The Elbert County tribune., 1920-02-20

nightmare. Some of us walk or have walked IN
our Sleep most of know people who do. And
few of us have Lad experiences so similar to
that of James Sapienza that we shiver at the
remembrance of them.
Those of who have had such experiences can
readily understand why ]. S. Plumb, manufac-
turing chemist of Jersey City, was impeed to
write the following letter to the prosecutor of
Newark:
II strikingl. reminded of a painful expe-
rience of mine many years ago. and / relate 1t
to you for what 1t may be worth bearing some
what corroboratively upon the Sapienza case.
Early In my married life was in the habit OF
sleeping with a revolver under the mattress at
the head of my bed. kept 1t there because 1t
was equally accessible but much less in danger
of accidental discharge when under my pillow.
"One night 1 had wild dream of graphing
with a burglar, and was awakened by my wlfe's
scream, or by my own action, both. to find to
my horror, that had my wifes head under my
left arm while was digging for my revolver with
my right.
1T was all over in minute, with no serious
damage being committed but it was a dreadful
thing, as had naturally grabbed my wife rough
ly. 1t made me realize that l might have killed
my beloved wife had l secured the weapon before
fully awaking, as would have been quite probable
had it been little handler under the pillow.
Never again, said, and the revolver has been
banished to an even less accessible place"
The literature of dreams Is voluminous as is
to be expected from mans interest in these mys-
teries of that mystery call sleep. Science
attempting to classify dreams has set aside a
class which 1t calls nightmares or incubuses
To those which go beyond the limits of the ordi-
nary nightmare 1t has applied the name som
namhulistic automatism." In this class are in
cluded the nocturnal adventures in which persons
commit violent acts of which they retain no wax
ing knowledge. Apparently the person is sleep
ing He appears to have entered state which
is short of total Oblivion yet beyond the dividing
n Eyi 49,,
real and the unreal confused; the unreal
Is to them real real itself. Dream re-
suits In physical action.
Certain 1t is that have little exact knowl-
edge of the essential nature of consciousness
in waking hours. We do know how
ever, that merely portion of the mental life is
represented In clear consciousness Many COM
pex brain processes carried on in the pres
ence of consciousness so slight as to be prac-
tieally absent, and the organic functions of the
human machine performed without any CON
sciousness whatever,
There is theory that dreams are frequently
merely the working out of suppressed desires"
Several of the crimfnologists somewhat in cor
roboration of this theory, hold that the commits
sion of crimes during sleep is entirely possible
under certain conditions. They express the be-
lief that the power of suggestion is SO strong that
in some of somnambuistic automatism the
sleeper Is the victim of selfhypnoss and carries
out the idea which in his waking moments had
obsassed him.
Says Dr. Smith Ely Jenne of New York. au
thor of work which devotes considerable space
to disordered dreams: 'WithOrt in any way
judging the facts in the Sapienzi rase 1t must
be admitted that crime like his under such cir
cumstances alleged by the defendant is entirely
possible"
Assuming that James sapenza has told the
whole truth. is the unfortunate man answerable
to the Law for killing his wIfe3