BACK FROM THE DEAD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21022, 10 May 1930, Page 3

BACK FROM THE DEAD.

THE "GATES OF HEAVEN.” . \ " 1 1 • MEDIUM OP DENTIST’S CHAIR. Mr , Frederick Edwards, the hard, matter-of-fact proprietor of a sign shop in San Diego, United States, claims to have had a visit to Paradise by way of the ddntist’s chair. His remarkable story coupled with the fact that for 15 minutee ho was actually pronounced dead by a heart specialist, has provoked considerable discussion all over America. The patient, who has no leaning toward spiritualism, visited a local' dentist to have an aching tooth extracted under gag. He was instructed to raise and lower his thumb ae the dentist counted “ One, two, three,” and so on. Mr Edwards declares that as the dentist counted “ seven ” his body gave a violent lurch, his fet flew into the air and his astonishing journey into another world began. "1 then suddenly became conscious,” he says, “ of two slender figures, one on either side of the dentist’s chair, who began' gently to raise me out of my body. “ They were of a grey-blue colour, with a white outline, very graceful in appearr ance, their light-blue robes falling away from them as we started bur upward journey. We entered, at first, a slatecoloured atmosphere, which gradually grew lighter until it had taken on the colour of light blue, and on through this blue haiie we went until we passed over what appeared to'be a cloud bank of deep blue.” _ The heart specialist, who had been hurriedly summoned by the dentist, was about this time working desperately over Mr Edward’s inert body in the dentist’s chair, assisted by a nurse. Every sign of life left the patient for 15 minutes. The stethoscope could detect not the faintest movement of the heart, the eyes rolled back, the patient became pale and cold. He was, in short, for the space of 15 minutes, clinically dead. Many gallons of oxygen were administered, and to the relief 'of both doctor and dentist the patient’s heart presently began to beat again. He was brought slowly back to life.

Mr Edwards was meanwhile undergoing an experience of his own which he declares he will remember vividly until be dies again. “ I know of no words that can describe the beauty and brilliancy of my new escorts.” ne eays. “or the countless number of bodies—l should not call them bodies, but jewels, they were so beautiful —that were all about us. all floating along gracefully with their silvcrish shrouds, long golden tresses, and the sunshine beaming from their faces. This group appeared to be all females, while ray escorts seemed to be males.

“ I came at last on what appeared to be the very gate of heaven. It was a wall of deep golden colour, through which a crevasse ran like a gate. Another pair of guides approached after a briet interval and we began to descend. The atmosphere was far less ' cheering now. ’’

“ The angels that I saw now were not jewels, but more mundane-looking creatures, with bodies like jellyfish, and with a while line extending completely round them. I looked at one who bad started toward me.

We are going to bump. 1 reach out my hand to brush him aside, but instead of moving him my arm and hand passed completely through the body as if it were smoke.

“The hosts of bluish-grey souls, clad in solemn robes, reached for miles after countless miles in all directions. I suddenly saw two spirits approach from overhead. They lifted me up from the rest of the spirits, and as they did so a terrible moan went up from all the others.

“That was the only sound I heard during the entire trip. We began another journey, a short trip upward, and then the two spirits let me slip back into my body.” He awoke on a table in the dentist’s room.

Many clergymen and others are greatly impressed by Mr Edwards’s story and his account of his experience. Sceptics dismiss it as a dream due to the auiesthetic.