The Grange advance., 1874-09-16
]tou'sA. u1tAv.,
An Bxsr1or4iaa<y Story fro0 Hel-

Father Aajunke, Roman Catholic
priest and the editor of. Germania, an
ultramontane organ in Prussia, has
written the following extraordinary
story about a girl name Louisa Lateau,
who lives in the little village of Bois
d'Haine, in Belgium. Louisa Lateau,
Father Majunke claims, is one of those
persons who every Friday exhibit on
their persons wounds similar to those
inflicted upon our Saviour at his cruci-
fixion. Father Majunke tells his story
with all the simplicity of an ardent be-
lever in the divine character of the
physical phenomena. He says:
I'm Louisa Lateau's case the bleeding
begins at midnig ght Of the Thursday and
ends at midnight of the Friday. First
the forehead bleeds, as though the
pointed thorns Of the crown were stick
ing into the skin; the blood runs out
from under the hair, bubbles up I'M little
rills, and streams down the cheeks to-
wards the point of the nose; then the
hands, the side and the feet begin to
bleed, above and below
He then continues:
'<Louisa receives the Holy Communion
daily ?; it is her only nourishment, for
she has not for the last two years eaten
or drunk anything else. If she does
not communicate, she becomes wearied
to death; in consequence of which it is
permitted to her to enjoy the Body of
the Lord even on Good Friday. Every
morning at 6 o'clock she visits the
church, Which is a good long way of;
only on Fridays she does not do so, the
holy 'Wegzehru1d' being brought to
her on those days. This was done last
Friday by the highly worthy Bishop in
person; and I otticiated. We found
everything prepared as though for an
ordinary patient suffering from q grave
malady; in the little brick-foorcd room
Louisa was kneeling before the table,
all streaming with blood. She took the
holy communion with passionate desire,
almost greedily. At 2 o'clock P. N.
she fell into an ecstasy. The Lord
Bishop went to her little time before
to see if perhaps she would pass the
appointed time in conversation. But,
no. Exactly at two clock she became
silent her eyes glazed. The priest of
the place declared that Louisa beheld
several sorts of apparitions during her
ecstasy. First she sees God in His
glory; then the sutferings of Christ, es.
pecially the last stages Of the same. At
little before 3 o'clock Louisa falls
down; at three she spreads out her
hands. What is very remarkable in
these spasms is that, although the
spirit is transferred to other regions,
it lives also for the immediate surround
ings Of the body. For instance, when
a consecrated object or article is
brought near Louisa it pro-
duces soft smile upon
her countenance. She also smiles when
prayer is going on. At particular mo-
1nents 1--WE are fourteen in all, and the
priests were praying the breviary) as
for instance, at the Gloria Patri, at the
words, 'Misceicordia' and 'Misericors,'
she smiled in a quite peculiar and re.
markable manner, whether the prayer
was read in French, German, or He
brew In her ecstacy she understood
all languages. She could perfectly dis
tinguish between consecrated and un.
consecrated articles. Professor Lefe-
bre convinced US that she was exempted
from all the laws of the natural world
order, by throwing his sharp-pointed
penknife at her outstretched hand.
The hand did not shrink, nor
did any blood appear on the place
where it had been pierced through.
The speaker reminded those present
that the well known Bernadette of
Lourdes had held taper in her hand,
that its flames had played about her
fingers and not in the least damaged
them-a fact insisted in by thousands,
When, during prayer, the names of
Jesus and Mary were mentioned, Louisa
raised the upper part Of her body from
the ground; but this raising was all. Of
+ piece, not by degrees, as
usually happens; she foated upwards
all at once. As the Lord Bishop spoke
the words, %! my Jesus, l fall on nv
knee she twisted herself around SO
hastily, and fell on her knee before the
Bishop, that both I ana the Lord
Bishop were quite startled, for was
afraid she was going to throw herself
out of the window. By chance the
Episcopal cross got into the way of her
hands. and she took hold of it. AS soon
as prayers were over she fell down
again-that is to say, she did not fall
down, for if she had she must have hurt
herself on the bricks, but she floated
down. There is no fitting descriptive
word in our language for the appear.
ance of her downfall. Next morning
at six, Louisa was again in church, al.
though she had lost so much blood on
Friday; her feet were again enabled to
carry her. I visited her again. As 1
came in l found her busy sewing with
her sisters; she offered me chair and
was considerably reserved, Her face
was somewhat pale, as though enlight.