Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1873-05-06
MIRACULOUS ESCAPE.
supposed Corpse Come TO Life-A Strange
and rrue ssoFy-A Man Drowned In
the Delaware. sent by Express
20 New York IL Taken from
HE Comm Ia the Latter
City Alive.

The fertile imagination of th,
most sensational novelist or play
wright seldom produces anything
at all probable Says the Philadelphia
Press of Saturday. which has not it.
parallel in strict truth. We ere
now to tell
TALE OF THREE CITIES,
Lewes (Delaware), Philadelphia and
New York, which would be incredi-
BILE were il not that our facts are OBJ.
tanned from wholly trustworthy sour.
ces. On the 18th of March last CAPS
tain s. Il. Mills, Of New York city,
was drowned or as it has since turned
out, supposed to be drowned, at
Lewes, Delaware. He fell overheard
from his schooner. Upon the body
being recovered, and after attempts
to restore life had failed, it was put
in coffin, and then again ia the usu
al outer box, and shipped by Adams
express to the friends Of the unfor-
Express to the mans friends in New
York city.
1t remained in Philadelphia from
6 o'clock in the evening to / o'clock
at night. Upon its arrival in New
York, the certificate Of the Lewes
physician was discovered to be some.
what informal, aad the advice Of the
Board of Health was asked. 1t 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 immedi-
ateIy called in. and it was ere long
thought possible to remove the Cap
tain With safety to the Bellevue Hos
pital, where he nov is. lie is not
only doing well, but will speedily re-
cover, How he existed, confined
within those airless cases, surpasses
comprehension. He was boxed up
for thirty-fve hours, length of time
very few persons would care to at
tempt existence merely without food
or drink.
He will live to tell his strange OK.
perience. The would-be novelist will
find here a mine. Was he uneon-
scious the whie, or was the terrible
fate which seemed inevitable present
to his understanding? are questions
which it would be interesting 10
have answered. We trust that Ia
mercy be was not permitted to know
aught until his awakening, for if he
was conscious during his journey the
mental torture may have SO worked
upon him that he will live bis term
WITH DARKENED MIND
His case is certainly q most extra
ordinary one, and should have the
examination Of medical experts
Doubtless the officers of the Adams
Express Office in this city will give
any additional information to those
who wish to study and are capable
of studying the affair. The beauty
and pleasure of death by drowning
has time and again been written of,
and if there are any capable Of Civ.
ing their personal experience OF such
an occurrence clearly. Captain Mills
can 90 go, for he was 80 nearly
drowned that he must have known
all but the fnal gasp of death.
How narrowly he escaped being
buried alive may be imagined from
the fact that up to the time of open
ing the box there was no idea that
he lived. Even then be might have
been sent to bis grave bad not the
peculiar flush upon his face attract
ed attention, One might we'll shud
der, remembering how difficult it
sometimes is to tell the living from
the dead, and that the imagination
can picture nothing more horrible
than breathing man consigned to
tomb. We have heard of other Incl.
dents where the living have been all
but buried, and indeed buried, but
we DO not call TO mind q case as
wonderful as this in all its details.
As bearing upon the affair, The in
tense cold about March IL should be
remenb ered.