Monongalia mirror. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1855, 1854-03-25
Miscellaneous.
A SINGULAR STORY.

A Mr.. Lawrence, of New Orleans, has
lately been missing, and no trace could be
found of him, although the opinion is that
he was murdered and thrown into the river.
The New Orleans Delta, Of the 18th ult.,
contains tho following singular narrative
and says itcomes from highly responsible
source, and that the yeracity Of the gentle
man from whom they received the story 10
unquestionable. Says the Delta = q
The wife Of one of Mr.. Lawrence's most
intimate friends, who had for number Of
years been on terms of the closest friend
ship with that gentleman, is mesmeric
medium, and her brother is in the habit Of
placing her in q mesmeric state. But at the
house Of an acquaintance, in nLafayctte, on
last Saturday night,about 10 oclockbefore
any person had tho least intimation thatany
misfortune had befallen Mr.. Lawrnce, the
company requesed the brother to mesmerize
his sister as many Of them were anxious to
SEQ the effect Of mesmerism. Z,
The ladywas placed in q mesmeric sleep
and on the request of several persons
present that he would PROFOUND to her a
few questions, he asked har, what do you
see, sister? she Immediately replied, Il see
three men engaged in o fight on the leyee.'
do you know any Of them?' yes; one Of
thom is Mr.. Lawrence; the others I don't
know; one isa very tall man, the other a.
bout medium size; and these two men are
striking Mr.. Lawrence. Why don't some
body help him? Why don't hc shoot
them? There, now, they have knocked Mr..
Lawrence down. Good heavens! they have
killed him. 'What are they doing now?
THE tall man is taking his watch, and the
other is feeling in his pocket. He is ta-
king some bank bills out of Mr.. Lawrence's
pocket; now he is taking somegold. They
are talking together now; now they pick
Mr.. Lawrence up and are carrying himSto-
wards the river. Will no body save him?
There, they have thrown him in. Mr..
Lavrenceis gone She stopped talking for
q minute or two, when she was again ask.
ed, what do you see!' q sec, a steamboat
lying at the wharf. Iti, about to leave.
Therois is a great number of passengers on
board; and among tho passengers | eethe
two men who killed Mr.. Lawrence and
threw him in the river, Tho tall one has
his watch; they are both better dressed
than they were before. - ! ..
Here the company having become sat
isfed with the experiment, the brother
woke his sister; and when she was inform.
ed Of what she had said, she laughed in.
credulously, remarking she recollected no.
thing ofwhat had taken place. The sister
of Mr.. Lawrence was present, and the COM
pany were pretty free in passing their jokes
about the matter; and all were vociferous
in their dcnunciations of mcsmcrism as
humbug. Little did they think that; tho
vast scene the young lady had described,
was actually at that moment perhaps be-
ing enacted, and that Mr.. Lawrence was
then no more. It is also a remarkable fact
that two steamships sailed for California
from the wharf on Sunday morning. Mr..
Lawrence was not seen after leaving his
office, with five or six hundred dollars in
his pocket, at q late hour on Saturday. No
anxiety was manifested by his friends uu-
til Monday morning; when, beginning to
be alarmed, they Instituted search for him.
His hat and some other articles, with blood
upon them, were found on the levee, in
the Fourth District. All then remembered
the story of the nesmeric subject; and
mesmerism lad more than ono convert in
that company. Was Dumas romance Of
the 'Corsican Brothers all a fiction?
N n