Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1874-11-27
A Funeral Sensational Supposed
Corpse Comes to Life.

A most remarkable instance of suppo-
sed corpse having been found to possess
signs of animation, and really being re-
stored to life after lying on ice for three
days, has just transpired at Y onkers,
Westminster county, n. Y. 1t appears
that seven-yea old child Of a machinist
named Miller, living on Riverdale avenue,
in the city above mentioned, having been
i'll delicate health almost from the time Of
its birth, was attacked by an unusually
severe fit of illness last Thursday morning.
The New York HERALD says:
A physician was called in, and he, after
apparently satisfying himself as to the
course OF treatment to be adopted, prescri-
bed for the little one, and on leaving init
mated that he would call again in the after
noon 1t is understood that the medicine
prescribed was I, powerful opiate; but
| whether this was the case or not, it is as
| serted that when the medical man returned
| in the afternoona glance at,his late patient
induced him to pronounce the child dead.
| The service of an undertaken were, OF
course, at once procured, and by him the
supposed corpse was tenderly prepared for
| the last rites and then placed in an ice cot
fin until the usual time forinterment should
have elapsed.
A wake WAS accordingly held, and mourn
ing relatives and friends sat up'' with the
body day and night until Sunday after
noon. the time announced for the funeral.
Friends of the family had gathered in
considerable numbers to assist i'll paying
their tribute of respect to the sorroWing
parents, and almost everything being in
readiness for the committal of ''dnst to
Dust" the undertaken and his assistant,
on transferring the body from the ice c'jf-
fin to the casket in which it was about to
be inferred. were struck with astonish-
ment at the peculiar appearance OF the re-
mains. 1t was noticed that there was a
marked ab5eGceof rigor mortis, or that stiff
ness which IS ar inseparahle concomitant
, of departed life. This Discovery produced
an indescribably painful state of anxiety
to the parents, while the haIf-frightened
guests crowded around the ambiguous
corpse, suggesting various means OF test
J ing whether the child Was really alive or
. dead. Three OF four physicians were sent
for, and they at once commenced thor
ough search for any lingering evidence OF
vitality that might remain i'll the subject,
resurting, among other means, to that
of tying cord tightly Oh the fingers,
whereby it was seen that the nails changed
color. plainly indicating that the heart had
not ceased to perform it's all-lmportant
! functions. " hen IL Oecaiue apparent IilaC
, there WAS life IN the child the most appTo-
we'd manner OF administering restcratiYes
was resorted to, and accordingly a more
palpable degree Of vitality was produced
although it was doubtful if the little one,
: who was 80 proYidentially rescued from a
living tomb, can long survive the protrac.
ted freezing ordeal through which it has
passed. The child WAS still alive last even.
ing.
The NHerald" of Monday gives the con.
clusion of the case
In the case of Bertha Miller, the little
girl at Workers, Westminster county, N.
Y, who, it WAS supposed, died on Wednes-
J day night last of last week, the question
as to whether the child was really alive OF
dead, has at length been somewhat unex-
pectedly decided in favor of mortality, and
the grave has claimed its kindred EARTH
Wednesday morning, being six days since
the little one was pronounced dead, a mark.
ed change was observed by the watchers tc
overspread the hitherto natural appearance
of the face Of the corpse, which i'll short
time left no room to doubt that the process
of decomposition had commenced. The
inevitable process of decay, however, set
in SO rapidly that in Il few hours the body
emitted such an offensive odor as to render
immediate interment necessary.