The Argosy — page 262: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

He SHAPES THAT DREAMS MAY TAKE. | ) is fully understood that many most interesting and curious | dreams are yet but a continuation in sleep of those methods /of mental exertion to which the dreamer is accustomed. Other | cases there are in which the powers of memory or of insight, dormant or latent in the waking hours, are strangely stirred or exalted during the reign of slumber. Yet there remain certain instances, as well authenticated as any other incidents of human life, which cannot be ‘fully explained by any of these theories. In this paper we desire to tell a few stories of dreams belonging to this last class, to suggest any explanation which may seem worthy of the reader's consideration, and to call attention to specially inexplicable points. 3 We will begin with some cases which have actually been eluci- ‘dated in British law-courts, commencing with one recorded at a jdate when, it must be remembered, the belief in witchcraft was ystrong, and scores of people were burned or hanged on evidence ‘which would now dono more than consign whoever tendered it to the ‘doom of an insane asylum. _ In the year 1695, a Mr. Stockden was robbed and murdered in pis own house in the parish of Cripplegate. ‘There was reason to delieve that his assailants were four in number. Suspicion fell on ‘self. Soon: afterwards, a Mrs. Greenwood voluntarily came forward Jind declared that the murdered man had visited her in a dream, ‘and had shown her a house in Thames Street, saying that one of he murderers lived there. In a second dream he displayed to her portrait of Maynard, calling her attention to a mole on the side of us face (she had never seen the man), and instructing her con- ening an acquaintance who would be, he said, willing to betray 4m. Following up this information, Maynard was committed to orison, where he confessed his crime and impeached three accom- slices. It was not easy to trace these men, but Mr. Stockden, the nurdered man, again opportunely appeared in Mrs. Greenwood’s jreams, giving information which led to the arrest of the whole ‘ang, who then freely confessed, and were finally executed. The tory is related by the curate of Cripplegate, and ‘“‘ witnessed ” by Jr. Sharp, then Bishop of York. On this story, be it remarked that Mrs. Greenwood’s dreams only ‘erified suspicions already aroused. Maynard had been suspected ‘first: her dream brought home the guilt to him. It did not deal & his accomplices until Maynard, in his turn, had implicated em, A somewhat similar incident came before a legal tribunal nearly a COMIC OOO <S (CO)