Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1870-03-15
RATES OF ADVERTISING
from The Boston ROst.l
Dead or Alive.

SToN1NeroN, Conn, Feb. I9.-Fos tho
last few days this village, as we'll as the neigh
boring town of Westerley and CharlestOWD.
in Rhode Island. have been the scenes OF
much excitement, caused by various rumors
as the condition of young lady in the latter
place, who. it was reported, had b.en in =
state of trance for nearly week. Others de- 2
MED this, Inserting that she was dead. Yes
terday afternoon. your correspondent, in COM
pauy with DR.. George ID. Stanton, of Ston>
ington, visited, Charlcstown, a small man.
uiacturing village, aud met with no difficulty
in finding low. weather>beate house, about.
u mile and a half from the village, the resi>
dence of Mrs. Josiah King, the young lady's
mother, from whom we learned the following
facts:
Miss Susie a King, her daughter, was
about twonty-three years of AGE, aud of fins
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 bo
covalescent, and allowed one day to come down
stairs. That night, however, she grew worse,
complaining of severe pains in her hands and
feet, aud continued to grow worse till the next
day, when she lapsed into an.uncOncious state,
in which she remained until her death, Fri-
dav. the llth, at u a. NJ. The usual prep
arations for the grave were made; the SOdy
laid in the coffin; and Sunday the funeral
services were held, While the friends were
taking the last look ut the body, physician
present thought he observed signs of ife,'
The body was removed, from the coffin, and,
being placed in blankets, friction and arti-
fetal respiration were resorted to without eE-
feet The next day the galvanic battery was
,,..l b,,4 ,ros aIs, avail After hear-
ing the above particulars, We we're invited to
view the body, which lay in coffin on the
table, where it had remained since Sunday,
this beng the eighth day since death was sup
posed to have taken place.
The body presented the appearance of q
rerson in full health and sound sleep. The
lace was full aud round the cheeks flushed
aud the lips red the eyes unsunkcn, with no
outward signs of death. There was total
absence of muscular rigidiiy, and Wednesday,
after lying six days in this condition, the body
was preccptbly warm to the touch. Tho
physician present applied the stethoscOpe, but
could detect no pulsaton of the heart, while
the application of u 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 surrounding
country have been to witness this wonderful
phenomenon. though disagreeing in their con-
clusions, some believing Miss King, to be iu
n state of trance, others thinking her dead,
and attributing the preservation of the corpse
to arsenic, which it is possible she had been
accustomed to take for the complexion, habit
practiced by many young ladies That
Miss King had this habit, however, the family
deny.
The father of the young lady was Josiah
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 feelings manifested in the case may bo
inferred from the fact that during the past
week over , 800 people have visited the house,
to see and 10 hear for themselves.