The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1870-03-04
Dead or Alive.

| VI lJ@N-pON. hlNt, OE huODE
| ISLAND, DIES-EIGHT DAYS DEAD
AND THE BODY WARM, FACE FULL.
CHEKEs FLUSHED AND LIPS RED,
SToNINGToN, Conn, Feb. l0.-For
the last few days this village, as we'll as
the neighboring towns of Westerly and
| Charlestown, in Rhode Island, have
been the scenes of much excitement,
caused by various rumors as to the con-
dition of a young lady in the latter
place, who, it was reported, had been
in state of trance for nearly a week.
Others denied this, asserting that she
was dead. Yesterday afternoon your
correspondent, in company with DR..
George ID. Stanton, of Stonington, visit
ed Charlestown, a small manufacturing
village, and met with no difficulty in
finding low, weather. beaten house,
about mile and half from the village,
the residence of Mrs. Josiah King, the
young lady's mother, from whom we
learned the following facts:
Miss Susie A. King, her daughter,
was about twenty.three years of age
and of fine personal appearance. About
two weeks ago she was taken sick with
some affection of the throat, by which
she was confined to her bed for several
days, when she was supposed to be con-
yalescent, and allowed one day to come
down stairs. That night, however, she
grew worse, complaining of severe
pains in her hands and feet, and con-
tinued to grow worse till the next day,
when she lapsed into an unconscious
state, in which she remained until her
death. Friday, the 1lth, at half-past
seven a. m. The usual preparations for
the grave were made; the body laid in
the coffin, and Sunday the funeral serv-
ices were held. While the friends were
taking the last look at the body a ply
sician present thought he observed signs
OF life.
The body was removed from the cof
fin, and beirg placed in blankets, fric-
tion and artificial respiration were re-
sorted to without effect The next day
the galvanic battery was used, but was
also without avail. After hearing the
above particulars we were invited to
view the body, which lay in coffin on
the table, where it has remained since
Sunday, this being. the eighth day since
death was supposed to have taken
place.
The body presented the appearance
of person in full health and sound
asleep. The face was full and round !;
the cheeks flushed and the lips red the
eyes unsunken, with no outward signs
of death. There was total absence of
muscular rigidity, and Wednesday,
after lying six days in this condition,
the body was perceptibly warm to the
touch. The physician present applied
the stethescope, but could detect no
pulsation of the heart, while the appli-
cation of lighted match to the skin
produced no blister filled with serum,
which is said to be invariably the case
when life is present.
Many physicians from the surround.
ing country have been to witness this
wonderful phenomenon, though disa-
greeing in their conclusions, some be-
lieving Miss King to be in state OF
trance, Others thinking her dead, and at
tributing the preservation of the corpse
to arsenic, which it is possible she had
been accustomed to take for the COM
pleXion, habit practiced by many
young ladies. That Miss X. had this
habit, however, the family deny.
The father of the young lady was Jo-
siah King, brother of Ex-Governor
King, of Rhode Island, who, it may be
remembered, occupied the gubernatorial
chair during the 'Dorr War" in 1912.
Much sympathy is felt and expressed
for the family, and some idea of the
public feeling manifested in the case
may be inferred from the fact that dur.
ing the past week over $500 people
have visited the house to see and to
hear for themselves. Boston Post.
Since the above was written the
body has been buried, still preserving
all the aspects of life. ED. Col.
| A MINISTER WANTED This burleS-
que advertisement in the Christian
Union is not very much exaggerated
statement of the expectations of most
parishes after oil:
"Wanted--A Pastor. He must be
| hIa In 1, gg l,.o,,