Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1856-12-25
From the New York Times.
How Pat Burke Arrested his own
Corpse--A Curious Case.

O0rpSe-"A Carl0nS CdSe. !.
Not often does one see his OWL
funeral. Charles Y. of Spain did, and
so did Pat Burke of Eleventh-avenue;
but he arrested his corpse while on
the way to the cemetery!
Pat'sis strange story, but it is
veritably true.
Pat is laboring man, and when
work is not brisk in the City, he goes
to the country in search of it. He
went out Of town on Friday, and on
Saturday his loving wife, Catharine,
was brought The painful news that he
had been killed on the Hudson River
Railroad, at Tarrytown. She hasten
ed to the place indicated, and there
beheld and fully recognized the mu-
tilated remains of her darlin Pat.
She put the body in a handsome
mahogany coffin, and had it convey
ed to her residence in the city
Her friends and neighbors assem-
bled mournfully. The "pipes and
tebaccy'' were brought, the snuff
passed round, and the corpse was
walked in the 'rale ould style
The funeral was to take place on
Sunday afternoon, at 2 o'clock, and
at that hour the hearse and large
number of nice carriages, well filled
with mourners, drove up to the resi-
dence of the widow Burke. The
widow wept and would not be COM
forted. She kissed the cold lips of
her departed husband again and ogain,
and it was with difficulty she could be
prevented from taking one more
last lingering look at him who was no
more.
The coffin was placed in the hearse
and the cortege moved slowly along
towards Calvary Cemetery.
4
In half an hour after Pat Burke
appeared. in the flesh at his own house.
He saw at once that something had
taken place. Thoughts of elope-
ment and murders rushed wildly
through his brain. Greatly frigbten-
ed be polted upstairs and into the
apar tments of neighbor without
as much as saying 'by your leave"
Two women to whom he was we'll
known, tainted when they saw the
appari ton, and were with difficulty
revived. At last when they had suf-
fciently recovered to speak, they
were asked by Pat in loud excited
tone:
"What's the matter? where's me
wife? Spake quickly!r'
.'She's gone to yer funeral, sure
Pat-ain't ye deadY" >
"a mn't | dead what in the
de We name, woman? amn't ] here!"
@Arrah, Pat jewell you know yer
dead Sure wasn't ] at yer wake
meself?"
"Then where me eorpse?" &
."Gone to the burying ground half
an hour ago, amock, but" !"
Pat stopped for nothing more.
He fancied bow things stood, and
rushing wildly from the house pur-
sued his corpse up the avenue. He
ran fast and long, and had. the
satisfaction of oyertaking bis fane-
raj just as it was about to go on
board the ferry-boat that plies to
Calvary Cemetery.
.Sthop there, " he cried, springing
forward and seizing the head horse
attached to the hearse. 1Sthop there
| tell ye,. or, by the powers, I'll mass
acre every mothers son Of yer'
Then rushing back to the next
carriage, which contained his wife, he
pulled open the door, and exhibited
himself freely perspiring and great
Eiy agitated.
The scene that ensued (as the mag
azinists say) may be imagined but
cannot be describe. The widow
Burke tainted, as did all the other
women in the carriage, while the men
struggled for exit by the other door.
The uproar spread, and the aid of the
police would have been called, had
not the widow recovered from her
swoon aud fully recognized the pres
ence of her dead husband.
AS it was many were not a little
angered at Pats unwarranted inter.
ference, while Pat on seeing the
corpse, was greatly chagrined that
his wife should mistake s'such an
ugly spalpeen for her purity Pat but
when be saw his wife pale face and