The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-07-27
MEsMERIC MYSTERIES.
Does the soul Enjoy BOundless Freedom after
Escaping from the Human Prison?
From the watseka Times.

| ESCAPING from the human Prison!
From the watseka Times.
In the long, long ago the Grccian philoso
pher, Pythagoras, taught the strange doctrine
that when mans soul fled from the human
prison, it was Immediately captured and made
the life of another body. But people shook
their heads, and they have shaken their heads
ever since whenever the strange idea was men.
toned Yet, who has not at some period or
other in his life experienced mysterious
feeling, mystic recollection that he once had
another existence and lived in another form,
and was another beng?
Scenes are distinctly brought to our mind
which we certainly never observed during our
present life Was then our soul the soul of
another body ages ago?
There are yet numberless mysteries in this
world, though science has dissipated many
wonders and philosophy has made plain many
marvels. There is much that is unaccounta-
bic in the actions of spiritualstic mediums,
and they do many things which puzzle the
greatest philosophers. Skeptical and unbeliev-
ing as we are, and slight as our experience has
been, we have seen enough to convince us that
SprItualism is not all humbug. The case of
Lurancy Nennum, a bright young girl of IA
years. has been the subject of much discussion
in Watseka during the past year, and there is
Il good deal in it beyond human comPrehen-
sion.
She was taken sick about a year ago, COM
planning of severe pain in the stomach, and
was probably II victim to the mysterious dis
ease which is known among medical men as
Catalepsis or Catalepsy, and is thus defined:
a disease in which there is sudden suspen-
sion of the action of the senses and of volition :;
the limbs and trunk preserving the different
positions given to them. The circulation and
respiration are in most cases bu. little affected !;
but are sometimes imperceptible. The attack
may last only for Il few minutes, or it may
continue for hours, and even, it is said, for
days; and consciousness generally returns with
the same suddcnness AS it left the patient hav
ing no recollection of anything that passed
during the attack This disease bears great
resemblance to the mesmeric state, and in
deed is so often ;feigned that many have doubt
ed whether it really had any existence. The
paroXysm is frequently induced by some
strong mental emotion or by some disorder OF
the digestive or secretive organs
The Vcnnum girl had frequent attacks like
| the above, during which she seemed to have
will power, and, though her body was rigid,
when told to raise her hand or foot she would
slowly do So and would obey all commands.
She could also place her hand on Il book and
without seeing it would point to any letter
that was named. These spells would last
sometimes an hour or two, then she became
quite rational and appeared as well as ever.
This continued until some time in January
last when, after one of those frances, she de
clared that she was an old German woman
named Katrina, but this illusion soon vanish
ed, and she became Mary Rolf, young lady
who died twelve years ago. She called her
father and mother Mr.. and Mrs. Nennum, and
spoke of Mr. and Mrs. A. b. Rolf as her father
Al. 81, Inl hove hon, lrnth nrS
Mary Rolf, herself was a very strange girl.
She was also afflicted with catalepsy, and died
about twelve years ago when Lurancy Ncnnum
was not more than two years old.
Mr. and Mrs. A. b. Rolf kindly offered to
take charge of her until her mind would
change and she should become herself again.
She went there in February and remained I'M
til about three weeks ago; since then she has
been Lurancy Vennum, and is healthy and
| full of intelligence During her entire stay at
MI Roh's she never failed to call Mr. Rolf
father" and Mrs. Rolf mother" and she of
ten referred to matters and incidents which
occurred during the life of Mary Rolf, and
which Mr.. and Mrs. Rolf and Mrs Alter re-
membered well. Indeed she mentioned so
many things which she certainly had
never heard of, that it was hard even for the
most skeptiCal not to believe that there was
something supernatural about her, If she was
not prompted by the spirit of Mary Rolf, how
could she know so much about the family,
people with whom she was not acquainted and
whom she had never visited? Such IL mystic
rlous halluclnaton!
1t was very strange to hear her talk so conf
IDENTIFY of herself as the daughter of Mr.. Rolf,
and she did not recognize her relatives. She
was pleasant and cheerful, and appeared very
intelligent No stranger would have suspect
cd her of being the victim of disease, though
her eyes were unnaturally bright and her face
unusually pale.
During her stay at Mr. Rofl>s the attacks or
frances" became less and less frequent, until
at last they ceased entirely, and she one day
informed them that Lurancy Vennum would
return on the morrow and Mary Rolf would
90 back to heaven At the hour named the
next day she became Lurancy Vennum again,
and was taken home for the first time in many
months She called Mrs Nennum mother,
and was delighted to meet her brothers and
sisters
A stranger case we never heard related, and
it has shaken our unbelief to some extent 1t
does not prove Spiritualism, but it is strong
evidence that there Is something IN it,"