Sugar planter. [volume] (West Baton Rouge [i.e. Port Allen, West Baton Rouge Parish, La.]) 1856-1925, 1867-06-22
From the Sunday NO. Crescent.
WONDERFUL STATEMENT.
a VISIT 70 THE SPIRIT LAND.

nearly reach perfection as to pefInlt hin
to hold actual communion with advanced
spirits in their W sphere Or spirit land
The following narrative, as told by tht
chief actor-a man Of irreproachablt
morals and q strict observer of the duties
Of religion, which are taught by him botE
By example and preeept-wilI convey {
new senation to the reader. The facts
are so well attested that no doubt can
be thrown on the statement. At least
ten persons witnessed the descent from
the upper air, and it has BEN well said.
il connection, that the world Las never
seen or heard anything more strange O.
wonderful. The statement IS given II
the words Of the narrator, suppressing
for the present, but which will be
given at the proper time
II was walking in a melancholy mood
at the close Of the day along the streets
Of the city, making one Of the usual
crowd Of people To be found at that hour
vending their way homeward after the
work for the day is done, and my thoughts
insensibly wandered into the labarynth
of ~spiritualism, I had read a number of
books on that abstruse subject, wherein !
found much that is grand mixed with the
pucrile and ~seDsuous, like the Koran Of
Mahomet, and | had given Up the reading
as proftless and too hidden for my mind.
AT the same time | have never witness
ed any manifestations as they are call
ed Of the spirits. Thinking on the mat
ter as walked along the street in a mel
ancholy and rather distracted mood, as |
before said, I thought ] heard the silyery
laugh Of some fair girl at my side
Aroused from my abstraction by the
laugh looked around, but I was alone
no person nearer to me than across the
street. Thinking it tie effect Of imagin-
alton, | dismissed from my mind all
thought about it and continued nv walk,
still thinking on the subject Of spiritual,
ism. | reached the middle Of the block,
or squarG, OF which | was strolling,
when | became painfully aware Of some
body being near me without my being
able to perceive any person. That / was
accompanied by a being | could have no
doubt /; felt the presence, 50 to speak,
u every fiber Of my frame it was a
species OF magnetism, q vivid impression,
amounting to certainty, that near me was
q being, human or spiritual, whose pres
enee | could not deny any more than I
can deny that | am talking to you this
minute. However, | coulu not see any
person near me, and I had a fair view of
every surrounding object-houses, trees,
vehicles, people at a distance, and all
the attendants Of an hour and q scene
in q large city near nightfall. In spite
of my usual calm philosophy, I felt ny
hair rise on my head-a horror was upon
me OF | knew not what.
stopped and deliberately looked about
me, to assure myself that | was not drea,
ming. Fear had nothing to do with the
feeling it was q horror-a sense of
helplessness in the use of my sense of
sight as to who or what this was that
was present with me. When I STONED
3 quick revulsion came upon me-instead
ct horror q calm feeling of delight en-
sued over my spirit, and q holy f%eFvor,
as one feels when il communion with
heaven. Feeling this calm steal over
my soul, and the pleasurable emotions
accompanying it, | raised my eyes heay. .
onward, IN alteration to the God of Crea.
ton, with an intensity of gaze in my ar.
as IT could pierce the blue expaDse
and see the blessed mansions in the skies.
whist ! looked | plainly saw a collect
ion OF beings afar of in space, each one (
oeamIng IN a radient light that played
like electricity around them. | could
only see a dim outline of each being but
| felt their eyes looking upon me. They
seemed to he waiting the due arrange !
BY two Of their number Of a glist- :
apparatus held between them
Whilst ] looked | saw dropping graau. ;
ally eafthward, an attenuated thread !
IKE chain apparently no thicker than a :
web; but what surprised me =
most was to perceive that it did not swav :
a and forth in the air as a web is I
moved by the breeze, but hung perpen. :
1icniarly from the point Of its s%uspen- :,
'ion. 1t soon reached the earth, the end :
,estlng near but not touching the ground. a
felt inpelled to approach ard examine b
ne chain. No sooner had | put my hand p
N It, than a gentle tremor ran through S
ny frame and a feeling of exquisite sen t
loilty stole over me. I was induced TO
az my other hand upon it and ere | wasp
ware Of il, ! found myself high up ia 6
air approaching the assembly of L