The Elbert County tribune., 1908-04-09

Incidents are so unusual; besides, facts
stated in cold print lack the conyinc-
ing power that accompanies the indi-
vidual presentation.
I had charge of 40 French Canadian
| expert fishermen whom l had taken to
the mouth of Saginaw river, but a
short distance from Saginaw bay. Ere
the ice moved out l had occasion,
many times. to cross and recross the
river on my trips to and from Bay
City.
On this special occasion / was I'm
pressed" that there was unusual dan
ger and my many previous experiences
had taught me the wisdom of needing
tho warning aud making the necessary
preparation. In consequence of this !
procured long. stout rope; fastened
one end of it securely round my body,
and the other end around the body of
one of the fishermen who was to ac-
company me.
We walked quite distance apart,
enough SO as to keep the long rope al
most taut. We also walked on a line
with each other, not one in advance of
the other. Feeling a security in the
comparative firmness of the ice, l be-
came trifle careless and, instead of
looking straight ahead, l was looking
in other directions at the snow-covered
landscape.
How often in life we feel most se-
cure when We are nearest danger and
in that sense of security fail to hear
the warning voicel However, in this
case. l had previously heard. listened
| and needed, and well it was that had
done SO. At that very moment-an un-
guarded moment-I felt myself lifted
bodily Ian indescribable feeling) and
in less time than l can write 1t was.
by this unseen power, borne across an
iceless area twhere the water was
deepesD, a distance of many feet in
width-so wide, | could neither have
stepped nor jumped it.
If l was surprised what about my
companion? AS soon as he felt the
rope becoming more taut he looked in
my direction and saw me moving
through the air without any effort on
my part. There was no break in the
ice at his end of the line. He moved
cautiously toward me. Had he not
been tied, being very superstitious. he
would have moved very rapidly in the
opposite direction. He could not un-
derstand it; neither could / can you?
At that time, / could arrive at but
one conclusion-it was spirits. the dis
embodied spirits of departed friends;
yet l had my doubts.
At this time, | can arrive at but one
conclusion-it was spirit. my own
embodied spirit using the kinetic en-
ergy resident within myself; of this, i
have no doubts.
Upon this occasion, as upon all oc-
casions of similar nature, an ejacula-
tory prayer of thanlkfulness escaped
my lips to the Great Spirit, the Source
of All Good; for / was assured that
whatever the power or whence it came
it was His power. 1t will thus be seen
that this "kinetic energy" is the pow
er that controls the physical forces of
nature, the power of moving and being
moved; 'the power that enabled Jesus
and Peter to walk upon the water"
says DR.. Hudson.
During the civil war, while en-
camped at Savannah, Ca, l was pass
ing from cabin to my tent. There
was no occasion for me to halt-no oc-
casion that / could see; but all at once
someone back of me (as / supposedly
placed a powerful hand on each shoul-
der and thus prevented my taking an
other step. My feet seemed riveted to
the spot, but l turned my head and
was greatly surprised to behold no one
behind me. Had ! taken one more
step the result, undoubtedly, would
have proved fatal; just as l was halle d
a bullet grazed my chest.
A negro Ga former slave who had
Joined us on the March to the Sea-"
now serving as cook for our messy
was standing some distance away
when he was attracted by the peculiar
noise of the bullet and the flying of
chip in the air. He said: who froo
up dat chip?" l informed him that 1t
was a bullet that struck the spot
where he saw the chip fly up. He dug
about a foot in the ground and found
the bullet which had completely fiat
tened in its impact with large stone.
In the meantime had not moved from
my position, so that l might gauge
the distance, angle, etc. The conclu
sion was in accord with my previous
reckoning, viz, that one step would
have been fatal.
The negro handed me the bullet,
looked at it, tossed it away Outlets
were SO common them and thought of
what might have BEEN" and was truly
thankful that 1t was outside of me in
stead of inside.
Here was another illustration OF
"kinetic energy which, of course, l
did not then understand
Copyright, 1907. by Joseph b. Bowles.1