The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1894-09-15

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General Gordon, who lectured OF tho
Ooo,a House on ThurEday evening. lie
oot only eloquent and interesting on
q. platform, but even more SO perhaps
IA conversation. At Major NitchelTs
5luper table that day he entertained
,ho guests present with q number Of
,,mInIseences that wore not so much
=, touched upon In his lecture. In re.
,oonse 10 request from Judge Melvin
he pavo the company what he called his
after death" experiences at Gettys-
burs. The Judge had heard ex.ProsI-
dent Hayes refor to them some yoars
,ro and was anxious that the general
,bould tell those present tho samo
,lory that no had told the x.presIdenL.
IIo consented TO do go, aud began by
Iaying that tho Circumstance to which
tbo Judge alluded followed tho wound
he had received on the loft sido Of his
lSce which was his 9th wound that
lay. ~ had become very weak" said
bo. iron previous loss Of blood, aud
when | was struck through tho iaco
Gudpeck fell forward to the ground
sad buried my face unconsciously In
nv military cap. So much blood ran
INTO il that | have no doubt would
have been smothored In my own blood
bat for the small holo that had boon
made by a bullet In tho cap. went
% into sort OF comGtose con-
dItiou, during which 1 realized
that / had been shot and was
Wing on tho field. was undor tho i'm
preston that nv hoad had been ahot
away and that l was now without head
or brains, and yot l said to myself
mentally that had demonstrated that
a man who had neither head nor brains
could think, and that It was a mistake
III could only make It known to the
world 10 connect them with the tnculty
Of thought. ratlocInated in this way
to myself with perfect clcarueaS, and to
ibis day have retained In my memory
tho train Of thought In which i indulged
in regard 10 my condition. / assumed,
al first, that / was headless and yet able
10 think, and then I began to woudor
whether was dead or alivo. l remom.
Dor that l distinctly said 10 myself
mentally. Of course) that dead man
cannot think, and THAT therefore I could
not DO dead. So thought would SOC
II could move. II I could move ] was
not dead, but II couldn't l would con.
cludo that suro enough was dead. So
with a spasmodic effort drcw up my
legs. and was conscious Of their
motion, and yet had this crazy
notion fairly In my mind that ! was
headless and brainless. In an instant,
IS soon as my legs moved, my heart pull
lated normally once more, and sent
pulsation Of blood to my brain, and for
4 icw seconds I was fully aroused to
Consciousness, and at once put my hand
to my head to see whether or no ! had a
head, showing that retained In this
temporary return to consciousness the
memory OF all that had boon going on in
nv mind In my comatose condition, or,
as call 1t, in my after death condition.
lrclapsed almost Immediately into my
former state OF Inconsistencies, but l
did not again rosume the Thread OF my
DISCOURSE" go 10 speAk, or. In other
words, did not again yield to tho hallu-
clnation that was without head. hav-
Ing satisfied my psyche, or whatever
psychologists may call II, to Its
seeming entire satisfaction, that l
still had my head and all that
was In II, except this blood that l
had Lost BY next return TO conscious
meas was when they were moving mo on
astrctcher. There was another moment:
airy mental illumination and then |
went OF 10 comatoso once moro. VI
course tho notable thing in all this ts
tho fact that was at ono and the same
time crazy and yet capable Of correct
and rational thought; thought which
induced action, and uction that led to a
correct mental impression that proVont-
Cd mo from rclapsins into my former
hallucination when | sank away tho
second time. Irelate this TO show what
strange thing is this thing VIC call
mind"
During the recital Of this experience
every one a. tho table listened with
wrapt attention, and aftor II was
finished tho demand went up for more
"reminiscences. SO tho general told OF
an experience he went through In tho
Shenandoah Valley, at o timo that
General Early ordered him to storm o
federal fort in their front VI mover
was moro indignant In my liie." SAID
General Gordon, ethan when l heard
that order. know II was perfectly
unnecessary thing to do, and explained
to General Early that we could accom-
plish our plan Of campaign without
slaughtoring my command by this
attempt to Atorm q strong poiition; n
position that would fall OF itself whom
We should make our proper movement.
Early took no other notice OF my ex y;
PLANTATION than TO sond mo word that II
! did not care 10 execute tho ordor no
would delegate ita execution TO aolnc
one else. You may guess this reply
made me boil with fresh Indignation.
] ielt II to DO au insult, but inasmuch
us It was my place to obey his
orier, regardless OF consequence.
! issued tho necessary insiruc'
ton for q movement OF daylight
next morning. began, on my own ac-
couat, making overy preparation ior
death, for l had prosontimont that d!
would this time moot my Ond. So |
wrote farewell lottOr to my witc, told
her what to do about my affairs, handed
over my watch and other personal Of,
tec,s TO friend and then walked up and
down my quarters waiting for day. to
break and my command to movc. In2t
was aolcmn night to inc for | had tins
firm prescntiment that 1t was my last
night on Garth. folt almost as certain
Of this as d man condemned to death,
and can nowprotty well understand now
a man feels whom no Is to DO executed
10 tew hours. always had In oYory