Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-11-16

DEATH SCENES IN PROOF OF IMMORTALITY
From the New Quarterly Review.

taking place. The sun OF our poor nuna
life mostly sets behind an impenetrabl
cloud. OF all forms of death the commones
seems to he the awful agony" with its IN
conscious groans and stertorous breath. Tn
dying person seems to sink lower and lower
as If beneath the waters of an unt tlthomabl
sea a word a motion, glance, rising up a
longer and longer intervals. till the last SLOW
and distant sighs terminate the woful strife
and the victory of death is complete. Whel
this is the mode OF dissolution il is of cours'
hopeless to look for any indication of tn
fate of the soul at its exodus and the SAM
holds good as regards death in extreme ol'
age, or after eNhaustinG disease, when tn,
sufferer very literally falls asleep" Again
there are deaths which are accompanied 10y
great pam, or delirium, or which are caused
by sudden accidents, altogether hiding from
our observation the mental condition OF the
patient. Only in a small residue of cases
the bodily conditions are such rs to cause
neither interference with, nor yet conceal
meut of, the process of calm and peaceful
| dissolution in the full light of mental sanity
and it is TO these only We can look with any
hope of fruitful observation. We ask,
whether in such cases instances have ever
been known of occurrences having any r.
| niicunco, taking III connection with the sol
emn event? Does our forerunner on the
| hilltop show 10y his looks and action-since
be is too far of to speak to us-that he be-
holds. from his Peak in Darien," m ocean
yet hidden from our view?
should hesitate altogether to affirm posi-
lively that such is the case ; but, after many
inquiries on the subject, am still more dis
inclined TO assert the contrary. The truth
seems TO be that in almost every family or
circle, questions willielicit recollections of
death-bed scenes, wherein, with singular re-
currence, appears one very significant incl
dent. namely, that the dying person, precise
~ at the moment of death, and when the
power of speech was lost, or nearly lost.
seemed to see something--or rather, to speak
more exactly, to become conscious of some
thing present Cfor actual sight Is out of
question: of a very striking kind, which re-
manned invisible to and unperceived by the
assistants. Again and again this incident is
repeated. Ii is described almost in the same
words by persons who have never heard of
similar occurrences, and who suppose their
own experience to be unique, and have raised
no theory upon it, but merely consider it TO
be "strange," ''curious' affecting, and
nothing more. 1t is invariably explained
that the dying person is lying quietly, when
suddenly, IN the very act of explring,h he looks
up sometimes starts up IN bed-and he
gazes on (what appears to be- vacancy with
an expression of astonishment, sometimes
developing instantly into JOY, and sometimes
cut short in the first emotion of solemn Won
der and awe. If the dying man were to see
some utterly unexpected but instantly recog-
nized vision, causing him great surprise,
or mpturous Joy, his face could not better
veal the fact The very instant this phenom-
enon occurs death is actually taking place.
and the eyes glaze even while they gaze at
the unknown sight If a breath or two still
heave the chest, it is obvious that the soul
has already departed.
\ few narratIons of such observations,
chosen from great number which have been
to the writer, will serve to
slow more exactly the point which it is de-
sired should be established by larger
concurrence of testimony. The following
are given i'll the words o. friend on whose
accuracy every reliance may be placed
Il have heard numberless instances o: dy-
ing persons showing Enthusiastically by their
gestures. and sometimes by their words, what
they saw in the moment of dissolution what
could not he seen 10y those around them. On |
three occasions facts of this nature came dis |
tnctly within my own knowledge, and will |
therefore limit myself to detail of that |
which ! can give on my own authority, al |
though the circumstances were not so strik- |
ing as many others known to Inc, which | |
believed to be equally true.
81 WIS watching one night beside poor
man dying of consumption his case was
hopeless, but there was no appearance of the
end being very near he was in full posses
sion of his senses, able TO talk with n strong
voice and not in the least drowsy. He had
slept through the day and was so wakeful
hat had been cOnversing with him on ordi-
lary subjects 10 while away the long hours.
while We were thus talking quietly
ogether, he became silent, and fixed his
yes on one particular spot III the room,
which was entirely vacant, even of furniture;
Il the same time n look OF the greatest de
light changed the whole expression OF his
ace, and after u moment of what seemed to
,e intense scrutiny of some object invisible
o me, he said TO me in joyous tone, There
S jim. Jim was little son whom he had
ost the year before, and whom | had known
yell but the dying man had son still liy-
ne, named John, for whom he had sent. and
concluded it was of John he was speaking
md that he thought he heard him arriving
20 answered
No. John has not been able to come
The man turned TO me impatiently and
aid, 4 do not mean John l know he's not
ere it is Jim, my little lame Jim surely
ou remember him z"
" Yes said Il remember dear little Jim
mo died last year, quite we'll.
Don't You see him, them There he is,
aid the man, pointing to the vacant space
II which his eyes We're fixed and when |
id not answer he repeated almost fretfully, I
Don't You see him standing thereH' ,
Il answered that | could not see him,
lough / felt perfectly convinced that some
hing was visible TO the sick man, which | I
ould not perceive. When ! gave him this I
l.. a
1und to look at me with glance almost of
ldignation. As his eyes met mine, ! saw
nat film seemed to pass over them, the c
ght Of intelligence died away, he gave a |
entle sigh and expired. He did not live five |
inutes from the time he irst said, There is i
in, although there had been no sign of ap-
roaching death previous to that moment. '
THE second case was that of boy, about t
'urteen years of age, dying also of decline. q
e WAS a refined. highly educated child. who {
iroughout his long illness had looked for /
ard with much hope and longing to the un- d
nown life to which he believed he was hast f
ming. On bright Summer morning it be- l.
.me evident that he had reached his last /
our. He lost the power Of speech, chiefly 5
ON weakness but he was perfectly sensI- b
le and made his wishes known TO MS by t
Is intelligent looks. He was sitting prop b
l up in bed. and had been looking rather s
ldly at the bright sunshine playing on the +
ees outside his open windows for some h
me. He had turned away from this scene, il
owever, and WIS facing the end of the t
pom, where there WIS nothing whatever but r
closed door, when all in II moment the a
hole EXPIRE ssion of his fnco changed to one 5
the most wondering rapture, which made Z
is half-closed eyes open to their utmost ex- n
mt. while his lips were parted with a smile v
perfect ecstacy IT was impossible to doubt h
iat some glorious sight was visible to him, r
ld from the movement of his eyes 1t was s
lain that 1t WAS not one but many objects on Il
hich he gnzed, for his looks passed slowly s
ON end to end of what seemed to be the Il
lcnnt wall before hun, going back and for s.
ard, with cyer-incrcasng delight manifest
| III his own aspect lli- mother then ask
| HIM If what lac saw was some wonderful
ght beyond the confines OF tins world, to |
we her token that If WAS SO, by pressing I
n hand. He Mt once took her hand, and n
Iessed IT meaningly, giving thereby an in .
llIgent affirmative to her question, though | /