Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1885-09-30
Nebraska's Soul Sensation.

friends of dying men would not allow
experiments, and, indeed, it would
have been delicate matter to ask it.
Hospitals afforded opportunities, but
physicians and attendants had no
faith in the experiments of the quiet
gentleman, whom they no doubt al
luded to as Crank" SO for nearly a
year he was waiting and watching for
a man ready to die. The opportuni-
ty came at last; comsumptive wan
dererer from the east sought relief in
the western air. He fell penniless,
and was about to be taken by the au-
thorities to the county poorhouse when
Mr.. Holland interposed and had him
removed to his OWE home, to nurse
and watch him die. Through many
long hours of the night Mr.. Holland
sat by the bedside of his charge, fan
ming the spark of life lest it should
go out in the night, when all efforts
at the experiment would be lost, and
leaving orders by day with his wife
to call him the moment the patient
seemed to be sinking.
The fatal moment came about 10
o'clock yesterday morning. Stretch
ed upon a low bedstead, with the
death-rattle sounding in his throat,
lay young man of perhaps % years
of age. Mr.. Holland quietly motion
ed the correspondent to \ seat and
continued watching the features of
the dying man with slight interest.
Presently he arose and adjusted the
curtains of the window so that a food
of light fell aslant the dying man.
He wheeled from q corner of the
room what looked like photograph
er's camera, arranged the lenses to a
focus, and then produced large lens
of some II inches in diameter and
placed it in grooves made to fit be-
hind the apparatus. The back part
was then covered with black cloth
so as to obscure the light, and from
time to time as the breathing of the
man grew heavier, Mr.. Holland made
inspections of the instrument. At
precisely 11:30 o'clock a sudden
tremor passed through the body and
he ceased to breathe. Mr.. Holland
arose from the bedside and said in q
whisper: "Now is the time p
Together Mr.. Holland and the cor
respondent passed their heads under
the black cloth and bent their eyes
intently upon the glass. Particles of
dust in the air were magnified several
thousand times, and for time their
motion kept perfect dazzle upon the
glass. Then as the vapor gathers in
to clouds, so an object appeared to be
forming a foot above the body upon
the bed. Particle seemed to seek par.
ticle, as by some molecular attraction,
until an object was clearly distin-
guishable. 1t seemed the vapory
form of man rapidly assuming a
more perfect shade, pure and color
less as the most delicate crystal.
There was moment Of awful still
ness and feeling came over me
which can never describe. We bent
our eyes intently upon the glass until,
particle by particle, the shapely form
of man had formed and lay floating
above, moored to the body by a slen-
der cord of its own formation. The
face took the shape of the dead man,
but was beautiful in expression the
eyes were closed and the new formed
being seemed as if it were asleep.
Presently the cord that held it to the
clay parted and gentle tremOr pass
ed through the beautiful form-beau-
tiful, indeed, for every limb was Of
the most perfect mold, such rs earth
has never beheld. The eyes of the
spirit opened and ray of intelligence
and of unspeakable joy passed over
its face. 1t arose to a standing posi-
ton and cast one sorrowful look at
tenantless clay that lay so still. l
stepped from behind the darkened
apparatus and looked toward the spot
where l knew the form was standing,
but 1 beheld nothing, The earth
reeled beneath me, / cried aloud, and
fell fainting to the floor. When /
again became conscious, Mr.. Holland
was bending over me his face was an
ashen paleness. II mistook your
strength he said perhaps ! should
not have called you here. We have
seen natural causes and effects. Death
is but the beginning of life. Be care
ful, though, to whom you tell the
story of this day; the world is in
credulous, and to that is mainly due
its ignorance."-Chicago Tribune.