San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-12-24

Spiritual Belief and Some Facts About II
For the LrGHT.
Lucien ELMER and myself had grown
up together from our childhood, and had
been firm friends from the outset, never
having had any of those fallings out so
common among boys as hardly to at
tract more than passing notice. Our
minds seemed to run IN the same chan-
mel except upon one subject, that OF
spiritualism, and on this one subject we
were anIipOdes wondered TINT man OF
the information, culture, good sense and
worldly experience OF Lucien should be-
lieve in splritualism, and tried my best
TO dislOdge this delusiOn from his mind.
| argued the matter with him-l ridi-
called and laughed at spiritualtsm, but
nothing had the power to shake bis be-
lief. On one ocCe sion asked him to eX-
plain to me the cause OF his being 80
firm a believer in spirltualism, as was
curious TO know how the delusion had
come to take such deep root in his mind,
which | well knew was not tainted with
superstition.
well, il comes from my having ex-
perienced the benign interpOsitiOn OF
my guardian spirit at several critical
periods In my life, and have discovered
that this guardian spir Is the spirit OF
my sainted mother who died Whilst l
was an infant. There is something in
expressibly pleasant and soothing In
knowing that the spirit of my mother Is
acting as my guardian angel and hover
ing about me, though unseen by M;
and have no language at my command
sufficiently pictorial 10 convey TO you
the satisfaction and comfort which the
knowledge of this fact gives me.
You remember when | went out TO Tex
rs 10 1855, to crafty my craving for
hunting and adventure. Much OF Texas,
particularly Western Texas, was then u
wilderness of prairie, without human
settlements, and was flied with deer,
buffalo and wolves. | never Deheld
such scene OF loveliness. One was
alone with nature and almost forgot the
world, with its busy haunts OF men, It's
smiles and its tears.
! was ont on hunting expedition
with party ofsix, and we were between
the head of the NeuCes and the PecOs.
One day, was about mile of
from my companions, when sud
denly parcel of COmanches
made their appearance between
my companions and me, and came on to-
ward me, AT a Numbering pace, not APP
peariRg TO have seen my companions,
who had ,dismounted in motto OF tim
Der to rest. The mind acts rapidly in
trying times, and il is lucky for man
that IL does. At a glance, | saw 1t was
impossible for me to rejoln my compan-
lone, aud should succeed in reaching
them, ii would probably be followed by
their death or capture, so l drove the
-purr into the sides OF my horse and
n "a in, RI
companions. had nearly half mile
the start, but as the Indians were
mounted or better horses, they gained
on me perceptibly. On | dashed, for
probably two miles across the prairie,
when my horse stumbled and fell to the
ground, but | WAS unhurt. The Indians
greeted my mishap with wild shouts and
pressed on towards me with, as 1t APP
peared to me. increased speed. Nothing
seemed to be left TO me, except TO sell
my life Ms dearly as possible, and had
my Sharp's rifle to my shoulder,
when the thought flashed through
my mind, or rather II seemed TO
have been impressed on my mind by
some unseen power-for 1t was clear
and distinct and dominated my will
Get out your matches and set the
grass on fire.. | followed out the COM
mand, for such | esteemed it to be, and
in a moment had fired the rank grass.
The wind was blowing in the direction
of the advancing indians, and the flames
spread rapidly, sometimes leaping tf-
teen feet and setting the grass on fire in
other places. | led my horse into the
place that was burned of and stood
there waiting the result. The flames
flew onward, leaping and roaring, to-
wards the indians, II sea OF fire, and al
most before they could realize what l
done and comprehend their danger, 1t
was close upon them. They wheeled
around and fled in all directions. en-
deavOring 10 get out OF the direction the
the fire was travelling. 1t was race
for life and death, but the flame of the
fire and smoke soon shut out the fleeing
indians from my sight. Mounting my
horse, | rode forward at brisk trot
towards the spot at which had left my
companions, for, to tell the truth, | be-
gan to fear my firing the grass might
prove fatal to them. AS the grass was
scant among the timber, where they
were, and as my companions set fire to
what little grass there was around them,
the moment they discovered the ad-
vancing pillows Of flame they escaped
with no other ill consequence than That
of being half stifled with smoke and
having their nerves strained. The next
day we come across the dead bodies of
six indians and the same number OF fead
horses, stretched out upon the prairie
over which the pillows OF fire had swept
like the bosom OF destruction.
Now, my mind was wholly occupied
with the effort to account for the origin
of the thought to which | owed my es-
cape from q bloody and cruel death. Ii
was not an intuition. 1t was not
evolved from my own mind by any men
tai process, known to mental philoso-
ply; il not only came with startling
audiences, but with commanding en-
ergy, and resistless force, demonstrating
that it originated from some outside in
fluence. While engaged in the mental
investigation OF this phenomenon-an
other thought was suddenly stamped
on my mind, with the same commanding
energy and resistless force; It WAS just
as though the voice of some superior,
whose will was law to me, had spoken,
in a tone inaudible TO my ears, but audi
bic to my brain-"I am the spirit of
Your mother, and my employment Is, TO
watch over your safety. leave, at once,
and travel with all possible speed, for a
large band of Indians are heading for
this spot. Be careful to employ every
device and precaution to conceal your
trail" | was stunned and daZed for a
few moments, by this supernatural rev.
elation-for such | recognized it to be.
but the sense of the impending danger
soon recalled me to my senses, and wax
ing my sleeping companions, impaired
to them the substance of the supernatu-
raj message. AT first. they only laughed