The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1867-11-28
GaIes. gketebes, AnetOotes, &G.
THE DEATH BELL.

III eone paris OF Germany, such Is the
| general dread of being buried alive, that
system of precaation against this pre-
mature act is in vogue, by which more
/ than one person has been restored to life
and friends after being mourned as dead.
he plan is for the corpse to be placed in
a comfortable apartment, with face un~
covered, and with cord or wire attached
| to the hands in such q manner that the
slightest movement will cause the tinkling
CT a little bell in an adjoining apartment,
where some one is always on the watch
| till there are either signs of life or decon>
( position, 10 give the assurance of hopeless
death. This custom has led TO some stri-
king scenes and curious revelations and
one of the most remarkable of these We are
now about to put on record, as we received
II, not long since, from the narrator:
81 had two bosom companions, and
we three were nearly always together when
our circumstances would permit. We
were not alike IN scarcely any particular.
and for this reason, perhaps, we liked each
other all the better. We differed on near
ly every pSint in science. art, literature.
philosophy, and religion, and argued every
point we differed on.
| Son one thing, however, we did agree,
and that was the possibility of being buried
alive, and the uDutterable horror which
must attend the subsequent conciousness
of the fact. So, in health, we eolemnly
| pledged ourselves that if within reach Of
one another at the time of the supposed
dccease of either, the living should faith
fully watch by the senseless form till the
return of life or the certainty of death.
'sMy young friend, Adolph Hofer, was
the first 20 60. He WAS believer in the
immortality of the soul, and the identity
of the spirit with that occupying the NOR
tai tenement. Of course we made our
arrangements for watching the corpse &C
cording to our compact, but without the
| slightest hope of ever seeing another spark
of life in that loved form.
sit was on the second night after the
death of Hofer that Carl and | were sit>
ting in an adjoiuing apartment conversing
about the deceased and his religious belief
We had attached small cord to the fin
gers Of the corpse, and connected it with
little bell close to Us, 50 that we could
be warned of any movement, without
being obliged to remain beside the body,
which, for various reasons, would not be
agreeable to U.s.
'''If his views in regard to future
state are correct observed Carl, 'there
is no certainty that he may not now be
with us, even in this room
"'Yes,' returned |, 'if they are correct,
which do not believe. When a man is
dead he is dead, at least as far as this
world is concerned
''It may fairly be presumed they are
based on facts when they cannot be rca-
sonably controverted. Ifman exists after
death as a rowing spirit, give me some
evidence of it, and then ask me to believe
And what about ghosts ? said Carl,
who was both skeptical and superstitious
and he glanced furtively and timidly
around the room as he spoke, as if he
had expected to encounter some fearful
apparitiOn.
s''Bah!' exclaimed I, contemptuously /;
'you know my opinion of ghosts and hob
goblins-that they have no existence, ex-
cept in the brains of timid FOOLS
"At this moment we heard, or rather
fancicd we heard, strange noise in the
adjoining apartment.
"'What was it 2 inquired Carl, in a
mild whisper.
"'Nothing,' replied 1, rossing myself
with full determination to shake off what
I believed to be foolish fancy. Are we
| men, or children, to get frightened at the
noise of n rat Z
"'Hush bark / hear something still,
whispered Carl, now fairly trembling with
| fear.
50 Then if there is anything, we must
know what it is said /, as | rose and
took up the light for the purpose of going
to look at the corpse. 'Will you accom-
pany me, or shall go alone 2
! s'Carl Heilsten slowly and steadily
arose, as one who felt called upon to per-
/ form a fearful duty but he had scarcely
cot upon his feet when the little bell con-
nected with the dead was rung violently.
sMy nervous system never received
such shock before or since. 1t seemed
for moment as if was paralyzed. This
light dropped from my hands and was ex
tinguishe9, and great beads of perspira
tien stood all over me. But | remained
inactive only for the time for one to coun
ten. Reasoning that my friend had CONS
to life and needed my immediate assist
ance, l hastily procured another light
and merely glancing at Carl, who hat
fallen back on his seat, white and helPies
with sudden fright, l rushed into tn
apartment of the corpse, expecting to fn'
Adolph living, if not actually sitting u
or standing.
'"To my utter astonishment, however
/ found only the dead form of my frien
cold, rigid, notionless ] There wa
such an innexible look on the features
that could not believe there was sinSl
snark Of life In the body, and a close e.