The story then relates how George Northey’s vessel left St. Helena the next day after the dream, and reached Plymouth in due time.  George carried with him a very vivid recollection of his vision on the return voyage, and never doubted for an instant that his brother had been actually murdered in the manner and by the persons named, as seen in the vision.  He carried with him the determination to bring the villains to justice and was filled with the conviction that through his efforts retribution would fall upon the murderers.

In England, justice was at work—­but the missing link was needed.  The crime aroused universal horror and indignation, and the authorities left nothing undone in the direction of discovering the murderers and bringing them to justice.  Two brothers named Hightwood were suspected, and in their cottage were found blood-stained garments.  But no pistol was found, although the younger brother admitted having owned but lost one.  They were arrested and brought before the magistrates.  The evidence against them was purely circumstantial, and not any too strong at that; but their actions were those of guilty men.  They were committed for trial.  Each confessed, in hopes of saving his life and obtaining imprisonment instead.  But both were convicted and sentenced to be hanged.  There was doubt in the minds of some, however, about the pistol.  The story continues: 

“Before the execution, George Northey arrived from St. Helena, and declared that the pistol was in the thatch of the old cottage close by the place where they had murdered Hart Northey, and where they had hid it.  ‘How do you know?’ he was asked.  George replied:  ’I saw the foul deed committed in a dream I had the night of the murder, when at St. Helena.’  The pistol was found, as George Northey had predicted, in the thatch of the ruined cottage.”  Investigation revealed that the details of the crime were identical with those seen in the vision.

It is a fact known to all occultists that many persons frequently travel in the astral body during sleep; and in many cases retain a faint recollection of some of the things they have seen and heard during their travels in the astral.  Nearly everyone knows the experience of waking up in the morning feeling physically tired and “used up;” in some cases a dim recollection of walking or working during the dream being had.  Who among us has not had the experience of “walking on the air,” or in the air, without the feet touching the ground, being propelled simply by the effort of the will?  And who of us has had not experienced that dreadful—­“falling through space” sensation, in dreams, with the sudden awakening just before we actually struck earth?  And who has not had the mortifying dream experience of walking along the street, or in some public place, and being suddenly overcome by the consciousness that we were in our night-clothes, or perhaps without any clothing at all?  All of these things are more or less distorted recollection of astral journeyings.