Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1896-06-07
Written for the Register.
DEAD AND YET LIVING.
Strange Experiences. with Valuable scien-
tifio Revelations.

Some time ago, the writer was
thrown violently from his horse, Sc
verely injuring his spine and some in
ternal organs, including the spleen, it
was indeed a wonderful experience to
me for when my horse stumbled throw
ing my body violently against a rock,
1 became entirely unconscious, and do
not know how long 1 remained in this
condition; however, when l regained
consciousness, a strange dread came
over me, l began to think | was dead,
for here beneath me on the ground lay
my poor crushed and bleeding body,
apparently lifeless, yet | was con-
scious, and when my friends came to
carry my body home tried to speak
and comfort but found they could
neither hear nor see me. The journey
homewards was; interrupted by the
party being met by Doctor Pooley, one
Of the leading physicians in the city of
-, who Immediately examin-
ed me and requested that my body be
taken to his private hospital. request
ing my friends TO call my family ply
sician, DR.. Letherman, and a chum of
mine, DR.. GraysOn, TO consult with
him. After careful examination Drs
Letherman and Grayson pronounced
me dead, but old Doctor Pooley insist
ed was living, and seeing he was real
~ IN earnest, they agreed to assist
MIN to bring the dead back to life
dressing my wounds and agreeing to
assist him in performing an operation
the same afternoon. Until this time I
had not taken time to look about me
as | had strong desire to live, being
wealthy and yet young, but after see
ing the body cared for as best they
could, l began to look at my present
condition. I had body which SEEM
ed to be of much finer matter than the
physical body lying on the bed. | no.
tlced there was connection between
myself and my body; this consisted Of
bright colored magnetic current.
strongly pulsating and vibrating near
myself, becoming very weak and hard
ly perceptible where it entered the body
on the left side. l had happily taken
everything calmly, for if I had been
of an eXcitable nature I might not now
be writing my experiences for the Reg
ister / had confidence in DR.. Pooley's
SKILL and hoped to re-enter my body
and live, for now realized that while
| was regarded as dead, I was not dead
in the sense orthodox religion taught.
| had been led to believe death meant
a loss Of consciousness to physical
things and an awakening in a new
realm inconsistency happy or uncom-
fortably hot, and yet here was. a man
without a body, having senses as US
ual, yet unable to enter my body. AZ
ter dinner was over in the doctors
house, the other physicians were an
Xious to have the operation over, as
they could not see any advantage to
be derived from it, and yet DR.. Pooley
was regarded by them as being a
brainy man, traveller of India, Cey-
Ion and Thibet, a member of scientific
societies: a man feared by the ignor-
ant, as they said he had dealings with
the devil, some. of them asserting they
could smell sulphur in his presence,
but the admiration of all who had been
benefited by his skill. The doctor said
ne would now show them what life
consisted Of, and in a few moments,
know whether l could be brought to
life, but before allowing them TO see
the principle of life he would exact
solemn and binding obligation
After they had been pledged not to
reveal his secrets to the world, they
raised my body carefully and prOpped it
up in bed, the doctor then produced
strange looking instrument which he
set on a tripod opposite the body, then
hanging a large sheet OF rubber con-
tanning a glass centre, between the
body and the instrument, the doctor be-
gan to explain that the forward part
of the istrument was merely to generate
x rays as re-discovered lately by Prof.
Roentgen, Of Wurzburg. These were
produced by a powerful Holtz machine,
which he thereupon attached to the in
strument by means Of wire. The
back part of the instrument was a tel
escOpe having three compartments, the
first being pure oxygen, the second
pure ether, and as he said this one was
a perfect vacuum, the one near the eye
was a compartment filled with oxygen,
known to few to be the most powerful
magnifyer in the world. The ether was
to assist in penetrating the darkness
natural to. the body, the rubber sheet
was to bring the rays to a common CEN
ire and filter them of the metallic par
ticles with which the rays abound.
With this explanation he turned on the
electric current and commenced to sur
vey the internal organs. His counte-
nance became bright as he announced
that ! would live, and he gave his rea-
sons before allowing the others to in
spect the body. The body, he said, was
composed of millions of bacteria. small
lives as it were; that these small lives
were continually building up the body,
and when the person was really dead
these small lives, instead of building up
new cells of which the body was COM
posed. began TO tear down the cells
and disintegration set in. While there
was life in the body to hold them in
unison they each worked to repair the
damage-"an injury to one is the con-
ern Of alP'-but when death really oc-
ours these tiny atoms separate and do
not work in unison together. Of course
they cannot be seen with the naked eye
or the most powerful microscope: there
fore our scientists have not yet discov-
cred what life is. Now, if you look
carefully at the spine you will see
those lives at work, each seeming to
have a consciousness OF it's own. Then
look at the spleen and you there see
them building up the injured places.
Now, we cannot compel these little fell