The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-12-21
Remarkable Case OF Trance-VisiOns
OF an Indiana Servant Girl.


The people living in the vicinity of
Whiteland, johnson county, have recently
been very much excited over matter
which, to say the least, is very strange.
Several weeks since Miss Van Arsdale, a
Young woman about seventeen years old,
living at the house Of family near White
land in the capacity of a servant, was
taken sick with something like Mysteries.
She had been confined to her bed q little
over week, when, to all appearances, she
died. The body, however, did not entirely
lose its warmth, and a very slight pulse re-
NAMED. The people with whom she was
living supposed that she was dead, and
we're making preparations to bury her,
! when the physician interfcred, lorbidding
any such step.
After remaining in this state twelve
hours, consciousness returned, and the
girl pronounced herself much better. She
| then went on to describe her sensations
and experiences during the trance, aver
ring that she had visited heaven and hell,
and had conversed with the Saviour, and
many persons whom she had known on
earth. She spoke of seeing persons in
both places who had recently died; in
| heaven, young man named Quinn, who,
| although at one time professor of reli-
gion, had, in the last year or two of his
| fife, led a bad life i'll hell, the two men,
| Hatchell and Patterson, who were lynched
at Franklin on the night Of October 81
Tor the murder of Lyons at Greenwood.
Miss Van Arsdale sent for number OF
persons in the neighborhood, and not only
| imparted to them news of lost friends, but
told of sins committed by them supposed
to be unknown by any one. Among others
was a man who had participated IN the
execution of the men named above she
told him that he had been there that night
| (which he acknowledged, and had, IN
| Sight of God, committed murder.
| Previous to this the names OF the band
had been kept profound secret, and this
| man had not even been suspected. She
narrated a good many strange things, re-
latipr mainly to individuals both IN this
world and the other, many Of which it
would have been almost impossible for her
| to have invented.
But the strangest part of the story is
vet to come. A few hours after the eXpi-
| ration Of the first trance she predlcted
that she would have another, and told to
minute the time at which it would COM
mence, and at which it would end. Every
thing turned ont as she had said at the
exact time she fell into the same state. In
an ordinary trance, or cataleptlc state,
respiration is not suspended, but IN this
case breathing could not be observed. She
was to all appearances dead but the pulse
beat family, and the body was not cold.
| All sensation was gone.
The physician made numerous expert
ments, pricking the body, opening the
veins, and so forth, to discover II there
could be any deception. In the end ne
was perfectly convinced that there was
none. At the expiration OF the time set
by herself she came to, and in few hours
was we'll enough to leave her bed and 60
about the house. The story of her eXpe-
rience in the second trance was similar TO
the first one, and was confined almost
wholly to individuals. She seemed unable
to describe the places she had been IN,
but gave histories Of events and persons
with remarkable minuteneSs. She also
said that she would never have recur-
renee of the trance unless she should COM
NIT some fragrant sin; her authority tor
! this prediction was that the Lord hlmSell
had told her so.
This is certainly strange thing. The
girl is uneducated, and has lived about as
a servant ever since she was able to WORK.
She has always borne good character Tor
truthfulness, and is q member of church.
She is almost the last person in the world
to have manufactured such stories, and
one thing especially noticeable is the fact fact
of her sending for persons to whom, before
her illness, she would have been afraid to
have spoken, and conversing with them
without the least restraint; ana telllng
them stories and facts not the most palata'
bile to worldly people. She was visited by
a great many people, some of them emf
neS Sti respectable, who vouched 70 for many
If the statements of her illness. The ply.
sician in attendance is positive as to heE
condition during the whole time; and mad
it not been for him she would nave o1 ni
buried alive.-IndianapoHs Herald, De
| oo,oJo, 1Jtb