Year: 1867

The Indianapolis Herald says that
the people of Whiteland, Johnson
county, Indiana, have been much ex-
cited recently on account of young
woman named Van Arsdale, seventeen
years of age, living in house in the
capacity of a servant, who had recently
taken i'll and had TO all appearance
died. Preparation was made for her
funeral, but il was stayed on account Of
a certain phenomena connected with
the body. After remaining in this state
twelve hours, the young woman awoke
aud told strange things of her visit to
the other world, and who and what she
saw in heaven and elsewhere. The
Herald says:


Miss Van Arsdale sent for number of
persons in the neishborhood, and not
only impaired to them news of lost
friends, but told of sins committed by
them, supposed to be unknown by any
one. Among otheis was a man who
had participated in the execution of
men who were lynched; she told him
that h. had been there that night
(Which he acknowledged. and had i'll
the sight of God committed murder.
Previous to this the names of the band
had been kept a profound secret, and
this man had not even been suspected.
She narrated a good many strange
things, relating mainly to individuals
both in this world and the other, many
of which it would have been almost
impossible for her to have invented.
But the straDgest part of the story
is yet to come. A few hours
after the expiration of the first trance
she predicted that she would have an
other, and told TO minute the time at
which it wdGld commence, and at
which it would end. Everything had
turned out as she had said; at the ex-
act time she fell into the same state.
In an Ordinary trance, or cataleptic
state, respiration is not suspended, but
in this case breathing could not be OBJ
served. She was to all appearances
dead; but the pulse beat family, aud
the body was not cold. All sensation
was gone. The physician made numer-
Gus experiments, pricking the body,
opening the veins. aud SO forth, to dis
cover if there eould be any deception.
In the end he. was perfectly convinced
that there was none. At the expira-
tion Of the time set by herself she came
to, and in a few hours was able to leave
her bed and go about the house. The
story of her experience in the second
trance was similar to the tirst one, and
was confined almost wholly to individ-
uals. She seemed unable to describe
the places she had been in, but gave
histories of events and persons with re-


Aarkabie minuteness. She also said
that she would never have a recurrence
of the trance unless she should commit
some fragrant sin: :'her authority for this
prediction was that the Lord himself
had told her so. The girl is uneducated,
and has lived about as sery ant girl ever
since she was able to work. She has AL


ways borne a good character for truth
fulness, and is a member of q church. She
is almost the last person in the world TO
have manufactured such stories, and
one thing especially noticeable is the
fact of her sending for persons to whom,
before her illness, she would have been
afraid TO have spoken, and conTersing
with them without the least restraint,
and telling them stories and facts NOT
the most palataole to worldly people.
She was visited by great many people,
some of them eminently respectable,


who vouch for many of the statements
of her illness. The physician in atten-
dance is positive as to her condition


during the whole time, and had il not


beer for him she would have been bur


led alive. : y -tsN-iis- - 44ih-