Early Newspaper Accounts of Out-of-Body Experiences

The Chronicling America web site and other web sites allow full-text searches of old newspapers. Using such sites, I found some interesting old newspaper accounts of out-of-body experiences. For example, there is the account below of a man claiming to have out-of-body experiences in which he traveled to the 1905 World's Fair in St. Louis. 

You can read the full account here:

https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85058130/1905-02-05/ed-1/seq-18/

Below is a 1903 account of a dying boy (Walter Smith) who reports a trip to Heaven during a close brush with death that was soon followed by actual death. We have elements of a near-death experience, an out-of-body experience and perhaps what is called terminal lucidity.  Click on the image to read it better. 

You can read the account below:

https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SRX19030814.2.2&srpos=752&e=-------en--20--741--txt-txTI-psychic-------

Below is a 1903 newspaper account:

"Jim Burlington of St. Joseph. Mo., is dead again, and has at last been buried. Burlington died, or appeared to die, about five years ago. The body was placed in a coffin and arrangements were made for its burial. Just as the funeral procession was about to leave the house life returned to Burlington's body. When he had regained consciousness Burlington declared his belief that he had really been dead. He said that he had been to heaven and told a beautiful story of the sights he had seen there. He was not a well-educated man, but described heaven as he said he had seen it in most remarkable language. Burlington's description of heaven was printed in a pamphlet soon afterward and was declared by scholars to be a most wonderful statement. Burlington was a member of a church and his statements were fully believed by the other members. One strange feature of the story was that Burlington said he saw a man in heaven who had formerly been a resident of St. Joseph, but who had moved away and was believed to he still living. Inquiry revealed the fact that the man was dead.—Sacramento Sunday News."

You can read the account using the link below:

https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=MDA19031115.2.37&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------

An 1892 newspaper account tells a story with many remarkable aspects. We hear of an 18-year-old young Mexican woman (Teresa Urrea) who had remarkable healing abilities after spending days in a death-like trance:

"She had spasms, and went into a trance that lasted thirteen days. Her parents thought her dead and were preparing for the funeral when she revived and recovered. Immediately after this she began to perform wonderful cures by the laying on of hands. A lame woman was her first case. This becoming rapidly gossiped about, the lame, blind and otherwise ailing began to arrive in crowds, walking on their knees as soon as they came in sight of the house, and reciting prayers and calling the young lady the 'holy maiden.' "

We are told Teresa gave proof of her power of mind-reading, and that she "has cured more than three hundred sufferers from all kinds of complaints." We read this claim of an out-of-body experience which Teresa seemed to produce at will, with someone else corroborating the reality of the experience: 

"One incredulous individual named Jose Parades laughed in the young girl's face, whereupon, so says the report, she slipped out of her body and stood before him for an instant in double form, both shapes being perceptible to him. Parades rubbed his eyes and his hair rose on end. 'What did you see?' asked Teresa. 'Nothing,' he stammered. 'That is, it was an optical illusion.'  But he was converted."

You can read the full account using the link below:

https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=MU18920811.2.2&srpos=44&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------

You might be inclined to completely dismiss the account above, claiming that no one ever reports seeing the apparition of a living person. But while such apparitions are reported much more rarely than apparitions of the dead, the literature of the paranormal does include some cases of people reporting apparitions of living people. Such cases are discussed in my post here. 

Another newspaper account of Teresa Urrea (from April 1892) states this:

It seems that the healing powers of Teresa Urrea lasted a long time. She eventually became a folk hero known as Saint Teresa (Santa Teresa).  Revolutionaries adopted her as an inspiration or patron saint, although she denied encouraging them directly. An 1893 newspaper article states this. 

A 1900 newspaper article (published eight years after the original reports of her healings) describes Teresa as being a famed healer who performed miraculous cures:

Do a Google image search for "Teresa Urrea" and you will find many articles about her. A search for newspaper articles on her using the search terms of "Teresa Urrea," "Theresa Urrea" and "Santa Teresa" or "Santa Theresa" produces quite a few matches. 

Teresa Urrea, called Santa Teresa