Rensselaer Union, Volume 8, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 January 1876 — Perilous Nightmare. [ARTICLE]

Perilous Nightmare.

Last evening a robust and gentlemanlylooking stranger arrived at the New York Exchange. His life has beeu an eventful one, including many passages at arms with border ruffians, his business for many years being that of a thief-taker. Previous ,o entering the Exchange lie took a couple ot drinks. Soon after seating himself Dear the stove he dropped off into a troubled sleep. One by ope the guests retired, and yet he slumbered. It being near midnight the watchman of the hotel concluded to awaken the sleeper and show him up to his room. He stole'to the stranger’s side, grasped him by the shoulders, and announced that it* was time to go to bed. In a moment the slurnberer awoke and bounded upon him, with the exclamation: “I will run this ranch”’ Fortunately, Officer Ferrington entered at that instant and joined in tlie struggle, which for some minutes was They had great difficulty in preventing the stranger from securing a pistol which was in his belt. Ferringtou finally got a chance to sound his whistle, bringing Officer Pritchard to the scene. About this time a change came over the stranger, and, looking up, he exclaimed, as if puzzled: “Is upossible that I am drunk or dreaming? Where am, I?” Then seeming to take it all in, at a glance, he asked if those around him were officers. Being answered in the affirmative, he accompanied them without further resistance. Upon arriving at the City Hall he gave a brief synopsis of his life, and said that at the time he was clapped ou the shoulder by the watchman of the hotel he was in the midst of a terrible nightmare, in which he fancied himself surrounded and attacked in a Kansas bar-room; that he was not really awake until after the second policeman arrived. All hands were satisfied with the truth of the story and congratulated themselves that the consequences were not mere serioqs.— San Jose (Cal.) Patriot.