From the May 17, 1875 Brooklyn Daily Eagle:

“A rather curious freak of a somnambulist is reported as having occurred on Saturday night at No. 669 Bedford Avenue, in this city. At the place mentioned a young man named Chandler Cobb, whose abode is in the town of Wilmington, Vermont, has been on a brief visit to his relative, Mr. Snyder, and during the time has slept in the same bed with another young man named William Martin. Cobb, it seems, is subject to attacks of somnambulism, and while in that state has been known to leave the couch and wander about the dwelling and even out onto the streets. Well, on this occasion, he took one of those walking spells, and after getting up was seized with an idea that Martin was going to shoot him, and so he took a chair and proceeded to beat that unfortunate youth, who was fast asleep, over the head, and did it so energetically for several moments that the other occupants were aroused from their slumbers by the unearthly screams of the victim. While in the act of beating his friend, Cobb became wide awake, and then seemed to be seized with a temporary attack of insanity, for he ran wild down to the store floor, and in his efforts to escape from his imaginary foe, through a large pane of plate glass door, and in so doing was very seriously cut about the head, hands and legs.”