Evening journal., 1914-03-16
HIS MESSAGE
FROM HEAVEN
AWES HEARERS
Pastor Brown, Passed by St.
Peter UHChaIleHged, Brings
Back Startling News
GREETED MANY OLD
FRIENDS In PARADISE

Keeling over in a trance, as he prophe.
sled he would the Rev Alexander
Brown, a colored minister, lay on tn,
platform alongside the pulpit Of st.
Paul's A. L. NJ. r. Church, ON Eleventh
street, between Poplar and Lombard, fol
nearly five hours yesterday Afternoon
and as il carried away 60 Paridise he
muttered descriptions of heaven, IL.
golden streets studded with Jewels. its
singing angels, while an awe-stricken
congregation strained eagerly TO hear
his words The Rev. Mr. Brown had
vision tbat he was TO lapse into
trance and be transported to heaven
The manner in which hc aaspcd out
greetings 10 former colored residents Of
Wilmington, who are dead and whom he
supposedly was seeing in heaven, caus.
ed his bowildcrcd auditors to believe
that Pastor Brown really was trcadne
the golden streets of the Promised Land
After lying as IN a trance on the pull
pit platform from one o'clock TO J4i
O'Clock In the afternoon. Pastor Brown
emerged from his mysterious slumbcr
weakly crumplod into n seat, and later
on when he had recovered his strength
he related that he really had been tc
heaven, that hc had met many foimei
Wiimingtonians, including Bishop Cook
the Rev. DIR. skinner and others whom
DE mentioned by name. He told of some
of the beauteous sccLcs there, and an.
nounccd that he would return TO the
church next Sunday and tell in detail
of his pilgrimage to the haven or rest.
1T would take me year to tell all
saw he declared.
Pastor Brown could not be located by
Ia reporter this morning, but the Rev.
Samuel r. Shepherd, pastor of the church
who saw the unusual performance, real
lly thinks that Pastor Brown was given
Ia glimpse of heaven with its splendor.
l"l believe that Mr.. Brown saw heaven,
partly in vision and partly in a
trance said Mr.. Shepherd this morn
ing. lie Is a thoroughly reliable man,
oi good standing about 80 years old.
lle was the FIRST pastor of st. pnuls
Church and is known personally 20 and
respected by the congregation of the
church of which ! ann PASTOR
About the middle of last week Brown
informed Pastor Shepherd that he had
J vision, or dream. that he was going into
: a trance and would 90 TO heaven while
, i'm that condition and would return and
3 tell what he mad viewed there. lie snid
IANAl ANN| NN"i'U MNiA 1NHNNN UN'lMIIIA
y aout o o'clock as a time when he would
lapse into enc trance.
Pastor Shepherd suggested TO Brown
/ that If he was going 60 have that
strange experience he attend the church
and 20 into trance there. in the pres
cncc of the congregation who would be
/ greatly interested in such n miracle.
Brown agreed. and yesterday about noon
he walked 60 the platform ON which the
Rev. Shepherd was officiating, and hand
ed the pastor note. In il he said that
he would 60 into his trance about 1
o'clock and gave some directions for
caring for him.
Meanwhile the congregation had been
. told of the wonderful vision of their for
mcr pastor, and everybody was expect
rather uncomfortable at the thoughts Of
the uncanny experience through which
, Pastor Brown promised TO go. IL bor-
, dered a little too much on the supersti-
tious or mystic for some of them.
Suddenly. about / o'clock, Brown
Topped over IN a chair. A gasp went
, over the congregation. Breathing
heavily. Brown became limp. A hand
Z kerchief was bound over his eyes, as
he had directed Pastor Shepherd to
, do, and then the relaxed form was
stretched out on the platform floor
: by Pastor Shepherd and the Rev.
( John Seency, a local preacher OF the
church.
Dinner hour had gone, but there was
81 no inclination of that congregation to
/ depart from the church. Too many
thrills were awaiting those who fingered.
Brown began to mumbe as If in "A de-
r lirium. Then he let out an ominous
I groan that caused the congregation to
5 squirm uncasily.
I "How do you do, st. Peter" came
from the lips of the man under tho
e strange spell. His salutation was in
- terpreted TO mean that he had arrived
e az the gates Of Paradise. but he evi-
b IDENTIFY went through unchalenged Then
I hc began to rambc incoherently about
Z the golden streets, and TO exclaim rap
{ turously about the splcndor all around
him, and the angels that could be seen
in the distance, and the beautiful music.
His utterances came spasmodically. but
in n manner that they could be heard
, and interpreted by most OF the audi
tors.
"How do YOU do, Brother skinner"
exclaimed Brown a little louder than
usual lnstinctivcly a shuddcr went
! through the spcllbound audience. Most
2 of those present thought of the death
r some time ago OF the Rev. DR. Skinner
: pastor of the A. u. NJ. p Church on
French street, above Eighth, who was
very popular with the colored residents
of the city. After greeting DIR. skin
ner, Brown paused in his muttering. as
, it the departed minister were talking
to him, and then answered: "les, yes"
Then he resumed his rambling
about diamonds studded in the golden
streets, money laying about like
' pebbles, the angels playing all kinds
q of musical instruments. Suddenly he
! hesitated and like he had met some
body he had not seen for a long
time, he called out:
How DO you do. Bishop Cook"
The Bishop was a head OF the U. A.
{ NJ. z. Church and died several years
{ ago. After a pause Brown assured
y the bishop he would convey his mes
a sage to relatives. Brown greeted sew
e eral other deceased Wilmington col
u ored residents whom apparently he
:. met on the golden streets glistening
s with diamonds and strewn with
r money, and he also chatted with St
Continued on Page Eleven).