The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1874-03-27
NUMBER 10.
FROLI THE DEAD.

In a town Of Northern New York poor
man went to his grave 10y disease Of ths
brain, concerning which the medical au-
thorities differed widely and acrimonious
Iy. In fact, two particular physicians,
who had long been professional rivals,
radically disagreed aS to the exact Charac-
ter of the case that when he whose treat
ment prevailed could not save the patient,
the other did not hesitate to aIiege thas
the sick man had been destroyed 10y iguo-
rant mlSHaE3gcmCHt. When TeSpectB
bic practitioner casts such an impUtatio,
upon a member of his own professions
school he should be pretty confident Of his
own ability to prove It. and the aCcUSer in
the present iHsrauCe was not unaware of
hlS imperative obligation to SUDStlEtIaJe
his accusation. But how was that 70 be
done? he had firmly maintained that the
disease III question was caused by tumor,
and that the removal Of the same by an
operation would save the patients life
His rival insisted that there was no tumoT,
and. consequently, did not perform tho
operation. Now, how was it TO lie pratt
c.uy demonstrated that the tnmor existed,
if the patient was IN his graye2 There
Was but enc waw of doing that, and the
doctor adopted il.
On Christmas eve, near midnight, when
lights shoue brightly from homes far and
at hand, ard the snow lay cgiSp!y ON the
ground. the professional diSputans. whose
truth and standing were at stake, rs he
considered, in the matter, took cuufiden-
tiai student Of his with him Ia a sleigh To
the graveyard where had been placed th.s
halllesS subject Of dispute. aud rapidly ami
silently disiut,r. ed tie poor .dy and pa
ced 1t in the yenicle. the whip was gIveI
to The horse. and away started the sleigh
On The snowy road back To ihU surgery.
But sea cely had the desecr,t, r OF IN 30 ;
last resting place got under way with them
nasty pr Ee, when the multied beat Of
hOls='s houfs Somewhere iu the darkness
behind them tgld that they had been
watched and were being pursued Shapr-
er fell tia whip. and the spirited young
animal before tie sleigh went ike the
wind; yet still tie pursuing h0Of beats
sounded through the keen air, showing
that the purSJer was Wen mounted IUi.-
ing from the main road into a by-way, ur
short cut, leading through a Swampy piece
of woods, the faEitiyes managed - gain
enough distance 10 stop the sleigh a mo
-ment just at the edge OF a plank bridge
over frozen Woodland stream, and stretch
a rope across the dark and narrow road.
This done, they were of again for Jhe sur
gerry close at hand, with the Lr.lUs of the
F,1suer coming sharply again tC their ears.
bauSlng once again behind ihe 1.Idge, -
hear presently tae collision OF the coming
horsemau with the unseen rope, q crash,
and CRY Of watI, the two men carried
the body to the house and tEiumEhaatly
deposited Il upon the GissectIIg table.
Then, thinking Of nothing hut n.s own
discredted diagnosis Of the disease, and
the glory it would be to prove IT true, the
daring practitioner set To wo. k with his IN
stTumrujs. Carefully shTving Oue side of
his head, and cutting through the scaip
over the spot where the pTiuc.ipal pain Ls.,J
been. he bored with his tTcpliEG through
the skull uu;il a circular button or bone,
about as large Is "a copper cont. was Te-
moved, and behold, there was, indeed. the
tumoT. But the atran-est scene in this Gu
rious drama was yet to come, and may be
best described in the doctors own terms.
as they appear in IN extract from his posi-
humoUs papers lately published in the Wat
eTtnWu N. " Dispatch with no small
degree Of Se.f-sati>l.tvtIcn. | threw down
my instrument and was going down stairs,
when ] heard faint sigh. As ! kueeiei
by the dead mans side, and, candle in
htud, gazed anAIoUsiy into lis pailii fesl-
lures, he ieebiy gasped and raised his eye
lids. Ny Cod could it be a reaGty2 Ea-
gcr!y tie slender thread of life WAS seized
upon, and ho-g by hou-, day by day, week
by week ii was strengthened Iutu i cable
Of perfect health
In other words, the supposed dead man
whose diSintermeue had occurred but few
hours after burial. had been only inSeuSi-
ble instead Of dead, and the removal of the
humorous pressure ca his brain was inst Ia
time tu save his l.fo. And another strange
discovery wHs, that uu the same Christmas
night, the doctcr who had denied the tu-
nor had broken his arm by falling from
his horse. SuspectiuC What hia rival in
tended, he too had ridden secretly 10 the
old graveyard, aud was the pursuing horse
man whom TIE concealed rope acIIss Ine
road 50 sigaally oveItLrew.