Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-03-19
An Awful HOrrOr-WOmau Buried
Aliyer,

WILL NOT SOMEBODY HANG SOMEBODY POR
SUCH ToO-FREQURNT MURDER?
Editor Star. For is there more awful, cold
blCoded, unprovoked and avaricious (else Grim
inally carelessl class of murder? And all for why
only TO get lid of the troublesome, time-c con
Stunning, and mayhap pecuniaTily expensive
''corIse-watch." Or because-the remaining
mead or heads OF the family being helpless from
grlef-the good nelghbors for neighbOrs are
good IN that hour of agony, and do mean for
he best,) they must be doing something, sen
slble or foolish, TO evince their sympathy; but
to sit still, wait, watch, and hope against hope,
is IN their Jealous, though murky minds, u
be but dTones, ldleTs, lOafers. And they are
rlght-prorided The patient BE- really dead. But
who is TO say when body is really desd-a
soul actually flown? Not the family; for what
OF reason they may possess Is more or less un-
hinged Not the watchers; tor most probably
they have no reason in the premises. And not
the physician; Tor he Is only book stuffed man,
and man, in this awful sense, is but an ass.
None OF these are experts in the awful "Hieoro-
Phdnt0s TkdndtOs'-Jhe reading of desth-the
best evidence whereof lies in the ever and oft
recurring fact that family, friends, and physi-
clans do consign the entranced living to the
ulutterable horrors of the tGtid vault or the
heavy grave. Each of us knows of hundreds OF
cases wherein the appalling error was discovered
IN time TO rave life; and of hundreds where the
error was not discovered in such time, while
delivers among old graves are 80 accustomed 20
hiding reversed and writhed bodies or bones
that they cease to marvel at or speak OF it;
while only the Omniscient knOweth of the mil
tragic Rachel can conceive the terrific horror
ne lnexpressible agony OF the weakest bodied
aid dullest minded such victim upon waking
from trance, deprived of air, light, liberty, life,
home and hope. But few weeks ago ali read
ers who think on what they read and, alas, how
few they are were paraly zed with horror at the
awful story Of that widow out west whose only
child had apparently died. Her ''dear friends
odd good natured friends") were, a.
usual, in haste to bury the little darling.
But the woe stricken mother wildly protested
"a nh NOT Ana II.
though; for they were sane,-she insane. True
the babe though generally pallid, never caday-
erous, was family rosy at times; its skin always
soft and limbs flexible; and true the mother
only begged TO keep it until it might begin to
mOrtiiy. But they insisted and she still refused
So the worthy Doctor Sangrado Dogberry, the
coroner, was called In; and they, the friends.
together with him, the law, w-eDched the fair
young form, II ct arms StultiS, from the frantic
mother. Then broke her mighty heart, and
she died there maniac. The babe was retained
10 bury both together; at the graye-side the
babe smiliDgly awoke; the friends kindly re.
Trained from buryI il then; and God, the law
and Judge Lynch lets them and that coroner
live.
And now, to-day and yesterday, under the
caption quoted, We read of a similar horror.
Martha, the wife OF Anthony COgswell, of
Chapmansvile, nt ar Pittsburg, Pennsylvania,
United States of America, mot in India or
Cathay some twenty thousand years ago, but
here in the ''enlighted" nineteenth century,
Is taken sick and apparently dies. Her hus-
band Is away on business; but her friends
and physician (perhaps that same Doctor Dog
berry are there; and they bury her. Kindly
they hurry up the job" either to spare the
husband any trouble in the matter and the pain
OF seeing her so; else to 90 off junketing. Con-
siderate souls! Still ignorant OF his loss
he reenters his gate with fond arms
widespread to clasp his loved one only to
close them CHASTITY on that awful vacuum, the
desth-news. Wlldered with GRIEF pain which
none save the strong man who loved his wife
can ever know, he rushes in doors to clasp and
KISS her clay. Grief upon grief, she is not
tnere!s Too wild TO curse them for their cruel
Kindness, he frantcally rusbes lettering TO the
gravey ard, and with an awful majesty Of grief
earth her. But, what sight! Black swollen,
fGtid modification had been EIysium TO
what he saw. Her fair form distorted
turned over in the strained and gory cot
fin; her cerements in shreds; her beautiful
hair plucked out; her slim hands and white
shoulders all battered, torn, and bIeedingl
The utmost horrors of the inquisition were
Paradisical delights when compared to what
that poor woman had suffered ere she died: for
she was sure enough dead this time. And her
husband fell, shrieking maniac, across that
coffin.
Her murderers live on; and Gods hghtninss
still rest in the culver Of the clouds But should
1--WE, the people," permit these things 90 on
until I'VE, too, are similarly murdered? But
how then are we to surely know when body is
really dead? We can know il only when the
chemistry OF nature tells us 80; and none but
PROFESSOR oxygen can certainly certify to death
CntH decomposition begins no dnimcI body is sure-
Better retain and watch II forever than thus to
81 Az IL. N M