Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1884-04-17
HOW DONALDSON DIED.
The Alleged Spirit of the Baroon,.t De-
.scribes His Last VOYage Frnrn Chican.n

-
about her, she took a trip to the spirit
world, as she called it, and related what
she saw. Among the people met there
was Prof. Donaldson, who had never
been heard from since he started on that
perilOus balloon voyage from the lake
front, Chicago. The professor was con-
siderate enough to try to clear up the
mystery, and told the young lady all
about his perilous voyage and the terrible
experience accompanying it.
THE AERoNAUT's STORY.
The young lady's story, as given by the
Philadelphia Press, is as follows:
"The fact is for the past ten DAYS have
seen the face of the same man every day
was in the spirit land. 1 call it spirit
land, it is so much prettier, think, than
the clairvoyant state; the latter is so vul-
gar and common, and, l am told, there is
so much humbug IN i"
By this time eleven people had assem-
bled in the parlOr and formed a circle
about the girl. The gas was turned Just
a tfife, and in very short time the par
ents nodded and pointed to their daugh-
ter, whose face had turned slightly up
ward. Her eyes closed and her hands
rested together on her lap. She sat upon
a hassock, and it was at least three min
utes of silence before she spoke again
The measured tick of the clock, the low
hum of the gas, the cracking coal in the
in the crate, the hurrying, cracking foot
steps on the pavement in the icy air of
the night alone broke the stiffness.
st see the mans face coming toward
me again." said the young medium. He
has black Wavy hair, well rounded head,
large short neck, dark complexion and
black mustache. AS he comes nearer to
me see that one of his eyes is dark and
the other light. On one of his cheeks l
see black mark. It is mole or birth
mark of some kind.
A SPIRITS FRUITLESs SEARCH.
"He looks at me as if seeking some
one he cannot find. This is the eleventh
time have seen his is face. He seems
to want me to speak to him, and appears
to be in trouble because did not speak
to him before. now speak to him and
his eyes igh5 up and sparkle with de-
light. He smiles and says:
81 am glad you spoke to me. You are
the first to greet me from the world be-
low since I left it. Why did you not
speak to me before? Do you not know
me? No, you do not. You were too
young when 1 lived in your city. But no
doubt you have heard of me. My name
is Donaldson. was called Prof. Donald
son. Here the circle of friends were
astonished and became doubly interest
ed). Don't you remember my name?
went up in balloons in Reading and gave
entertainments with presents to all the
little children and the grown folks too.
Tell your father and those folks near you
who am; they will remember me. Also
tell them that want to clear up the
mystery of my strange death.
"SOme say that l am not dead and will
come back to my old home and friends
| once more. That is not so. I am now
out of the earth and am in the spirit
world.
DONAuDsON's LAST ASCENSION.
Everybody who remembers me will
remember that was never heard from
after I went up in the balloon at Chicago.
That was my last ascension. Our balloon
was caught in terrible Windstorm in the
upper current. never experienced such
a storm on land. It blew our balloon
basket to pieces. My friend or friends,
were blown out of the basket-car, leaving
me up In the rigging, sitting on the hoop
of the balloon. l saw everything below
me blown into shreds. Then the gas
chamber of the balloon made a fearful
plunge and careened to one side, and
| threw me and the hoop upwards, and for
a few minutes I was sailing through the
air on top of the balloon. This was the
strangest ride ever INDUCED in by mortal
man. These few minutes seemed like an
age. had the presence of mind to grasp
| hold of the netting so that it would not
! slip down and release the gas-chamber.
Then the gas began to escape from the
mouth of the balloon, and it would have
suffocated me had not the storm hurled
us through the air at a terrible pace. I
was far above the clouds, but how far l
could not tell, because all our instruments
had been blown into the lake. I tried
all could to have the balloon rightitself.
got way down on the side of the balloon
and pulled at the. hoop and rigging, but
| it would not come.
THE STRUGGLE FOR LIFE DESCRIBED.
Then I went back and tied myself to
the end of a strong rope around the body
and fastened it to the iron hoop, so that
| if it should be blown off would not drop
! to the earth. Then / craWled out on the
side of the balloon again, further than
before. Just as 1 had finished this the
| balloon gave another awful lunge and 1
was thrown off into space, but was held
| by the rope. The balloon there righted
and I was dangling in mid-air near
| ly out of breath because of the sudden
! JelA1 cI41O CAAO 4OPO L4RAJOLA111S 5OOOO IL
! body, severely cut me. How long I hung
that way 1 could not tell, because I was
nearly dead with fear, terror, exhaustion
and cold. The air was extremely light
and could scarcely breathe. I then
crawled up the rope, hand over hand,
and, when nearly dead and just as had
reached the iron hoop again, suddenly
the muslin gas chamber split with loud
noise, from top to bottom. God help me
I thought, because it was the most peri
lous position of my life. Then one-hali
the balloon was blown into the other,
and quicker than I can tell you, the two
halves now wedged together bulged up
and out in the hurricane and formed a
parachute, or a sort of an umbrella, leaV-
ing me swinging below.
THE STORM-BRATEN PARACHUTE.
" 4 realized for a moment that God
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