Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-02-22

alyanic battery. the supposed corpse, with
! ountenance most horribly contorted, sprung
Up and seized the Professor by the gown, and
then fell back quiescent. A glance of horror
end recognition seemed TO pass between the
tsubject" and the Professor. He. as if struck
by lightning, staggered back. with loud cry,
or rather shrek, and stood. in an attitude of
despair and wild terror, gazing yacantly into
the air.
Before we could recover from our terror and
despair, he had tainted.
We looked at the body; the muscles of the
face were working-those of the limbs were
twitching convulsively, and vet as after in
vestigation proved, Il acas dead Why il should
have made this strange manifestation is not
TO be resolved into a matter of certainty. One
of the physicians connected with the institu-
ton says that he has witnessed the same phe-
nomena among the bodies of those who died
suddenly in fits, as well of those who were
slain by cholera. Heaven only knows the
reason of the terrific and curious demonstra-
ton! But the strangest part of my story re-
mains to be told.
We naturally supposed that the Professor
swooned from fright We applied restorativees,
and finally he exhibited indications of a con-
sciousnes. We explained to him that the show
of life given by the poor, faded form upon the
table was purely spasmOdic, and fallacious;
but he incredulously shook his head, mutter-
into insensibility. A second time we restor-
ed him to his senses; and his first words were:
Remove the subject! Hide it from my
sight - and then, as if again hOrror-stricken,
he fell into violent commissions.
We remained near him until be seemed TO
have recovered from the effects of the scene
enough to be left in charge of one watcher.
Before we retired, however. the explanation
of the Professors extreme alright at the scene
of horror was made. The revelation (for such
it was) given under pledge of secrecy-a
pledge erOrted from me by the surrounding
circumstances. The corpse into which the
Professor was about 10 plunge the scalpe,
was that Of has brother!
How when he had reached this country
is not known. But it is known. that after
earning an unenviabe notoriety among horse
Jockeys. gamblers, and the victims profiga-
cy generally, he gradually sank into the mire
of degradation until he became a dweller in
den of thieves well known to the police. Here
he was seized with desease and deprived of
his accustomed strong potations, delirium ire
mems was the consequence. He was kicked
into the street-attemptx to commit a high
way rObbery-was arrested tried, and con-
dcmnCd to the States prison. Before reaching
there, howeeer, he was to all appearance dead,
and was in that condition conveyed to the
purveyor of Subjects" and SO brought to our
,i.ssecting room.
for the present closed. The remains which
greeted the Mortified vision of the Professor;
which sprang from the same loins as his own
body: which he had often EMBODIED in his arms;
and in the integrity of the heart that animat-
ed which, he had once placed the trmest re-
lance, were silently placed in neat coffin,
and deposited, not to be disturbed again, l
hope, until the day of resurrection, in Sc
cluded spot i'll --- cemetery.
] send you my name, as pledge of the
truth Of what | have written. but you must
not disclose it. | have no excuse to offer for
making this awful affair public. other than
that the terrible impression | received haunts
me continually, and this seems to be a good
way of partially relieving my mind of it. l
intend to quit the profession, or rather aban-
don my studies. The shock have eXperien-
ced would forever disqualify me for success
ful practice
The cause of the Professors present danger
Gus illness, which has been guardedly alluded
to by the perss, is hereby explained.