Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1856-11-08
REMARKABLE CAsEs-cRIMINALs VINO
HAVE RETURNED To LIFE AFTER


y ne lollOwlnR singular circumstance is re-
corded by DR.. Plot, in his Natural History
of Oxfordshre.
In the year 1850, Anne Green, q servant
of Sir Thomas Read, was tried fof the mur-
der of her new born child and found guilty.
She was executed in the court yard at
Oxford, where she hung about half an hour
Being cut down, she was put into coffin,
and brought away to house TO be dissected,
where, when they opened the coffin, notwith.
standing the rope remained unloosed and
straigh: about her neck they perceived her
breast to rise, wbereupon one Mason,
tailor, intending only an act Of charity, set
bis foot upon her, and, as some say, one
Drum, soldier. struck her again with the
butt end of his musket. Notwithstanding
all which, when the learned and eminent Sir
William Perry, ancestor Of the present
Marquis of Landsdowne, then Anatomy Pro.
lessor OF the University, DR.. Wallis and DR..
Clark, then President Of the Magdalen Col
lege and Vice-C Chancellor of the. University,
came to prepare the body for dissection, they
perceived some small rattlipg in her throat
they presently used means for her recovery
by opening vein, laying her in warm bed.
and also using divers remedies respecting her
senseessness, iusomuch that within fourteen
hours she began to speak, and the next day
talked and prayed very heartily. During the
time Of this her recovering, the officers con-
cerned in her execution would needs have
had her away again to have completed it on
her; but by the meditation OF the worthy
doctors and some other friends with the then
governor of the city, Col. Kelsy, there was a
guard put upon her from all further dis.
turbsrce until they had sued out her pardon
from the government Much doubt indeed
arose as to her actual guilt. Crowds Of
people in the meantime came to see her. and
many asserted it must DO the providence OF
God, who would thus assert her innocence.
After some time, DR.. Petty, hearing she
discoursed with those about her. and sus-
pectiug that the women might suggest unto
her to relate something Of strange visions
and spparitions she had seen during the time
she seemed to be dead, (Which they had
already begun to do, telling that she said she
had been in fine green meadow, having n
river running round it, and all things there
glitlered like silver and gold.) he caused all
TO depart from the room but the gentlemen
Of the faculty who were to have been ut the
dissection, and asked her concerning her
sense and spprehensons during the time she
was hanged. 70 which che answered, that
she neither remembered how the fet,ers we're
knocked off, how she went out Of the prison
when she wns turned OF the ladder whether
any psalm was sung or not; nor was she
sensible Of any pnins that she could remem-
Der She came TO herself as if she awakened
out of sleep. not recovering the use Of her
speech by slow degrees, but in . manner
altogether, beginning to speak just where
she left of on the galows.
Being thus at length perfectly recovered,
after thanks given to God, and the persons
instrumental in bringing her to life. aud
procuring her an immunity from further
punishment, she retired in the country TO her
friends at Steeple Barton, where she was
afterwards married, and lived in good repute
amongst her neighbors, having three children,
and not dying till 1859.
The following account Of the case of u girl
who was wrongiully executed in l166. is given
by a celebrated French author, as an instance
OF the injustice which was often committed
by the e9uivocal mode Of trial then used in
France
About seventeen years since, 4 young
peasant girl was placed at paris, in the
service Of a man, who, smilten with her
beauty, tried to inveign her but she was
virtuous aud resisted. The prudence Of this
girl irritated the master. and he determined
on revenge He secretly conveyed into her
DuA many thi"ee hn'o"s;ns 10 him. marked
with his name. lie then exclaimed that he
was robbed. called in a commissairc, Ia
ministerial officer of justice.) and made his
t deposition. The girls boz was searched, aud
the things were discovered. The unhappy
servant was imprisoned.
She defended herself only by her tears
she had no evidence 10 prove that she did not
put the property in her box; and her only
answer to the iuterrogatores was that she
was innocent. The judges had no suspicion
of the deprayity OF the accuser, whose
station was respectable, and they aduiinis
tered the law in all its riSor. The innocent
girl was condemned to be hanged. The
dreadful office was etfectualIy perf' rmed, as
1t WAS the first attempt Of the son OF the chic
executioner. A surgeon had purchased the
body for dissection, and it was conveyed to
his house. On that evening, being about tc
| open the head. he perceived "A gentle warmth
about the body. The disSecting- knife fell
from bis hand, and he placed in q bed hei
whom he was about to dissect.
| His efforts TO restore her to life we're effec.
| ,ual and al the same time he sent for a
| clergyman on whose discretion aud expert
ence he could depend, in order to consul,
| with him on this strange event as well as tC
have him for witness to his conduct. The
moment the unfortunate girl opened her eyes
| she believed herself in the other world and
! perceiving the figure Of the priest who had
marked and majestic countenance she
Joined her Sands trenbingly and exclaimed
Eternal Father. sou know my innocence
have pity on me y In this manner she con
tinued to invoke the ecciesiastic, believing, in
her simplicity, that she beheiL her God
They were long in persuading her that sha
was not dead-so much had the idea Of the
punishment and death possessed her imagi.
nation.
The girl having returned TO life and health
she retired to hide herself in distant village
fearing to meet the judges or the officers
who, with the dreadful tree, incessantly
| haunted her Imagination. The accuser re-
mained unpunished, because his crime,
although manifested by two individual wit
nesses, was not clear to the eye Of the law
The people subsequently became acquainted
with the resurrection of this girl, aud loaded
with leproaches the author oi her misery
The art Of dentistry is likely to undergo
some very considerable improvements OF
changes, We should suppose, Judging from the
! 4 L. Il. l.