The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-11-09
DAILY PRESS,
PORTLAND
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER o. 1877,
Very Curious.

| very curious.
THE EXPERIENCE OF AN ANTI SPIRITUAL
| The Louisville Courier-Jornal tells tbis
story:
Mr.. B., a resident of this city, who is
noted for the acuteness of his perceptive pow.
| ers, his intelligence, and scrupnlous veracity
relates an experience that seems to merit The
| attention OF those who seek to know
more of the nature OF man, especially since Mr
3. is not Spiritualist nor an Orthodox
Christian, who might be suspected of creduli.
| ty, bnt a materialst, who believes thai the
soul is the result of physical life and ceases to
exist as an individuality when physical life
ends.
He says: Some years ago 1 lived in St.
Louis. My residence was on Olive street,
| and l occupied two stories of the house. We
did our cooking in the first story, and our sit
ting-room was in the second story, from
which there were an outside and an inside
stairway by which we could 90 down 70 reach
the street. Que evening, returning home
about nightfali, sat down in a rocking chair
in our sitting room, while my wife went down
stairs to prepare supper. From the kitcheH
she could have seen me II, in somnambuic
state, had gone down either of the stair.
ways, but she is positive that L did not 90
down stairs. 1must have been a few min
utes sitsiug iu the rocking-chair when had
an impulse to go down town. 1 had no speci-
al business, but felt that must co. and
seemed to 90 down stairs by the outside
stairway. | was not conscious OF any unusu-
al sensation.
Passing on down street met many persons
returning from work, and it struck me as
singular that none of them gave way to me.
had to get out OF their way or they would
have run against me. l came opposite bank
and noticed that there was light inside. This
did not astonish me, as | knew that in many
banks and stores light is kept burning all
night, but l looked in and saw a man inside
counting notes. / felt wish to go in and I
knew that the door was shut and locked. l
could see that, but it seemed that the door
| did not close so tightly, but | could slip in,
and did so. l noticed exactly the hour that
\ was shown by the bank clock, and could hear
| the clock ticking. l went opposite the man
| who Was busily engaged counting notes. He
had hair little gray and very peculiar fea-
| lures. noticed that he sorted the notes as
he ran them over, throwing the different de-
nominations apart, and then counting them.
Observing this for few inmates, was
suddenly seized with dread lest the man
should look up, and, supposing had come in
with some felonious intent, do me sCme harm
as by shooting me before l could explain how
got in after the door was locked. In con-
siderable trepidation, l for the moment could
not see how to get out. did not remember
that l could 90 out where had gone in
Wishing to have the man see me without be-
ing startled, and thinking that the best way
to excuse my presence was for him to see me
between him and the door, went round to
his side to attract his attention; but he did
not seem to see me even when lie looked to-
ward NE. attempted to put my hand on his
shoulder to insure his attention, but somehow
could not touch him. l spoke to him, but
he did not seem to hear word that said.
Recoliecting then how had got in, went
out through the door crack, and went straight
home, the only noticeable incident being, as
on going down town, that those met did not
give way to me. | had still to step aside, or
they would have run against me. On getting
back to our sitting-room, settled myself in
| the rocking-chair, and the next thing knew
my wife was shaking me to have me wake up
| for tea. Eow long had elapsed from the time
when came home from work until my wife
called me to supper, have no means of know
| ing exactly.
Now, might suppose that the whole was a
dream, but for some unaccUuntable circum-
stance. One of these was that had not pre-
viously noticed the bank in my waking hours.
The next day after this curious experience
went down street as had seemed to go the
ight before and I saw the bank, and the
man whom l had seen counting notes was
there behind the counter. l recognized at
| once his marked features and 9rayish hair.
am utterly at loss to account for my expert
ence. Th at did not leave my sitting-ioom
nv wife is copfident. When she woke me
was in the chair as | was when she wen
down stairs. IL there Is spirit distinct from
| the body and it was that spirit went dowI
street and saw til iDgs previously unknown
why was l not conscious of being out of m,
| body?