The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1894-04-20
SPOOKS AND SPIRITS.
A WRITER RELATES A STRANGE AND
INTERESTING EXPERIENCE.

' SO much has been said ana written OF
the "astral body" that I am led to give
one of my own strange experiences.
1t happened in the summer of 1856. A
mild epidemic of cholera was prevailing
at the time. My cook had died of it, and
a member of my family had recovered
from it. was next attacked and had re-
covered from it, but was left in so weak
a condition that was unable to turn in
my bed without help. A young friend,
Miss H. M. of Washington, was staying
with me to nurse me.
1t was night, and was very weak. The
Rev Father A. and other friends had
called to see me, and these visits had so
Frustrated me that could not move with
out help or speak above a whisper. My
friend II. sat beside my bed. knew she
was there, for could hear her breathing,
but the room was dark as pitch and silent
as death. 1t might have been about 10
o'clock. 1t was at this hour and under
these circumstances that the strangest,
the most inexplicable of my experience oc-
Cured. do not know for what reason
or with what object in view left my body.
The movement seemed involuntary, al
most automatic. slipped out of my body
easily and naturally, and for a few mo-
ments floated above it,
The air did not seem to bear me up; but,
impelled by some strange force, rose to-
ward the ceiling and passed through the
roof as if it had been a shadow and my
spirit form a substance. Indeed the laws
of nature seemed reversed to my appre-
hension. All substantial things seemed
m hn oh Off az IN
my passage, and my spirit form seemed
to be substance. Above the roof threw
myself upon the fresh night air as a swim
mer does upon the water, only instead Of
throwing my arms out upon the air fold
ed them upon my bosom, while move
-ment within my chest carried me forward
without any conscious effort of my own.
The motion was perfectly delightful in its
ease, freedom and rapidity. 1 rose far
above the roofs Of the houses, above the
smoking chimneys, yet in sight of them
and the streets, and floated toward the
city, then on line above the avenue, on
to the railroad depot, thence along and
above the line of the railroad.
took my way back to Philadelphia and
thence to New York city. The sensation
of ease, the freedom and delight of this
floating far above fields and farms, vii
lagos and cities, is indescribable.
lowered for moment and then dived
down into the pretty sitting room Of Mrs.
B., where, late as 1t was, she sat at supper
with some people whom recognized. /
saw them distinctly and heard them talk.
It seemed from their conversation that
they were a theater party who had taken
box and after the performance had come
home to "a little supper" Hearing my
name mentioned, discovered that they
were talking of me. They were not only
criticising my novels but abusing them
in the most cruel manner. That my friend
should do this-my bosom friend up to
that time, one in whom trusted, whom
had loved and even benefited, should do
this-cut me to the soul. In great excite
ment, went up to her and confronted her
and vehemently denied her assertions.
But, to my amazement and infinite dis
tress, found that 1 could not even make
my presence felt by any of them. pressed
between Mrs. B. and Colonel g., with my
right hand on her shoulder and my left
on his, and said, vehemently: "Mrs. B.,
you know this is not truel Colonel g., do
you believe this?" But could not make
the slightest impression upon them. They
went on talking calmly.
Suddenly, with an excruciating pang of
horror, anguish and alarm, / realized that
l could not impress them without my ma
terial body, and / had left it behind And
in ore instant, Gin the twinkling of an
eye, flashed back into that body, stretch
ed prostrate on the bed in my room at
home, where it lay, too weak to lift its
hand, and where the reunion took place as
easily as two streams brought into contact
flow into one. My return journey had not
been the delightful, luxurious floating in
the upper air that my outward journey
had been. 1t was swift as lightningl The
reunion accomplished, I came to my nor.
NAL condition.
Call this dream if you will, but there
is no occurrence in my actual life 80 little
like dream as was this experience. Aft
erward / partly verified the truth of the
scene that l had witnessed and that had
distressed me SO much. Without mention
ing my dream or vision or migration,
whichever you please to call it, / question
ed mutual friend of Mrs. B., Colonel G.
and myself, and learned that about the
same time just such scene had taken
place in Mrs. B. g house, and my inform
ant added that the gentleman to whom
Mrs. B. had spoken warmly defended me.
If he did so, it must have been after 1 had
fed. Perhaps my vehement denial may
in some fine occult manner have reached
his spirit and inspired him. But could
not identify the night of my strange expe-
rience with the night of the conversation
my friend related. She did not remember
the precise time, and then was too weak
and i'll to have noted the date of even so
remarkable an experience.
I do not believe that such experiences
are peculiar to myself or that they are pc
culiar to only few abnormal temporal
ments. I believe everybody must have or
may have had experiences of what we call
the supernatural, but have with them
the almost universal reluctance to ac-
knowledge them, for the fear of being
called cranky or eccentric or mendacious
seals their lips. This 1 am led to believe
from many confidential conversations with
friends whom have drawn out and who
have told me strange experiences which
they have declared they would not like to
tell others. -Chicago News.