A Somnambulist.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIII, Issue 300, 17 December 1892, Page 2 (Supplement)

A Somnambulist.

' The mosb puzzling case 1 ever had was in Denver, four or five years ago,' said S. S. Corrigan, a veteran detective, at St. Louis (U.S.)_ recently. 'A wealthy drygoods merchant made a practice of taking his receipts after banking hours home with him and locking them up in a large safe which he kept in his bedroom. Several timos considerable sums were abstracted from the safe, bub how ib was managod was a mystery. He alone knew the combination, and the safe was always properly locked after being looted. He had locks and bars on his doors and windows, and these were nob aisburbed. I puzzled over the case a good deal, and finally concluded that he must; be mistaken about tho robberies ; that, in shore, he was a crank. I tried to geb nd of tho case, but he was nob to be sbafeen off.

_ ' Finally I had iiim place a cob for me in his bedroom and I slept there. Every mghb before retiring I would ascertain whab was in the safe and inspect it in the morning. A week went by before anything occurred to solve the myatery. One night I was awakened by the clicking of the safe lock, and I started up to find the merchant riflino- the cash drawer. A closer inspection showed him to be sound asleep. I slipped into my olotb.es and awaited developments, ■tie caremlly closed the safe, lib a candle, opened toe door and passed out. He wont to an old building back of his residence that bad been his home before he becama wealthy, and concealed his plunder in a cavity thab had been made in one of the 6illß. The mystery was solved. He had been systematically stealing from himself m his sleep. The cavity in the sill of the old house had been his treasure chest in the early days of Denver, before the advent of banks and fireproof vaults, and worrying over ma money in his dreams he had arisen and transferred ib to what in the olden time «••« *!*Mfe<Jtafe.«t .V Hew cvy