Hair Raising and Dangerous Feats Ac-
complished by Somnambnlists.
MANY ODD TRAITS REVEALED
Eject Of Dreams on the Actions Of
Victims - Dimcult Problems
Thought Out In the TIM
conscious state.

Thought Out in the TIM
conscious state.
Miss Sadie Petit, 10 years old. Of Wash
ington, narrowed a street full Of early
risers the other day by clamboring to the
top Of the house and over the caves, creep
ing along the gable TO the smallest edge
and standing at that dizzy height. scream
ing at the top of her voice. The next in
slant she was sitting clinging loosely on
the edge and wailing piteously.
The crowd that collected in the street
below during her hours ~perilous prom
enade became almost frenzied. The police
tried to reach her, but found they would
have to work their way up as did she, on
= frsil water pipe. As they puzzled over
their next move the deaf old woman with
whom Miss Petit lived suddenly leaned
out Of the window and cried to her to
wake M and come down off that roof
The girl shuddered and fell the right
way-back on the roof. and was saved.
Miss Petit is a sleep walker and her
narrowing nocturnal adventure Is matched
by many in the annals of the sleep walkers,
matched by many so narrowing that were
there no further inducement to investigate
the mysteries of somnambulism the hap
piness OF the victims and the safety of
their fellow houssholders would supply
ample warrant,
Prof. Carl Prel of Berlin and DR.. Daniel
Hack luke OF London are two wiseacres
who have studied a good deal and found
out much about sleep walking, and they
tell Of a youth who fell into somnambulism,
went into the bedroom Of a child and killed
It. He was sent to prison, when he had a
similar attack and tried to take the life of
another prisoner.
Put to GOOD Use.
sometimes the sonmambulist puts his
peculiar habits TO good uses. DR.. luke
knows of a girl who learned her lessons
during sleep. Her father died in debt. and
her mother urged her to profit to the ut
most by the teaching, which was difficult
to pay for. The girl and her sister were
much impressed and took their books up to
bed with them. In the morning the Sleep
walker found that she knew all her lessons.
This happened morning after morning and
puzzled the whole family until one night
when her mother returned late from a visit
and in the moonlight deserted the girl in
the bedroom window. The mother went
quietly upstairs and found her daughter
seated at the window in her nightdress
only SOulu dSlttHt u bo'h III "hN "N"
studying hard.
A school teacher gave to his geometry
class the forty-seventh problem of Euclid,
taking nothing but the postulates and
axioms for granted. The only boy who sue
ceeded in the demonstration was found
kneeiing on his bed at work in his sleep.
Tho teacher did not disturb him. but
asked the next morning whether he had
finished his proof. Yes I have. ! dreamed
IL out and got out of bed as soon as /
could see and wrote It out at the window
Many sleepwalkers testify that their
dreams influence their nocturnal adven-
lures. One girl dreamed about a shipwreck
and awoke finding herself out of bed. She
had wrapped a large shawl around the
candlestlck to do duty for "A shipwrecked
sailor she had succored. A physician often
associated his own sleepwalking with one
OF three dreams-fire in the house. burg
lars, or injury or death OF some near re-
lative.
Effect of Dreams.
Another physician somnambulist says:
Dreams always seem to be associated
with my sleepwalkins, and 1t is the al
most invariable accomplishment Of tn,
dream. 1 always put in practice the
thing dreamed.
Once I dreamed was drowning, ant
! jumped out of bed. rushed into the pas
sage and called for help over the stairs.
Ordinarily the sleepwalker forgets wha
he has been about during his energetic
slumbers. One s-omnambulist woman un
dressed her sister, dressed her hair
plated It, brought her shoes and stock
ihgs and silk bali dress from the chest
then suddenly waking she asked her siste
L. .,-~-gaa wFkarA aha ma lfn In Gttn
a toilet.
Some investiga tors make a close con
neelion betweeT insanity and somnambu
lism. Some years ago DR.. Hack Tux
knew OF a man who found not long afte
his marriage that his wife had disappesre
from his side. A search was immediately
begun. and ended in discovering her bod.
in the sea not far from the house. TIL
theory OF somnombulism at first was ad
vanced on what seemed plausible ground:
but eventually the decision was for in
sanity.
Lord Culpepper's brother. famous as
sleep walker. was indicted at the oil
Bailey in 1856 for shooting one of tn
guards and his horse. The defense set u
was somnambultsm, and 10y calling /
nearly fifty witnesses to bear testimony t
the nobleman's marvellous exploits durin
sleep, it was successful.
There is a familiar old story of a mon
who entered the prior's bedroom durln
the night with his eyes fixed and with
large knife in his hand. With scowlin
features and determined mien he p~roceede
straight TO his superior's bed, which for
unately was empty, since the prior had nj
retired. The monk inflicted three stat
which penetrated the bedelothes and a ma
which served the purpose Of a mattres
He then etuned TO his own room wit
features relaxed and smiling. TIT next ia.
wheE questioned by the prior, he cor
fessed that he had dreamed that his moth,
had been murdered by the prior and Tn,
her spirit had appeared TO him crying Il
vengeance. Transported with fury, !
seized a knife and ran directly to the SUI
posed assassin to stab him. Shortly aft,
he returned 10 his bed he awoke, coverC
Z with perspiratiOn. TO find It was a dreaT
When the prior showed the monk Il
knife holes In the bedclothes the somnan
hulistic brother threw himself on his kne,
and implored for pardon. He was pardone
but he was locked in his cell every nigh
EH.n.. noI..von