The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-02-15
Ills GLIMPSE Of HEAVEN.
Strange Vision Of the Hereafter
That Came TO q Philadelphia
Quaker.
Three Deaths That Thomas Say
Claims to Have Seen in a
Dream.
while In n Trance He witnesses tho End
of. some Friends and Their
Ascension.

fact and not given to the belief in spirits,
ghosts or visions, but In the last century,
especially among tho Society Of Friends,
there lived in this city a remarkable num-
her OF men and women who, like Joseph Of
old. olaimed to have experienced visions
md viewed tho spirits Of tho departed, says
tho Philadelphia Times. Tho stories told
by these public Friends as they worc
often called, were given credencs as gospel
by tho best and most highly educated peo-
pie of tho Quaker City. In truth, they
must have been difficult to rsfute, as gen-
orally they were promulgated BY persons Of
Hteadiness and great responsibility, whose
v~eracity was considered by the community
beyond question.
Some of theee stories, as family tradi-
tions, have come down to Us to-day. One
Of tho best authenticated and most inter-
estinR of them Was related to tho writer
recently. It ID known as the most uncom-
mon vision of Thomas Say, who was the
grandfather OF Thomas Say, the noted
naturalist and father of DR.. Benjamin Say.
Thomas Say was one Of the earliest ma
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quite 4 prominent doctor and public man.
lie was born on the 18th Of September.
1909. His father, William Say, married at
Friends meeting in Philadelphia in 1893
the daughter Of Thomas Paschell, who
same to this country with William Penn in
his good ship the Welcome. When Say
WAS five years old his father died and his
mother some years after married again.
Benjamin Says stepfather was n member
of the Episcopal church and the boy was,
therefore. brought up in the doctrine OF
that faith, but his inclinations were toward
the belief of his father, and when quite
young he Joined this society Of Friends.
When no was II years Of age he was taken
sick with p~leurisy, at which time he expcr-
fenced his vision, or trance, an account of
which, found in his dairy handed down by
his family, can be best told in his own
words:
"On the ninth day, between tho hours of
four and five O'clock. / fell into n trance,
hnd SO continued until about the hour Of
three or four the next morning-for l left
the body-my father and mother, Susan
nah Robinson and others. who watched me,
shook my body, felt my PULSE and tried if
they could discern any remains of life or
breath in me, but found none.
'Some may be DESTROYS to know whether
I was laid out Or not. I found myself when
! opened my eyes laid on my back on my
bed, as q corpse is on u board, and | was
told, after / got better, the reason why they
mother could not at that time find freedom
to have it done. Then they sent for d..
Kea:sley, who attended me, to have his
opinion. When he came he felt for my
pulse and found none. nor any remains OF
life in me, as he told them; but rs he was
ro;r,~ n r,r u, W. oA,.v, ~ n sV5 1uyI khpk
something came into his mind toAry fur
ther.
He then desired somebody to get him q
small looking glass, which Catherine Sou
der, who lived with my father, procured.
The doctor laid it on my mouth for short
the glass q little moisture. Then the doc
tor said to them: If he is not dead. / be-
lisve he is SO far gone that l think he will
never open his eyes again. But I would
have you let him lay while he continues
warm, and when he begins to grow cold lay
him out
'"This they told n,e whom I returned into
the body, at which time 1 inquired why 10
many sat up with me, not knowing thRt
they thought me dead. upou hearing me
speak they were all very much surprised.
The second time l spoke they all rose out of
their chairs, and when 1 spoke the third
time they all came to me. My father and
mother inquired how it had been with me?
I answered, and said unto them I thought I
had been dead and going to heaven, and
after | loft tho body l heard, as il were, tho
voices of men, women and children singing
songs of praise unto the Lord, God and the
Lamb. without intermission, which raw
ished my soul and threw ME into transports
of 10y. icy: 800, .,,o a.,;a,4., ut
beautiful green's, which appeared to me on
every side, and such as never were seen in
fhia world. thrOnrh khouO 7 y,aeseI hninr
all clothed in white and in my full shape.
AS l passed along toward a high atnte of
bliss l cast my eyes upon earth, which l saw
plainly, and beheld three men-whom I
knew-die. Two of them were white men,
one of whom entered into rest and the other
was cast of. There appeared a beautiful
transparent gate opened, and as | and the
one that entered into rest came up to it no
stepped in, but as I was stepping in 1
stepred into the body.
when | recovered from my trance l
mentioned both their names, at the Same
time telling how / sew them die and which
of them entered into rest and which did not.
I said to my mother: oh that / had made
one step further, then l should not have
como back again. After l told them what
/ had to Say, l desired them to say no more
to me-, for l still heard tho mc!odious songs
of praise, and while l heard them l folt no
pain; but whom they went from mo the pain
in my side returned again. for which / was
glad, hoping every stitch would TAKE me of
and longing for my final change.
after / told thom of the death Of the
three men they sont to see il it was 80, and
whom the messenger returned he told them
they were all dead and died in tho room,
etc, as | told them. Upon hearing it | fell
into tears and said: % Lord, I wish thou
hadst kept me and sent him back that was
in pain after which l soon recovered from
my sickness.
The third was a negro. named Cutfe, be-
longing to Widow keurney. whom | saw
die. Some time after my recovery the
widow KoarneY sent for me, and inquired
whether ! thought the departed spirits knew
one another. l answered in the affirm
ntive. and told her l saw her negro man
die while ! was II corpse. She then asked
mo, Where did he die? I told her in har
BRICK Kitchen, between the jamb of the
chimney and the wall, md when they took
him off the bed to lay him on the board hia
bend slipped out of their hands, She then
eaid so it did, and asked mo if 1 could tell
her where they laid him..
II informed her that they laid him be-
tween the bnck door and tho street door,
she said that she did mot remember my
thing of that. / told hor he lay there whilst
they wept under the window, where heswas
attorwnrds placed. She then said she re-
mamberod it was so, and told mo that she
was satisfied. and had reason to believe
what she often thought, that it was 80.
"Theae men, upon inquiry. wero found to
dis at the very time / saw thom. and al the
circumstances of their death were found TO
be as | related them. Al soma may DO de-
1Jtanu Nn ErAyu 1Nntu 0r1 ~ uuhat tu,