Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1879-02-18

'Yes."
'But what must you have thought o
me all this time ?" she asked him, aftel
a little while. '.
IT know what think now,
"And what is that?"
81 think" said Mr.. Ainscourt, with
emphasis, "that you are the best wife
in the world" 40
From the New York Observer
The Wonderful Sleeping Preacher.
Truth is not unfrequentIy stranger
than fiction. The supernatural cannot
be explained by science. What the
writer is about to state are facts, and il
human testimony from the very best oi
men is worth anything, they are beyond
disputation. The subject of this short
sketch is the Rev. G. B. Sanders, now
living at Mayesville, eleven miles east
of Huntsville, Ala. and for % years a
highly esteemed minister of the Cum
berland Presbyterian church. He ut
terly refuses to be called a spiritualist.
clairvoyant, or that he is subject OF
lmesmerism, or animal magnetism, but
simply says of himself, 81 am a vessel
of mercy whom the Lord has chosen to
this end" and further says, MY pecu-
liar developments will not be explained
from q scientific standpoint, at least so
long as it is assumed that my physical
sufferings are the cause of my mental
phenomena" He is indeed wonder
to himself and to the many who have
both seen and heard him while in his pe-
culiar sleeps for the last twenty or more
years.
The developments of Mr.. Sanders
commenced in 1854. and continued more
or less until 1876. In 1854 he was at
tackled with typhoid fever, during
which he was taken with violent con-
WILSON'S. affecting bis whole body, es-
pecially his arms, chest, throat and
tongue. The suture of the skull is sepa
rated to such an extent that one could
bury the little finger in the opening
His head and lungs seemed to be the
seat of the most intense pain. In ex-
treme cases, respiration would be sus-
pended fer such length of time that it
seemed impossible ever to return, the
pulse beating feebly but so rapidly as to
be beyond counting. These paroxysms
continued until 1859; but he still suffers
from violent pains in the head and
lungs.
He is called the "Sleeping Preacher"
for want of better name, by all who
know or have heard of him, and the
writer heard him thus called eighteen
years age Sometimes he sleeps, aud
yet seems to be wide awake, the eyes
wide open but without winking, and in
this state will talk, answer questions,
walk to a considerable distance, and in
this respect seems somnambulistic; and
yet has no knowledge when in his nor
NAL state OF what he has said or done.
Sometimes, when the pain is severe in
his head, he has it bandaged heavily,
covering the eyes, will pass into one of
his sleeps. which may continue for an
hour, or day, or rseveral days, and in this
condition will call for pencil and paper,
aud with his hands under the cover will
write letters to his friends, mora! essays,
or report sermons at that time being
preached miles and miles away, follow
ing the lines. as closely as if awake, not
emitting the dottiDg of an CIR the cross
ing of t. He thus reported, during one
of his sleeps" a sermon preached by
the Rev. +. A. Ross, of Huntsville,
Ala, in 1874, twelve miles away, giving
text, subject, in fact the whole sermon
complete, and read it the next morning
to his friends. Dr. Ross was written TO,
and vouches for the correctness of the
sermon. In 1875 Mr.. Sanders was in
Tuilahoma, Tenn. conversing with DIR.
Cowan, between ~ aud l at night (Mr.
Sanders being in one of his nervous
sleeps) The passenger train for Chat
tanooga was heard coming. Mr.. San
ders began telling DR.. Cowan of a pas
senger on board who was suffering from
disease of the heart, and described his
condition suddenly he exclaimed.
"There, that man dropped silver coin. y
When asked who, he replied, "a man
on the platform of the car, wearing a
cap. The coin is silver, with an adver-
tisement on one side, which is up y
Search was made that night, by the aid OF
a lantern. Mr.Sanders directed the exact
spot to look. The advert ement read
as follows:
JAS. s. BRADLEY,
Glider and Frame Maker.
154 w. St, N. Y.
Cheapest in the City.
Mr.. Bradley was written to, and re-
piled that he issued such silver tokens
twenty years ago.
"He is gone! gone! gone! poor fel-
low, what a pity ~ "Who is gone ?''
was asked "Lieutenant Mcclure; he
has just died in Clarksville, Tenn, !"
was the answer. A telegram was re-
ceived by Mrs. Mcclure, the next morn
ing, announcing tbs death of her hus-
band by bursting of blood vessel. Mr.
Sanders was at Athens, Ala, $50 miles
from Clarksville. Coming into friends
house one morning, with slip of paper
in his hand, he commenced reading it,
saying. "Your folks are all we'll at Sails,
ht1rx ~ to To-
night there was large fire there :" and
then described its origin and progres:
in minutia. The next letter from Sails
bury confirmed his statements.
The writer could fill columns of the
Observer with similar wonderful things
concerning the Sleeping Preacher ~
His most eloquent sermons were
preached while in his ABNORMAL con
dition. A newspaper is as easily reat
with his eyes heavily bandaged al
when in his normal condition. It
regard to his peculiar exercise of The
mental powers of seeing aud hearing
he says it cannot be explained so as t,
understand the phenomena. His sou
does not leave the body, but like rays o
| light his sight penetrates in every direc
ton, and without any linit-distanc
seems annihilated, In all his writer
communications during the "sleeps" b.
invariably signs the same Nj W =
No explanation is given as to what thi
formula means. He has been told tia
| this condition will return again, whei
all will be explained. !,
For the last three or four years he ha
been free from this peculiar state, sleep
naturally, and is conscious of hayin
once dreamed, the first time in % years
The pain in his head and lungs continue
with severity vet his general health
good, From $50 he has increased to %
pounds. He is now, as he has alway
been, a hard worker in the cause of th
Master Before closing this sketch
copy from a letter received from bis in
innate friend, the Rev. Geo. w. Mitch
ell, Athens, Ala, who has written
snort sketch of Mr.. Sanders:
"fhere have no new facts oceurre
since the book was written. M
islanders has been in almost incessar