Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-02-07
Alive in q Coffin.

AAVAnAo W A0Soiu uIs dodltu was recent
ly shipped in a metallic coffin
for his former home in the East
When the Central Pacific train arrived
at Ogden Junction, the corpse was
consigned to the Union Pacific Express
Company and placed under the charge
Of Express Messenger Frank Burgess.
While the train was in the western
part of Nebraska Mr.. Burgess heard
sounds from the coffin that led him to
believe that the dead man had come to
life. 1t was in the night, and he
heard the sounds as no lay dozing and
baif asleep. Again the sound was
heard, and the attention of the mes
senger was riveted to the coffin, and
the horrible possibility that the dead
might be, alive thrust itself upon the
messenger 80 forcibly that he called
the attention of other employees to it,
but after listening a moment, they
merely laughed at him. The convic
tions Of the express messenger, how
ever, were 30 strong that he had heard
means from the coffin, that he had the
case opened when the train made its
next halt. The weather was very cold
and upon the inside of the glass plate
of the coffin there had accumulated a
thin film OF frost, such as might have
been deposited by the breath of a per-
son confined in such narrow quarters.
The face was also drawn up against the
glass plate, and other disturbances in
dicated lite. While Burgess had no
doubt that the man, though dead then,
had been alive in the coffin, the other
employees explained the accumulation
Of frost on the glass as the natural ex
halations Of the dead body, and the
disturbances of the corpse as due to
the movements in the shipping. A
private dispatch received from Chicago
last night says that when the coffin
arrived at its destination and was
opened, unmistakable proofs of the
terrible reality were discoved. The
hands were clenched, the lips bitten
and the mouth filled with bloody frotb.
The man had been alive, and it was
his moaning that had been heard but
not recognized.
Mr.. Elisha Gray, formerly electrician
of the Western Electrical Manufactur-
ing Company, has just perfected an
invention which will certainly create a
sensation. He calls it the telephone,
and with it he can transmit music
over telegraph wires. The receiving
instrument resembles a piano, aud the
transmitter is in the shape of piano
keyboard. and Mr.. Gray claims that
he can transmit music as easily as the
ordinary telegraphic characters and
give as fine and perfect touches as can
be impaired to an ordinary piano.
Those who have seen the instrument.
pronounce it complete success. On
the occasion Of the ;elegraphers' ball at
Martine's Hall on the 18th instant,
Mr.. Gray will transmit music for som e
of the dancers by his machine from
Milwaukee, a novelty never surpassed,
if ever equaled. Distance makes no
difference to the telephone, provided
the wires are in good working order
Chicago Journal
American Colonels in the service of
the Khedive of Egypt receive as pay
$3.50 per month, with allowances for
quarters and duty in the provinces.
Contracts are made for five gears, with
the right of renewal on the part cf the
Government. Travelling expenses from
the United States are paid, and in
case of an honorable discharge, the re-
turn expenses, with six months full
pay, are granted. If an officer is
compelled to resign on account of the
climate, he receives two mouths pay
and mileage home. In case of death
from ordinary causes, the widow or
family receives one years full pay;
but if the officer is killed in battle, or
is wounded so that death elsues, his
widow receives pension equal to half
his pay, which is continued until her
death or remarriage, when it is divided
among the children until the boys be-
come Of age and the girls marry. An
oath of fidelity is exacted, and all
| American officers are obliged to re-
nounce the protection of our diplomat
ic agents and trust to the Egypt an
tribunals.
The New Haven Journal of Wednes-
day says: "About week ago the
family of Gustave J. Hardee. at No.
II George street, found themselves
suffering from illness. They had sick
ness at the stomach, dizziness and other
distressing symptoms, and called in
DR.. Ruickolt, who came to the opinion
that the trouble was caused by trichina
| in some ham, of which all had partaken
/! in an uncooked state day or two pre-
viously. In a piece of the ham no
larger than would lie on the point of a
pen.knife, the Doctor, aided by his
microscope, found eight of these para
sites. DR.. Ruickoldt says that unless
| the trichina are eYnallad from the