The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1886-08-19
WENT TO HEAVEN.
strange Vision Seen by Man Suffering
from Congestion of the Brain.


nom Congestion of the Brain.
A well-known real-estate man was
stricken with congestion of the brain in
MS room. For eight long weeks he lay
on his bed, apparently unconscious of
all his surroundings and wayering on
the brink of death. He did not speak
at all to his nurses, and the light of
reason appeared to have left his eyes.
Now he has regained consciousness,
and he declares that while his fevered
body was being being piled and plas-
tered by the doctors his soul was far
away, soaring through space with the
souls of those of his friends who long
ago died and mingling in the realms of
light with white-robed seraphims and
angels of glory. And what he saw or
thinks he saw has had such an effect
on him that he has braced up and fore
sworn certain foolish habits which
were part of his former life. His ex
perience in the heavenly domain
sounds like the expression of the
opium-eater's widest dreams. But
the real-estate man is not an opium
eater.
After working hard all day." said
the gentleman in telling the story, Il
smoked pipe and went to bed, feeling
pretty we'll. / went to sleep soon after
turning in, if / remember right. but
never awoke from that sleep for two
months. One of my clerks next morn
ing found me sitting on chair near the
bed, but did not move, he says, and he
thought was dead at first, but finding
that / had some life left in me-mighty
little, though, tell you-he laid me
down and called doctor. He treated
me for long time, and finally pulled
me out all right. While l was under
his care it was that left this earth
and visited the other land
Il was standing on huge steamboat
first How 1 got there L never knew,
but there stood in the bow. An old
friend was with me. The boat was
beautiful; big and broad, but clean-cut
and trim. We were the only persons
on it, 1t was propelled by some un
foreseen force, but it glided gracefully
through the calm and silvery water in
which there was trace of neither
wave nor ripple. A bright light per-
vaded the scene, although l could see
no sun. The general luminous effect
was something similar to that at the
battle panorama. but great deal more
dazzling. The banks of the river in
which we were sailing were green and
fresh. There were towns along the
banks, prosperous looking towns, with
railroads and saw and gin mills and
other evidences of CIVILIZATION. But they
were unpeopled.
In fact, we saw no one until we had
foated on for days and days, when sud-
denly the air became full of strange
spirits. They fairly swarmed about
me-old, gray-haired men and beauti-
full young women-the most beautiful
and the most graceful had ever seen.
They were dressed in long robes and
had harps in their hands and the love-
lest and most cheering smiles on their
faces. They seemed to be rejoicing
because one more had been added to
their number. They were human be-
ings in shape and appearance but slight
~ shorter than most of Us.
"One handsome young man / picked
out as my guide, although did not
know him. He accompanied me in my
travels. We did not walk-we glided
through the air. Past mountains and
hills, over the glancing waves of beau
tiful lakes, so far above the busy cities
that the noise of their mills and rail
road trains seemed like the hum of q
distant bee-we sped, the fresh wind
now breathing in our faces and bracing
US for our journey and now rushing
from behind and hurting US faster, fas-
ter still.
"At last we came into sight of the
gates of heaven and found that crowd
of spirits had drawn themselves up in
line outside and were waiting for us.
AS drew nearer heard them singing
heavenly hymn, and as their faces
came into view / saw that they wore a
sorrowing expression. / passed slowly
in front of the array with bowed head
and downcast eyes. At the end /
looked up and saw my father and moth
er. Such depth of sorrow was in
their eyes and on their faces was de-
picted so much grief and anguish-as
If they were calling up my past life
and its sins-that opened my mouth
to shrek. / could not articulate. L
seized my guard by the arn. 1t felt
like pulp and eluded my grasp. Then
there came crash of thunder louder
than 1 have ever heard or ever hope to
hear again; my head throbbed like one
mighty pulse, and / opened my eyes.
I was lying on my bed with my nurse
TI5a1nn