The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1877-02-22
ENTOMBED ALIVE.

for in the stiffness of the night heard
no sound but the echo of my own steps.
Two pedestrians were close upon me.
The sidewalk WAS amply broad, but IN
passing, one of them logged my tribe,
and the next instant turned and volumi-
nously apologized.
81 thousand pardons, monsieur-a
thousand pardons -
As he was speaking he turned the
front of his person toward me, and, as
if accidentally, thrust the whole of his
body directly In front of me. At this
instant my arms were seized from be-
hind by the other, and held tightly.
can recall but little of the events of the
few seconds, Sc suddenly was the affair
/ only knew I saw him take something
from his pocket apply it to my face
hot sulphurou5 stream was forced up my
nose, biting ard singing then his hand
was removed felt a sweet, balnly,
sensation stealing over me.
Years seemed to have rolled away when
this black cloud at last gradually rose
from my brain.
[ was lying on pallet on the floor OF
what appeared to be a large room or hall,
lighted by tall windows, through which
the light of day was streaming down
roon a scene that will haunt me to my
last moment. Over the broad floor, on
all sides of where I was lying, packed III
rows, on pallets, and laid III white wind
ing garments, lay dead bodies.
In a fash [ saw the whole. Con-
sciousness had left me. and when lying
upon the pavement had doubtless been
picked up nv the gend arme or the night
inspector carried to the chiefs office,
and. as the thieves had taken everything
about my person but my clothes, there
was no possibility of Identification. L
lad been robbed and packed away with
the nightly hundreds that people the
cbarnel houses of Paris.
All this CHASTITY realization flashed
upon my brain at once. Suddenly the
double door Of the place opened with a
ciang, and in walked the inspector OF the
dead house and moving about among
the corpses. he gave orders to four stUr-
ly attendants that followed him concern
ing the removal of the bodies.
One by one the corpses disappeared
through the doorway, borne by the
same men whose Offices it was to fetch
the morning victims for the laboratory.
Nv turn was next. The men approach
ed me. They lifted me. / was laid lank
aud rigid on bier. They raised me,
and I WAS carried, not after the others,
but to the rear of the apartment anoth-
er door was thrown open-G entered
dark room, the atmosphere damp and
fetid. Ia an instant ] knew the place,
for [ had been Oh q previous occasion
privileged with a peep II the secret n1ys-
teries of the University. Great heavens.
They were bringing me into the keeping
room, in the laboratory, where the ''sub-
jects'' were left till sufficiently decayed
for the purpose of dissecting-and whose
doors were opened to mortal tread only
ut intervals of days.
The men set down my bier, then brot
in the two remaining bodies, and left,
double barring the inner door, and bang
ing the two outer ones behind them. L
was alone.
I know not how much longer ] lay
III this half live condition. 1t may have
been only moments-it may have been
hours. At length change crept over
Inc. My breast heavel. A few more
inspirations of air, and the blood started
and pulsed in veins and heart. warming
and qllickening my returning life as it
flowed Presently muscle relaxed in
voluntarily. In another moment ny
limbs acknowledged the supremacy Of
Will, and [ sat mp.
For an instant my blood curdled in
It's new found course, as I gazed dis
tracted on the glariug horrors around
me- With q cold slIudder I moved off
the bier and stood upon tie stone floor,
constrasting in its icy GOODNESS with the
warm vapors of the atmosphere. | IN
wound the tight bindings OF my death
robe, and hardly knowing what / did,
craw.ed to a remote corner, and, striving
to shut out the fearful sight, crouched
alone But the horrid dead eyes would
stare ut me from out their blearel sock
ets, though / covered my face with the
winding sheet which still enwraPped my
body-nny only protection. \ cold
sweat streaned from every pour, and
the heavy air s5ilied my lungs as /
thought how long it might he ere the
doors Of 5his chaIneI den would again be
opened.
[ need not relate how morning came
again how, as the day advanced, hun
ger gnawed my vitals how L rayed and
yelled, aud fruitIessly tried to force the
heavy doors of the place, until al length
nature could endure no more. | faint
81. snd lay cold and stin again.
1 reused gradually from faint. My
eyes were opened with q CLASSY death
stare, and felt I was carried across the
court yard that separated the dead house
from the college. Tic two men set nee
down, disrobed me, while L was YET
barely conscious and incapable Of motion
emd threw me heavily at full length on
fl,e table
dy position was unfavorahle to re
sua:tation. but feyg moments after. the
professor eutssed, followed by a noisy