Butte record. (Bidwell, Butte County, Cal.) 1853-1858, 1857-02-14
How Pat Burke Arrested his own Corpse
4 Curious Case.

Not often does one see his own fun
eral. Charles V. of Spain did, and SC
did Pat Burke of Eleventh-avenue, bul
he arrested his corpse while ON It's
way to the cemetery
Pats is strange story, but it is
veritably true.
Pat is laboring man, and when
work is not brisk in the city, he goes
in the country in search Of it. He
went cut of town on Friday, and on
Saturday his loving wife, Catherine,
was brought the painful news that he
had been killed on the Hudson River
Railroad at tarrytown. She fastened to
the place indicated. and there beheld
and fully recognised the mutilated re-
mains of her darlin' Pat. She put the
body in handsome mahogony coffin
and had it conveyed to her residence
in the city. Here friends and neigh
bors assembled mournfully. 'The pipes
and tobacco were brought, the sruf
passed round, and the corpse was 'wak-
ed in the 'rale ould Style
The funeral was to take place on Sa.
turday afternoon, at 2 O'Clock, and a,
that hour the hearse and large num>
Der of carriages, well filled with mourn.
ers, drove up to the residence of the
widow Burke. The widow wept and
would not be comforted. She kissed
the cold lips of her departed husband
again and again, and it was with diff
Guilty she could be prevented from TAX
ing one more last lingering look at him
who was no more.
The coffin was placed in the hearse,
and the cortege moved slowly along to-
wards Calvary Cemetery.
n
In half an hour after Pat Burke ap-
peared in the flesh at his own house
He saw at once that something had
taken place Thoughts of elopements
and murder rushed wildly through his
brain. Greatly frightened he bolted
upstairs and into the apartments of "a
neighbor, without as much as saying
'by your leave Two women to whom
he was well known, tainted when they
saw his apparitlon, and with difficulty
revived. AT last when they had suffi
ciently recovered to speak, they were
asked by Pat in loud and excited tone
whats the matter? where's my
wife Spake qulckly!'
She's gone to yer funeral, sure Pat
amt ye dead?'
'Amn't | dead what in the - de
ye name, woman? amn't | here?'
'Arrah, ? at. jewel, you know yer
dead Sure wasn't at yer wake my
self:'
'Then where's me corpse p
'Gone to the burying ground half an
hour ago, amock, but -
Pat stopped for nothing more. He
fancied how things stood, and rushing
wildlyfrom the house pursued his corpse
up the avenues. He ran fast and long.
and had the satisfaction Of overtakine
his funeral just as it was about to &c
on board the ferry-boat that plies tc
Calvary Cemetery.
Stop there he cried springing for
ward aud seIzing the head of the horse
attached to hearse Stop there, tell
ye, or, by the powers, I'll massacre
every mothers son of ye.'
Then rushing back to the next car
riage, which contained his wife, he pull
led open the door, and exhibited him
self freely perspiring and greatly agi'
tated.
The scene that ensued (as the mag
azinists say may be imagined. but
cannot be described. The widow
Burke tainted, as did all the other wo-
men 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
and fully recognized the prsence of her
dead husband.
As it was, many were not little
angered at Pats understandable inter-
ference, while Pat, on seeing the corpse
was greatly chagrined that his wife
should mistake such an ugly spalpcen
Tor her purity Pat,' but when he saw
his wife's pale face and fearful eyes, he
thanked bis stars that he had such a
loving wife, and that he was Lot yet
dead
The hearse and its contents were
turned round and driven to the dead
house at Bellevue Hospital, while
those who had left the wake-house
mourning returned to be merry
All admitted the joke to be good
one, except Pat, who AYERS that it's no
joke TO be buried before ones time.
An Inquest upon the corpse was
held by Coroner Hills, and verdict
rendered That the unknown deceased
came to his death by being run over
on the Hudson River Railroad at Tar
rytown.' 1t was then inferred In Pot.
ter's Field.
rA- 1t is a somewhat singular fact
that, restless as is the ocean, the patti
| e x-o,,- sbsD i +ba oul1r r1art that i