Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1843-06-21
THE DEATn WATCH.
BIZ 7. HOOD.

IN the Free City of Frankfort n-the
Maiu. the bndies of Inc dead are not kept
for several days, as with us, in The house
Of mourning. bu, are promptly removed
10 public cemetery. In order 10 guard,
however. against premature iniermcnt.rhc
rcmnns arc always retained above sroupd
until certain signs Of decomposition are
apparent and. besides this precaution. in
cnse Of suspended animation, the iiusers
of The corpse are fastened TO a bel!-rope,
communicating with an alarm. so thai ou
the slightest movement the body rings frr
The help which il regpircs for lis rcsuaci'a-
,ion-a watcher and mcdica! attendant
being constantly u. hand.
Now the duty Of answering the lifc.bcll.
he'd devolvcd on the Peter klopp-no
very onerous service, considering that for
thirty years since he had b,en the official
"Dearl,. Walch," the metallic tongue Of
the a!arum had never sounded single
uoIe. TIE derunct Frankfurtcra: commit
ted TO his charge had remained, one and
all, man, woman. and child, as still. rs
still. aud Us silent. as so maGy stocks aud
stones. No, tha, in every ease the vital
principle wns necessarily extinct; 10 some
bodies out Of so many thousands, il doubt
less fingered. like spark among the ashes
-bu, ,lisinciined. by na'ional phlesm, TO
any active assertion of It's existence.
For a German, indeed, there is charm
in a certain vaporous dreamy state, be-
tween life and death, between sleeping and
waking, which a transcendenial spirit
would not willingly dissolve. But be ll,oI
as il might, the deceased FranSloners all
lay 10 iheirturns in tho Corpse Chambcr,
as passive as statues in marble. Not n
limb siirrcd-not muscle twitchcd--uol
a finger contracted; aud consequently cot
nole sounded tnelnr;lc the ear or try the
nerves Of Peter Klopp.
In fine, he became confirmed skcplic
as 10 such resuscira,ions. The bell had
never runs, and he felt certain that it
never would ring, unless from The vibra.
tious Of au earthquake. No. no death and
the doctors did their work too surely for
their patients TO relnpse into lie in any
such manner. And truly i, is curious 10
observe that, in proportion TO the multi.
plicaiion OF physicians, and the progress of
medical science, the number Of reyivals
has decreased. The exnnnna'e no longer
rally as they used 30 do some centuries
since-when Alloys Schneider was restored
by rhe jol'ins Of his collin, aud Margaret
Schnning, leaving her death bed, walked
down to supper in her last linen.
So reasoned Peter klopp, who. long
past Abe frs, iemorse aud fancies Of his
uovicta,e. had come, by dint OF custom. 10
look OF The bodies in his care but as so
many logs Or baes of goods committed 10
The temporary custom Of a Pluiouian wnrc-
house man Of Leihean whranscr.-Bnt he
wps do5mcdio be sisnally undcccived.
In the month Of September. jusr afer
the aulumnal Frankfort fuir. Martin
Grab. middle-aged mac Of ple,horic
habit, after dining heartily on soup. sour.
krou,e vcal.cu,lets, with. bulIace sauce,
carp in wine Jelly. bloody sausases, wild
boar Drawn, herring salad. sweet pud-
ding, Leipsic larks, sour cream with sinna-
mon, and n abowlfull of plums by way Of
a desert, suddenly dropped down insensi-
bio. As he was pronounced 10 be deadb
The doctor, the body was conveyed, as
usual, within Twelve hnurs. to Tho public
cemshIery. where, being deposited in the
corpse chambeFf,Ie rest wns Left 10 ,he
care and vigilance Of The dea,h-watcb,
Peter Khpp.
Accordingly, having taking last look
ai his old acquaintance, he carefully twis.
ted the rope OF the life-bell around the
dead mans fingers, and theu retired into
his owu sanc,orum, lighted his pipe, and
was soon ih iha, fogsy paradise, which a
True German would not exchange for all
the edor Of Araby The Blessed, and The So
c;eiy Of the Hours.
:. II was past midnight, and in the corpse
chamber. hung will, dismal black, the
lifeJcss body of Martin Grab was lying in
lis shsoud, as sill ~ marble statue. AZ
his head the solitary funeral lamp burned
without 1icker--,herc. .was 10 breath Of
mir 10. disturb the flame, or 10 curve the
long spider line ,hat hung pcrpendierIarly
from the ceiling. The silence was intense.
You nigh, ba7e heard The ghost Of whis-
per, or ihe whisper Of ghost. if there had
been one present TO utter IL; hui the very
air seemed dead aud s,asnant-not elastic
enough for o sign even from spirit.
In tho adjoining room rcposed the death
witch Pelcr Klppp. He had ,hrpwa him
self in his clothes. on bis lillle bed, with
bis pipe sill between his lips. Here, TOO,
all was silent and sill not cFicketjunp-
ed, nos mouso slirred. no, draugli oI
air. The light smoke Of the Pipe mounted
| directly upward, mud mingled, With hi: