The Rock Island daily Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1872-1873, 1873-04-24
REMARKABLE ESCAPE.
A Supposed Corpse Comes to Liie--A Strange
story---A Man Drowned in the Delaware,
Sent by Express to New York is
Taken from His Coffin in the Lat
ter City Alive

From tht Fntadclphla Frtr-. ljth.
The fertile imagination of the most SEN
sationaI novelist or playwright seldom
produces anything at all probable which
has not is parallel in strict truth We
are now 60 tell story of three cities.
Lewes Delaware, Philadelphia and New
York which would be incredible were il
not that our facts are obtained from wholly
trustworthy sources. On the 18th OF last
month March Captain 5. II. Mills, Of
New York City, was drowned, or as it has
since turned out, merely supposed 70 be
drowned, at Lewes Del He fell over
board from hi, schooner, Upon the body
being removed and after attempts to re
store life had failed it was placed in a
coffin, and then again in the usual outer
box and shipped by Adams Express to
the friends Of the unfortunate man in New
York City
IL remained in Philadelphia from &
O clock m the evening 10 ] clock al night
Upon IT, arrival in New York. the certif-
cate Of the Lewe- Del doctor was dis
covered u be somewhat informal, and the
advice Of the Board Of Health was asked.
II was at last concluded to open the cases.
and when this was done the man was found
To- be- alive.
The best medical aid was immediately
called in, aud it was ere long thought pos
sible u remove the Captain with safety 10
the Bellevue Hospital, where he now is.
lie Is not only doing well. but there is
every probability Of his speedy and per
manent recovery How he existed. con
lined within these airless cases, passes com
prehension. He was boxed up for thirty.
five hours, a length Of time yery few
persons would care to attempt existence
merely without food or drink.
Tie will 1--we 10 tell his strange experi-
cncc The would be novelist win find here
mine. Was he unconscious the while? or
was the terrible fate which seemed inevita-
bic present 10 his understanding ? are
questions which it would be interesting to
have answered We trust that in mercy
be was not permitted TO know aught until
his awakening for if he was conscious dur.
ing his journey, the mental torture may
have so worked upon him that he will live
In term with darkened mind.
Ills case Is certainly q most extraor.
binary one and should have the examina-
ton ct medical experts. Doubtless the
Officers OF the Adams Express office in
tins city will give any additional informa-
ton y those who wish 10 study and are
capable Of studying the affair. The beauty
aud pleasure Of death By drowning has
time aud again been written Of and II
there are any capable Of giving their per.
s0nal experience Of such an occurrence
clearly, Captain Mills can do so, for he
was so nearly drowned that he must have
known all but the final gasp of death
How narrowly he escaped being buried
alive may be imagined from the fact that
ny 10 the time Of opening the box there
was no idea that he lived. Even then he
might have been sent to his grave had not
the peculiar flush upon his face attracted at
tcniion. One might well shudder remem.
bering how difficult it sometimes is 10 tell
the living from the dead, and that the inn.
aginauon can picture nothing more horri-
bic than a breathing man consigned 10 n
tomb. We have heard Of other incidents
where the living have been all but buried
and indeed buried, but we do not cali IN
mind a case as wonderful a. this in nj ;ts
details. As bearing upon the affair, the
intense cold about March II should be re.
membered