St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1889-06-22
SOLVED THE MYSTERY.
People Who Have Died, Visited
Heaven and Returned.
Human Language Not Su0cleotly Elastic
and Poetical for Descriptive Purposes
Both Travellers Deeply Regret
Their Return to Earth.

While willing to admit that agnos-
ticism and doubt have taken . strong
hold upon humanity many people lose
sight of the fact that the effect OF this
absence of belief is. to . certain ex-
tent, offset by a class who believe far
more than is generally thought neces-
sary for the salvation OF the soul
Spiritualists and believers in the prin-
ciples of theism may explain many
things to their own satisfaction. but
there are now and then occurrences
which must forever remain uns0lved
mysteries. A case in point is the re-
cent remarkable experience OF Mrs.
Charles Collins. Soon after her hus-
bands death she became seriously i'll
and apparently died. Twelve hours
after her supposed death she showed
signs of animation and in two hours
more was reclining on sofa con-
versing with friends.
She related all she had seen and
heard in such a plain and concise way
no one could doubt the reality OF her
vision or dream. She said her soul
left her body during her comatose
condition and went straight to Heaven.
She declared she saw the Lord. and
the marvellous beauty and magnifi-
cence of His surroundings were too
wonderful to be expressed in words.
"All that l saw" said Mrs. Collins.
81 can never describe in this life. but
know that l was dead and went to
Heaven. and my eyes beheld its glo-
ries. can affirm that had personal
experiences after the change called
death, but which is not death at all;
instead of that it is another and per-
feet existence in joy and glory. Oh.
why did you not let me alone? do
not care to stay here now. knowing
what unspeakable glOries are there" !"
Mrs. Collins told her story calmly and
earnestly. honestly lamcnting her re-
turn to earth. She firmly believes it
was neither a dream nor q vision. but
that her soul was transported to
Heaven. She is not believer In
modern ''spiritualism," and no motive
gDr a deception could be discovered.
. A parallel. but if any thing more
wonderful. case Is the trance Of Rev.
William Tennent Almost two centu-
ries have gone since it occurred at New
Brunswick, N. j. After a regular
course of theology. and being in his
twenty-fifth year. he was preparing for
his ordination. His close application
to study had affected his health 80
much his friends became anxious as to
the result At the same time his spir-
its were very low and he began to en-
tertain doubts as to his final happiness
One morning as he was conversing
with his brother in Latin he tainted
and seemed to die. After the usual
time his funeral was announced. His
physician, who was much attached to
him, had gone to a distant city for .
short time, but returning just before
the hour for the funeral refused to be-
lieve his friend was dead. Upon being
observed a slight tremor Of the flesh.
he investigated the fact although there
seemed to be no hope of reviving what
seemed to be a cold and inanimate
corpse. But he determined to make .
trial. He first held his hand in warm
water to make it as sensitive as pos
sible and then felt under the arms
and above the heart and affirmed that
he noticed an unusual warmth. appar-
snt to no one else. He had the body
placed in a warm bed and ordered the
postponement Of the funeral. The
brother objected to this. saying it was
absurd. as the eyes were sunken, the
lips discolored. and the whole BODY
cold and stiff; however. the doctor pro-
vailed, and all known restoratives were
applied to produce symptoms Of re-
turning life.
The third day arrived and no one en-
tertained any hope except the doctor,
who remained day and night The
funeral was again announced, but still
he objected. and at last confined his
request to one hour, then to a half, and
finally to quarter OF an hour, when
the brother came in the room and in.
sisted earnestly that the funeral should
proceed