Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1866-05-01
Restoration of the Apparently Dead to Life.
I ,vdia Maria Child relates the fold

LYDIA Maria Child relates the following
incident in her own family, of the resto-
ration of the appearently dead to life
The yellow fever ragged fearfully in
Boston the last part of the eighteenth
century. The panic was so universal
that wives forsools their dying husbands,
in some cases, and mothers their chill
dren, to escape the contagious atmos-
phere of the city. Funeral rites were
generally omitted. The death carts y
sent into every part of the town, we-e so
arranged as to pass through each street
every half hour. AT each hoase known
to contain victim of the fever, they
rang a bell, and called, Bring out your
dead" When the lifeless forms were
brought out they were wrapped in tarred
sheets, put into the carts, and carried to
the burial place, unaecompanied by rel
atives In most instances, in fact, the
relatives had fed before the first ap-
proach of a fatal disease.
One of my fathers brothers, residing
in Boston at the time, became a victim
of the pestilence When the first symp-
toms appeared his wife sent the children
into the country and herself remained
to attend upon him. Her friends warned
her against such rashness. They told
her it would be death to her, and no ben
eft to him, for he would soon be too i'll
to know who attended upon him. These
arguments made no impression upon her
affectionate heart She felt that it would
be lifelong satisfaction to her to know
who attended upon him, if he did not.
She accordingly stayed and watched him
with unremitting care.
This, however, did not avail him. He
grew worse and worse, and finally died.
Those who went round with the dead
carts had visited the chamber and seen
that the end was near They now came
to take the body. His wife refused to
let it CO. She told me she never knew
how to account for it, bnt, though he was
perfectly cold and rigid, and to every
appearance quite dead, there was pow
erful impression on her mind that life
was not extinct The men were over
borne by the strength of her convictions,
though their reason was opposed to it.
The half hour again came round, again
was heard the solemn words, Bring out
your dead" The wife again resisted
their opportunities but this time the
men were more resolute. They said the
duty assigned to them was painful one,
but the health of the city required pune
tual obedience to the orders they received.
If they ever expected the pestilence to
abate it must be by prompt removal OF
the dead, and immediate funigation OF
the infected apartments She pleaded
and pleaded, and even knelt to them in
agony of tears, continually saying:
am sure he is not dead." The men rep
resented the utter absurdity OF such an
idea; but finally, overcome by her tears,
they again departed. El. IL i
With trembling haste she renewed her
efforts to restore life. She raised his head,
rolled his limbs in hot flannel, and placed
hot irons to his feet The dreaded half
hour again came round and found him as
cold and rigid as ever She renewed her
entreaties so desperately that the mes
sengers began to think little force would
be necessary. They accordingly at
tempted TO remove the body against her
will. but she threw herself upon it, and
clung to it with such frantic strength,
that they could not easily loosen her
grasp. Impressed by the remarkable
energy of her will, they relaxed their ef
forts To all their remonstrances she
answered: "If you bury him, you shall
bury me with him At last, by dint Of
reasoning on the necessity of the case,
they obtained from her promise that If
he showed no signs of life before they |
again came round, she would make no |
further opposition TO the removal
Having gained the respite, she hung ]
the watch upon the bedpost, and renewed |
her efforts with redoubled zeal She |
placed hot kegs of water about him,
forced brandy between his teeth, breathed 1
into his nostrils, and held hartshorn to |
his nose; but still the body lay motion I
less and cold. She looked anxiously at !
the watch; in Eve minutes more the prom /
ised half hour would expire, and those
dreadful voices would be heard passing |
through the street Hopelessness came
over her; she dropped the head she bad
been sustaining; her hand trembling