VIOLENCE IN DREAMS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 2697, 19 February 1924, Page 4

VIOLENCE IN DREAMS.

PECULIAR INSTANCES. SLEEPING WIVES HURT. Is a dream murder possible? A London solicitor, who has been in practice for thirty years, gives an account'of an astonishing dream attack that lie made on his wife, which suggests that one person might easily kill another while asleep, but dreaming. The solicitor writes: — “Many years ago this happened to me. About 3 a.m. I dreamed that I was running to catch an eastgoing train at St. Pancras Station. The guard caught hold of me—one of my feet was on the running board with my hands on the door handle and safety rail of the already moving train —calling out, ‘You cannot enter this train.'

“I replied: ‘lf I cannot you shall not,’ at the same time shooting out my free foot and bowling him over on the platform. In a moment I was awake, and heard a cry, and then a moan from my wife!

“I jumped out of bed, turned on the light, and found her on the floor with her head close to the fender. Explanations from me, tearful remarks from her, mutual regrets and then sleep once more.

“In the morning we discovered the incident fully, and saw its humorous side. My wife made light of her few bruises, but apart from my natural sorrow for unconsciously giving hex’ pain, I coxdd not help thinking that had the fender been one inch nearer her head when she fell and she had been killed I should or might have been, eventually tried for murder.

“As a defence, the explanation here given, and of course, the true one, would have been scoffed at.” On the same subject a lady correspondent of a London paper writes :

“About two years ago I had gn officer and his wife staying with me. They were devoted to each other. Yet during the night she never felt safe, and several times she was awakened to find him clutching at her throat, and when the fact was made known to him he was broken hearted and depressed for hours after. He always implored her to awaken him immediately she felt him touch her.”