Jerry McAuley, Transformed; or, The History of a River Thief, Briefly Told (published by himself, 1876), ch. VI, "The Morning Breaketh," p. 29

All at once it seemed as if something supernatural was in my room. I was afraid to open my eyes. I was in an agony, and the sweat rolled off my face in great drops. Oh, how I longed for God’s mercy! Just then, in the ver…