Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1908-01-14
THE PREY OF DREAMS
Persons Often 0bsessed by Hal
lucinations and Nightmares.
QUEER DREAMLAND DRAMAS.

Visions In Sleep That Have Driven
Their Victims to Madness odd
Cases CuIled From the Notebook of a
Specialist In Mental Diseases.
dreams, dreams, dreams!' began
the specialist in mental diseases gloom
lily. Dreams have sent me many a
melancholy patient.
81 was early impressed with the
analogies presented by dreams to in
sanity. but some years ago ! remem-
Der this impression was strengthened
by an incident which can never for
get A young man consulted me about
a trifing mental ailment dealt with
his case In the ordinary way, and
was pleased to notice he quickly i'm
proved Some weeks after l had told
him he was quite recovered, however.
he returned, looking an awful wreck,
and, fighting hard to keep the tears
back, he begged me to help him. He
had become 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, 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 cofinv
..And the poor fellow clutched at his
throat in real agony.
81 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 dipping me; that he was
the man wanted for the B. murder.
Just as feared. nightmare had shat
tered his reason.
He went away, and never saw
him again. The murder Of B. was
expiated, but it was not my former
patients name I read In the accounts
of the execution. I have every reason
for believing that he ended his night
mare in suicide.
'Such are the instances that stud the
mental physicians book Of dreams.
One Of my earliest patients was a
young man who labored under the de-
fusion, the result Of a repeated dream,
that he had suddenly come into large
fortune.
..I am not surprised, Doctor he
said. I am not surprised. am des-
tined to fill important positions, and
very naturally the Providence which
demands that I serve the state has
come to my aid with the means shall
find necessary
'"Then to my astonishment, he in
formed me that In order to give the
proper touch Of dignity to his exalted
state he had ordered number Of mo-
tor cars and horses and carriages and
was negotiating for the purchase Of a
large residence, which a leading firm
of house furnishers was to fit out in
lavish style.
] must do these things, you know
he added. I must
Having uttered these words, / recall,
he drifted to other subjects and con-
versed as nationally as any one.
Ut was case in which I took spe-
cfal 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-
anenting him on his good luck, pre-
dicted for him great future. and-I
was doing my best.
i I'm the end, I am glad to say, was
successful. 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 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 it was and
was forgotten. Indeed, very likely
were you to speak of it 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--myself.
81 had scarcely finished with this
case, strangely enough, when another
Of dreamland's dramas came before
my notice. Late one night it was and
the end of an exceptionally busy day.
There was violent ringing at my bell,
and moment later man burst excit-
eddy into my room and begged me to
accompany him to his home.
'Strangest thing in the worldv he
Jerked. My wife 1t Is. First she is
covering the baby with kisses; next
she is wanting to kill It, Woke up
with scream and wanted to put the
infant out of its misery. and it wasn't
In misery at ALL
Il 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:
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