The morning times., 1896-08-23
GAIL AAM|LTON'S VISIONS
Her Writings of Trips to the
Spirit Land,
SAW SPIRITS OF FRIENDS
Weird and Mysterious Story Of Her
Life Left by the Noted
Au;h0reSS.

Nothing written by Gail Hamilton, as She
was fon,iliarly kno wn, is of more intense
interest and weird suggestion than the his
tory OF her life, written just before Eer
death. This autobiography will be or great
Interest to the people OF this city, not only
from the fact that the talented womo lived
here for long time and was stricken
with severe attack Of paralysis at the
famous old Blaine mansion, but beca use
one of the most curious chapters, as they
may be called, In this autobiography deals
with persons and things in this city.
Gail Hamilton. tells in her last vivid
sketches of visits she made In fancy to
the spirit land, OF actual conversations with
the spirits OF dead relatives and friends,
and of her floating in space while a oeies-
tial choir sang the sweetest music.
A suggestion of the style and character
of her latest book is to be found in by
way OF History" which was written in
1884 and published in 1886 under the
title Of TX Rays" In this latter work
as was expected, she took her readers
into the valley of the Shadow OF Death,
and from the experience OF others and
her own, she came very near adopting
the theosophic idea OF tie soul and its
destiny.
III TX Rays" describing clergyman Of
her native town, Hamilton, who was taken
suddenly i'll and VITO had visions, shc said
Though ii clergyman, he had been a
man OF the world also. strong, alert. fond
OF mountain and stream, loving the inter
ests. the activities, even the busil. ard
hustle. tie fun an1 the froic OF this world,
he should by right have had a long and
vigorous life: but he passed io1 soon into
a decline, whence lie went swiftly plung-
ing down, as 1t seemed. to death. Life
hell only by gasps of agony at long inter
walls. Then came rally. then another
return OF consciousness. and yet again
the rush to death. the return to life: and
the third time. against the despair Of all,
life prevailed and the conflict was over
Sitting alone with him in his library one
conversation by asking me suddenly. in an
arrestng Voice, with eyes not upon me,
but gazing afar:
THE AFTER LIFE NOT UNDERSTOOD.
what do you understand by the Valley
OF the Shadow OF Death?'
Il made answer TO the best OF my de-
filming ability on short summons.
II have become pretty well convinced
lie continued, that a good deal OF our preach
ing has been words wasted because We
don't know what We are taik1Dg about.
The truth is something we cannot Imagine.
i have learned what the Valley of the
Shadow OF Death is. l have been n IL. aDd
IL is altogether different from what sup
posed. l was i'll. I was here at ZONE.
was lying in led. And suddenly l went
out into the universe. For the first time
l felt what it was to touch nothing. l
never before knew what it was not to
touch anything l did not want to touch
anything. All was immensely. | ioosed
above; saw nothing. II was infinite
space around me, beneath me; only vast
ness, infinity.'
HAD NO FEARS AND WAS CONSCIOUS.
".were you afraid?'
"'Not in the least I was perfectly
tranquil. perfectly serene. Strange as
think of my sins. I only thought of one
thing-how vast it isl
DO You think you were conscious?'
Entirely SO. was even Conscious
of being home. knew that my family were
around me. but also I was out in the Uni
verse 1 cannot otherwise describe it
the Consciousness of enlargement
Had you any PAIN
None at all. Perfect rest Floating
out in absolute peace: but went .atk
again. Three times l had the SAME OK
perieucc. Three times l went out into
the inniensity; into the infimty OF The
universe
II asked him II i, had affected his view
of death. He said:
"I am fearing always that it may have
been a halluciEation.'
But to his inward thought it was r,ani-
festly not a hallucinatiou, but n very rial
experience"
SAW HER BROTHERS. SPIRIT.
Another experience related by Gail Ham,
ilton was that of friends who lived in New
England. A young man had entered the
war OF the rebellion and persisted untimeIy
His sister shortly after fen i'll of some baf-
fling, mysterious malady. During one OF her
many short convalescences she wss sitting
at table with the family-father. mother.
sisters. and grandmotl,er-when her dead
brother appeared to her to enter the room,
no longer dead, but smiling. living. well
coming. epassed slowly around the tab;e
as If taking in the presence of each one,
then paused a moment and said:
II shall come again on Wednesday" al I'D
silently disappeared.
Her grandmother was, at the time. quite
well. bnt sickened the next day and died on
the coming Wednesday.
Referring to the death uf the wife of
Francis Gillette. formerly United States
Senator from Connecticut, Gail Hamilton
said:
several times she seemed to wakcn, ae
it were. and have a sense OF her mothers
presence, twenty-five years gone. With
great feeling she spoke her own dear
mothers name. and then exclaimed. family,
ecstatically, at Intervals her beloved
greeting:
What can l say? How delightful.
Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful And thus
she went along the pleasant path and 8
seen no more"
HER OWN EXPERIENCE.
And now comes the wcirdest part Of this
most weird Of books. It is tire story of Gail
Hamilton's own experiences in the realms
of the supernatural.
$50 far had written said she. "when
it befell me to be tented in that valley of
shadows. My experience there ! am sure
that you, dear neighbors, and all friends,