The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-09-27
SUSPENDED ANIMATION.
4 Few Incidents on tho isubject Given NJ
by Charles Reade, the Novelist.

A journal called the Los Angeles Sta,
recorded the following incident at the
time it occurred
A gentleman in the city had very
large and beautiful tom cat, which he
had reared from a kitten. It was now
five years old, and the two animals were
mutually attached. Every morning,
when the servant brought in the water
for his masters tub, puss used to come
in and sit at the side of the bed, and
gaze with admiration at his employer,
and sometimes NEW him out; but re-
tired into corner during the Tubing,
which he thought irrational, and came
out again when the biped was clothed
and in his right mind.
One day the cat was seen in the gar
den tumbling over and over in strong
commissions, which ended in it's crawling
feebly into tho house. The master
heard, and was very sorry, and searched
for the invalid, but could not find him.
However, when he went up to bed of
night, there was the poor creature
stretched upon the floor at the side of
the bed, the very place where he used
to sit and gaze at his master, and NEW
him out of bed.
Tho gentleman was affected to tears
by the affectionate creatures death, and
his coming there to die. BE threw a
handkerchief over poor tom, and passed
downright unhappy night: He de-
tsrmined, however. to bury his humble
friend; and no time was to be lost, the
weather being hot. So, when the servant
came in to fill his tub, he ordered q lit
tie grave dug directly, and box to be
found of suitable size to receive the
remains.
Then he got up; and, instead Of tub
bing, as usual, he thought he would
wash poor toms body for interment,
for it was all stained and dirty with the
mold OF the garden.
He took the body up, and dropped it
into the water with souse.
That souse was soon followed by fu-
rious splashing, that sent the water fly
ing in his face and all about the room,
and away flew the cat through the open
window, as though possessed by devil.
Nor did the poor body forgive this by.
dropathic treatment, although success
full. He took perverse view, and had
never returned to the house Sup to the
time Of our going to PRESS" says the
Los Angeles Star.
The cat is not the only animal subject
to suspension of vital power. Many
men and women have been buried alive
in this condition, especially on the con-
]'tinent, where the law enforces speedy
interment. Even in Britain-where they
do not shovel one into the earth quite
as fast-ive persons have been buried,
and others have had narrow escape. I
could give volume of instances at home
and abroad. One OF them an arch
bishop, who was actually being carried
in funeral procession on an open bier,
when he came to, and objected in what
terms krow not; but the Scotch have
an excellent formula in similar cases. 1t
runs thus: "Bide ye yet, mon; haze o
deal mair mischief to do tirrrst !"
Two recent English cases I could Ger
tify to be true-one, little girl at
Nunea:on, who lay several days without
signs OF life; another, a young lady, not
known to the public, but to me. She
was dead, in medicine; but her mother
refused to let her be buried, because
there was no sign of decomposition, and
she did not get so deadly cold as others
had whom that mother had lost by
death.
This girl remained unburied some
days, till another of Gods creatures put
in his word; fly thought her worth bit
ing, and blood trickled from the bite.
That turned the scale Of opiniol and
the girl was recovered, and is alive to
this day. However, the curious reader,
who desires to work this vein, need go
no further than tha.index of the annual
Register and the Gentlenaan's Maqa-
zine. As for me, I must not be tempted
outside my immediate subject. The
parallel 1 shall con6ne a very large
theme to is exact.
At the opening Of the century the
public facilities for anatomy were less
than now. So then robbing the church
yards was quite a trade; and an egotist
or two did worse; they killed people for
the small sum dead body brought.
Well, male body was brought to a
certain surgeon by man he had often
employed, and the pair Jumped it down
on tho dissectiug table, and then the
vender received his money apd went.
The anatomist set to work to open the
body; but, in handling it, he fancied the
limbs we're not so rigid as usual, and he
took another look. Yes, the man was
dead; no pulsation, either. And yet
somehow he was not quite cold about
the region of the heart.
The surgeon doubted. He was hu-
mane man; and 80, instead Of making a
fine transverse out, like that at which
the unfortunate author of "Manon Les
caut" started out of his trance with a
shrek, to die in right earnest, he gave
the poor body chance; applied harts-
horn, vinegar and friction, all without
success. Still he had his doubts;
though, to be frank, am not clear why
he still doubted.
Be that as it may, he called in his as
sistant, and they took the body into tho
yard, turned a high tap on, and dis
charged small but hard hitting column
of water on the patient.
No effect was produced but this
which M unscientific eye might have
passed over--the skin turned slightly
pink in one or two places, under the fall
of water.
The surgeon thought this a strong
proof life was not extinct; but, not to
overdue it, he wrapped the man IN
blankets for a time, and then drenched
him again, letting the water strike him
hard on the head and heart in particular.
He followed this treatment up, till at
last the mans eyes winked, and then he
easped, and presently he gulped, and
by.and. bye he groaned, and eventually
uttered loud and fearful cries, as one
battling with death.
In word, he came to, and the sur
geon put him into warm bed, and, sa
medicine has its fashions, and bleeding
was the panacea of that day, he actually
took blood from the poor body. This
ought to have sent him back to the place
from whence he came-the grave, to
wit ; but somehow it did not and next
day the reviver showed him with pride
to several visitors; and prepared mn
article.
Resurrectus was we'll fed, and, being
= pauper, was agreeable to lie in that
bed forever, and eat the bread oi
science. But, as years rolled on, his
preserver got tired Of that. However,
he had to give him a suit of his OWL
,,,th., to Yat rid of him. Did T say