Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-12-29
Narrowing Experiences with Dead Men
Supposed TO be Living, aud Living
Men Supposed 20 be Dead.

e.sSeiAAoA LuC NJ VI anu Tic OiHtI CITY Oi-
ficers.
THE BURKE DISASTER.
Having promised thus in a general
way, he proceeded to tell what he knew
about the trial before Squire Miller.
He was arrested in the morning by a
constable, who showed a warrant under
his nose, charging him with killing
John Burke, raftsman. He was taken
before Justice Miller to be tried.
The local inquired about the case Of
john Burke, who he was, and how he
came to be fOrcibly showed into the next
world.
Mr.. O'MahOny said that John Burke
was raftsman, who was lodging at the
Lee House, corner of Overton and Front
streets, ''and, " continued Mr.. o. Mahony,
che fell from the balcOnyC hrhtmas night
because he had too much egg-nOgg in
him, or was in deliriItHl t'emens, or
something of that sort, and died this
incoming. L lodge up there in that neigh
bOrnOod-yOu remember me. used to
drive the heaTse for Jack Walsh. You
often wrote things about me before.
/ They arrested me on the street this
morning when l was coming away from
the clearinghouse. Sure, don't know
thing about il, at all, at all, ne more
than the babe that's to be born next
week.
The reporter suggested that he was
| suspected on account of being fond of
burying people, and liked a brisk bust
ness in his line.
| Mr.. O'MahOny laughed at the queer
remark, and then said that he got the
name when he was driving the psupers
for Jack Walsh. 'It was you," be put
/ in, ''that got that out on me first about
/ the Raleigh road transaction, and after
ward about mailing the man up in the
coffin in the shop on Winchester street.
1t was all done for fun. But this trial
to-day said Mr.. O'Mahony, 81 don't
want it to get out on me that had any
hand in that. l believe the man was
drunk, or something like that; he fell
down himself, anyway. Squire Spell
man held the inquest on him, and he
was witness against me, too"
''What did the Squire swear?" in
| quired the reporter.
"He swOre nothing" said O'AIahony;
''what could he swear? He held the
| inquest, and they could find nothing
out but that the man died from
| the fall. That is all the Squire knew
about it. There was nobody to blame
bat the man himself. 1t was an acct
dentn
"Well, what do you want me to do
about it?" inquired the reporter.
don't want you to say that did
it. l was tried before Squire Miller,an
| they could find nothing against me.
They must have brought me up there
for fun"
Were you acquitted ,"
"IfI wasn't how could I be here"
Indignantly answered the undertaker's
assistant.
"They might bail you out"
"There was no bail about it, though /
could get thirty thousand dollars bail if
| wanted it. Jack Walsh would bail
me out, because he knows me, and Mr.. |
Cooney, the man am working for, |
would bail me OUT"
"You are not working for Jack, then, !
any longer, are your" inquired our re-
porter.
/" No. said O'Mahony, vita grin, !
1 am working for Mr.. Coonev. Jack |
did not pay me huff wages. 1 went to |
work for him after left the hospital |
with this broken hip, and was glad to
get anything to do"
THE RALEIGH ROAD EPISODE.
''Tell me about that Raleigh road |
trip, put in the reporter.
Mr.. O'MahOny proceeded az once to |
tell about that celebrated trip on the /
Raleigh road, which was ascribed to Mr.. |
Walsh himself at the time, but it ap-
pears wrongfully, Mr.. O'Mahony being |
the deputy undertaken whose duty it !
was to see all the paupers properly in
tered. Mr.. ON. went on: 1.-THE night /
was dusky when we heard that man
was dead out on the Raleigh road. Word |
was brought by some squire, who had /
held an inquest on him. / went out /
with the hearse and q pauper'; coffin.
We stopped at an italian grocery this /
side of the place and got drink, anotb-
er man and myself, and a camille, and
we paid Niger boy quarter to show
us the place. We went out about a
quarter of a mile beyond the bridge
that's fifteen or sixteen months ago now.
We stopped the hearse beside the
fellow who was lying in the road,
nearly covered with it. put the can
die down il. a stiff lump Of dirt on one
side, and we got the colin on the other
with the lid off. The man l had with
me was weakly sort of fellow, and,
besides, wasn't used to that sort ofWOrk,
so put him at the feet, and went to the
head myself We pulled away at him,
for he was soaked down in the mud
very bad, until we got his head lFellup.
We were just going to put him in the
c6ffin, when he opened his eyes
and sang out, You id s--of a
b., what do you want?' let him
90, and before / could take fresh hold
he jumped to his legs, with six hundred
weight Of mud hanging TO him, and ran
for the bare life into the woods, without
saying another word. He threw his eye
on one side and saw the candle, and
then on the other and saw the coffin,
and the change that came over his dirty
face will be a lesson to me until me dyin'
day." said Mr.. O'MahOny, as he ele.
waited his eyes to the ceiling in s. pious
manner. When the narrator recovered
himself he became lively again, and
went rafting on. ''rhat fellow" he
continued, 'gOt fit of penitential sorrow
that night that will last him till his
death, anyhow, if hewas to live to the age
of Methuselah. We were greatly disap-
pointed because we lost the quarter and
the price of the candle, and the coffin
was all dirty, besides. But Jack wasn't
there at all, as you said at the time. 1t
was me.n This last particle came from
Mr.. O'MahOny with an air OF triumph
such as good men feel when they have
an opportunity of vindicating them
selves before an impartial tribunal
THE FORT PICKERING EVENT.
EYES," continued the voluble O'Ma-
hony, Hand there was another thing
that you didn't hear Of at all. L. hap
pened down at Fort Pickering twelve
months the fifteenth of last October, ex-
actly. I was sent down to the corner of
jackson and Seventh streets, Fort Pick
ering, to get a pauper corpse that was
lying in an old house and was inquested
BY some squire. 1 found the poor fell
low, a white man, rolled up in bundle
of rags, and put him in the coffin at
once. l never like TO delay long about
a lob of that sort. While / was mailing
down the lid, he said: You id Grip
pie, don't drive them nails in my face
l said I'd be careful, and | hammered
them in more gently, and brought MIN
up town ali right.n Mr.. O'Mahony re-
garded this maneuver of bis a master
piece in undertaking skill, ard he
chuekled over It. II Went 'rOunI the !
town that day, y said O'MahoDy, Hgatb-
eriag up dead babies. I picked IN, four.
and we nailed them all in OneeofIfa and /
buried them at once. / tell you made .
money for Jack" said O'Nallony. /
"He'd be glad to have me back now
The good and faithful deputy I'M !
dertaker proceeded to unfold other ,
passages in his chequered ca
reer, but the reporter, hearing
the tap of the fire bells, had to cut biEa
short, promising to interview him
another time, and do fun justice I'd his |
yarns; and also see that no foul stain I
rested on his name IN connection with
the recent Burke misfortune. Mr..