The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1867-12-25
Remarkable C,,se OF Trance-Vfsions
OF an Indfnnn Servant Girl.

Remarlable C,,se 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
q, 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 a family near Whiteland
in the capacity of servant, was
taken sick with something like hys-
terics, She had been confined to
her bed little over a week, when,
to all appearances, she died. The
body, however, did not entirely lose
its warmth, and very slight pulse
remained. The people with whom
she was living supposed that she was
dead, and were making preparations
to bury her, when the physician in
terfered, forbidding 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 experience during
the trance, averring that she had visit
ed Heaven and hell, and had con-
versed 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, o young man named
Quinn, who, although at one time a
professor of religion, had, in the
last year or two Of his life, led bad
life; in hell, the two men, Hatchell
and Patterson, who were lynched at
Franklin on the night of October 81,
for the murder of Lyons at Green
wood. Miss Van Arsdale sent for a
number of persons in the neighbor-
hood, and not only impaired 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 acknow-
ledged, and had, in sight of God,
committed murder.
Previous to this the names of the
band had been kept a profound
secret, and this man had not even
been suspected. She narrated good
many strange things, relating mainly
to individuals 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
ls yet to come. "A few hours after
the expiration Of the first trance, she
predicted that she would. have an
other, and told to minute the time
at which it would commence, and at
which it would end. Everything
turned out as she had said; at the
exact time she fell into the same
state. In an ordinary trance, or
cataleptic 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 ex-
periments, pricking the body, open
ing the veins, and 80 forth, to dis
cover if there could be any deception.
In the tnd he was perfectly con-
'lnced that there was none. AT the
expiration Of the time set by herself
she came to. and in few hours was
well enough to leave her bed and 90
abont the house. The story of her
experience in the second trance was
similar to the first one, and was con.
fined almost wholly to individuals
She seemed unable to describe the
places she had been in, but gave
histories of events and persons with
remarkable minute: nss. She also
said that she woulc never have 8
recurrence of the trance unless she
should commit some fragrant sin
her authority for this prediction was
that the Lord himself had told he,
so.
This is certainly strange thing