BETWEEN THE WORLDS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5372, 9 January 1929, Page 3

BETWEEN THE WORLDS.

AN EIGHT-DAY TRANCE. Scientists and students of the occult are passing over thd strange case of Mrs Ethel Baldwin, of Long Bqach, California, whose apparent death and seemingly miraculous re's, urrection recently startled the attendant physicians. The very manner of Mrs Baldwin’s disease —if disease it was—seemed) remarkable. Her '.husband;, Roy Baldwin, had been ill with pneumonia. He was a patient in a hospital at Long Beach. Mrs Baldwin sat at his bedside. That morning a report on Mr Baldwin’s condition had been serious,. Towards late afternoon he showed signs of improvement. Then he had a sudden sinking spell and died. His wife was at the frejdbide when the end e.ame. On the very instant that Baldwin breathed his last fluttering breath, his wife lapsed; into a death-like coma. All 'Qfforts to rouse her proved futile. She continued in her. deathlike trance after she was taken home. Investigation frito the jjyep of Mr and Mrs Baldwin revealed that their marriage had been an idejal one. They had been separated for a night in the 16 years they had been man asd wife. They loved the same books and amusements. Nejver had they known, even a trivial quarrel, and*never had an unkind word passed between them. Many times -thejy talked of what would happen when dteath came. They had prayed to pass away together.; neither one cared to survive the othey. Physicians acquainted with these facts realised that it would be a tremendous task to bring her out of. the apparent cataleptic state. “The deto live,” they said, “is essential to the recovery of the majority of

patients.” Mrs Baldwin probably had suffered the; collapse because life held little interest for her. aft'cy her hus-i band had passed away. Therefore, on the chance that she might awaken of her own accord, her children weye warned to stay in or near the house. “We are certain,” the physicians said, “that, if consciousness returns we can i.enew the patient’s interest in life by having the; children talk to ’her.” . And so for eight long days and nights the two children sat by the bedside, calling her, and took only short periods of rest. Yo.ung Thurnam Baldwin, to keep himself awake at night, would play his violin. He is quite a good musician, and his chum, George de; Ramee/came to the house to keep (him company- De Ramee is a pianist, and together, the boys would while away the wejary hours playing t,he violin and piano. It was on the eighth day that the boys were playing some of the fav-> buritq airs of Mrs Baldwin’s. They had just struck up the first solemn airs of “Holy Night” when those at the bedlside noticed a faint fluttering of Mrs Baldwin’s eyelids. The nurse, quick to realise that this change; mieht be'traceable to the effect of the; music, bade the yo.ung men to continue their playing. The boys played as If inspired. Young Thurman realised that upon Ibis playing might depend thq life of his mother.

Siiddenly the long, pale fingers of the woman began to move faintly. The watchers saw that,, they were beating a feeble rhythm to the music, and convinced that the music must be continued until the doctors came. The movement of t'he fingers gained strength as Thurman repeated the car.o,l several time';; to the accompaniment of his chum. The sleeper was now trying to stir in bed. It seemed to the people at the bediside that life was fighting to creep back into the body that had for days laid rigid. The eyelids continued to flutter and the white hands gained strength. As the chords floated in from the adjoining room in increased tempo, the fingers kept time. The boys kept playing for more than an hour and were almost exhausted. Then the woman, who had: been in a trancq fo,r more than a week, slowly opened her eyes. “Holy Night,” she whispered. “I

cannot, yet I must—l want to go back to him.’’ Then her murmurs drifted into unintelligibility. Those who watched witnessed one of. the strangest battles ever seen by Shuman eye. It was as if the soul of Mrs Baldwin were being puljqd back into, spac,e by unseen hands on . the one side, and on the other the forces of the ear till were; trying to hold it. Agony was depicted on the ashen face of the victim.

Slowly, but surely, however, the call of. life apparently drew 1 the; woman’s soul back to earth and soon she opened her eyes, alight .with con-; sejousness.

“I am so tired,” were H'tyr first words.

Informed of her long sleep, Mrs Baldwin was amazed. There is a wide diversion of opinion concerning the rqmarkable awakening of Mrs Baldwin. Psychologists say that the trance, was the result of hy’s,teria. Physicians expressed the opinion that such trances may rqsult pathologic,ally from great shocks- But students of the occult insist, that Mrs Baldwin’s soul fled when her. husband died, and that she was called back to life by the strains of her son’s music.