Wheeling times and advertiser. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1839-1849, 1843-06-05
TIE DEArH WATCH.
BY T. HOOD


kept for several days, as with us. in the
house ofthe mourning but are promptly
removed to a public cementsry. la or.
der TO guard however,against premature
'nterment, the remains are always re-
tanned above ground until certain signs
OF decomposition are apparent; and be-.
sides this Precoution,in case OF suspend
Ell animation, the fingers of the corpse
are fastened to a bell rope, communica-
ting with an alarm, so that on the
slightest movement the boIy rings for
the help which it requires for its resus-
citatIon-a watcher aud a medical al.
tendant being constantly on hand.
Now the duty OF answering the Life.
bell, had devo.ved on one Peter Klopp,
no very onerous service, conside ring
that for thirty years since he had been
the official Death Watch the metallic
tongue oil the alarum had never sounded
single note. The defunc: Frankfort
ers committed to his charge had remain
ed, one and all man, woman and child.
rs still, as still, and as silent, as so many
stocks and stones.
In fine, he became n confirmed skeptic
as 10 such resuscitations. The bell had
mover rung, and he felt certain that il
never would ring--unieSs from the vi
brations OF an earthquake.
So reasoned Peter Klopp, who. lone
past the first remorse, and fancies of his
novlciate, had come, by dint of custom.
10 look at the bodies in his care, but as
SO many logs or bales of goods commit
ted to the temporary custody ola Pluto
man warehousemln, or Le,hean wran-
ger. But no was doomed 10 De sigualIy
undeceived.
In the month Of September, Just after
the autumnal Frankfort Fair, Martin
Grub, middle aged man, of plethoric
hablt,aiter dining heartily on soup,sour.
krout, veal outlets, with baliace sauce.
carp IN wine jelly, blood sausages, wild
boar Drawn, herring salad sweet pudding,
LePistlc larks, sour cream with CHINA
mon, aud bowlful OF plums, by wav OF
desert, suddenly dropped down insensi
BILE. As he was pronounced to be dead
by the Doctor, the body was conveyed
as usual, within twelve hours, 10 the
public cementery whore being deposited
IN the Corpse Chamber, the rest was
leit to the care and vigIlenCe Of the
Death Watch, Peter Klopp,
Accordingly, having taken q ast look
at his old acquaintance, he carefully
twisted the rope Of the Life Bell around
the dead mans fingers, and then retired
INTO MS own sanclorum, lighted his
pipe, and was soon in that foggy Para
disc, which true German would dot ex
change for all the odour of Araby the
Blessed, and the society Of the Hours.
1t was past midnight, and in the
corpse Chamber, hung with Fdismal
black, the lileless body Of Martin Grab
was laying in its shroud, as still as a
marble statue. Al his head, the soiita
ry funeral lamp burned without flick.
er-dhere was ne breath Of air to disturb
the lame. or to curve the long spider.
line tEat hung perpendicularly from the
eeIlIng. The sileDce was intense Yu
mig ut have heard the ghost ola whisper
or the whisper OF ghost, If there had
been one present to utter it-but the
very air seemed dead and s:agnant-
not elastic enough for a sigh even from
spirit.
In the adjoining room reposed the
Death Watch, Peter Klopp. He had
thrown himself in his clothes, on his lin.
tie bod, with his pipe still betwe. IN his
Not cricket chirped.-nor a mouse stir.
red-nor draught of air. The light
smoke Of the pipe mounted directly I'D
ward, aud mingled with its cloud like
shadows on the ceiling. The eye would
have detected the fitting Of a mote, the
ear would have caught the ruslling Of a
straw, but ali was as quiet as the grave,
sIlll as ITS steadfast tombs-when sudden
Iy the shrIll hurried peal Of the alarm
oeII-the very same sound that for fif.
teen long years he had nightly listened
tor-the very same sound that for manv
long years he had utterly ceased to ex-
Pect, abruptly startled the slumberiDp.
senses OF Peter Klopp!
In an instant he was out Of bed and on
his feet, but without power Of further
progress. His terror was extreme. To
be walked suddenly IN a fright is su(Ti-
GENTLY dreadful; but TO be reused in the
dead Of the night by so awful a sum
mons-by call as it were, from beyond
the grave, to help the invisible spirit
perhaps demOn's-tO reanimate tho
cold, clammy corpse-what wonder
that the poor wretch stood shuddsrinp.
choking, gaoping for breath, with his
halr standing upright on his head, his
eyes starting out Of their orbits his teeth
.chattsrlng, his hands cloutched. his
limbs Psralyzed,and a cold sweat oozing
out from every pore in his bodyl In the
hrstsPasm OF horror his jaws had col.
lapscd with such force III he had bitten
through the stem Of his pipe, the bowl