Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1843-06-16
THE DEATH WATCH.
BY 7 HOOD.

In the Free city OF Frankfort on the
Name, the bodies OF the dead are not
KEEP, for several days, as with US, in The
house Of the mourning, but are promptly
removed 10 public cementry. 10 or
der TO guard however against premature
lDtermenl, the remains are always re-
tanned above ground, until certain signs
OF decomposition are apparenli and be
sides this precauion, in case oI suspen
ded animation, the fingers Of the corpse
are fastened to a bell rope, communica-
ung with an alarm, so that on The slIgh
test movement the body rings for the
help which it requires for lis resusclIa
lion-a watcher and a medical attendant
being constantly on hand.
Now the duty OF answering the Life
bell, had devolved on one Peter klopp,
no very onerOus service, considering
that for thirty years since he had been
the official death Watch" the metallic
tongue OF the alarum had never sounded
a single mole. The de(uUct Frankfort
ers coramtied 10 bis charge, had remain
ed, one and all; maO, woman and child,
as stuff, as still, and as silent, as so many
stocks and stones.
10 fine, he became a confirmed skeplic
as to such resusClalions. The bell had
never rung, and he felt certain that it
never would rng-unless from the vi
bralions of an earthquake.
So reasoned Peter X opp, who, long
past the first remorse, and lancles Of his
novicia,e, had come, by dlnt Of custom,
10 look a, the bodies in his care, but as
so many logs or bales Of goods commit
ted to The temporary custody Of a Pluto
nian warehouseman, or Lelhean wran-
eIer. But he was doomed to be signally
undeceived.
In the month Of Saplember, just after
the autumnal, Frank fort Fair, Martin
Grub, a middle aged man. Of plelhnric
habit, after dining heartily on soup, sour
kroul, veal outlets, with baIiace sauce,
carp in wine Jelly, blood sausages. wild
boar, Drawn, herring, salad, sweet Pud-
ding, Iepisuc Iarks, sour cream, with Gin
namnn, and q bowlluI OF plums, by way
Of desert. suddenly dropped down insen
sbie. As he was pronounced 10 be dead
By the Doctor the b1dy was conveyed
as usual, within twelve hours, TO the
public cementery, where being depo'i
ted in the corpse chamber, the res was
left TO the care and VigiIe1ce OF the
death watch, Peter KlopP
Accordingly, having taken a last look
at his old acquaintance, he carefully
twisted the rope Of the Life bell around
the dead mans fingers, and then retired
into his own sanc;orum, lighted his
pipe, and was soon in that loggy Para
disc. which a true German would not eS
change for all the odor Of Arabia, the
Blessed, and The society of the Houris.
II was past midnight, and IN The corpse
Chamber, hung with dismal black, th'
lifeless dody Of Martin Grub, was lay
ing 10 It's shroud, az stilI as marble
statue. At his head, the solitary fu-
neral lamp burned without flicker
there was no breath o air to dislurl
the flame, or to curve The long spider
line that hung perpendicularly from lh'
ceiling. The silence was intense. Yol
might have heard the ghost OF a whlspe
or the whis per Of ghost, If there ha'
been one present to utter it. but tn
very air seemed dead and elsgnant--
no, elastic enough for a sigh even lron
: spirit.