The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1878-12-13
NEARLY BURIED ALIVE.
SOME MARROW ESCAPES FROM AN ETERNAL
PRISON.

The lectures which have recently been
delivered on Giving burals'' by physician
of some eminence, 60 to prove that such
things happen i'll countries where rapid
nteImeut succeeds death, much more ire
queutly than the generality of people
wUElG deem possible.
We who hold our dead so sacred, aud
who err if anything ON the side of Keeping
them too loug unUurird, must naturally
feel kind of honor creep over us when,
from circumstances, we are brought To
witness with what haste aud want of rev.
erence the iaSt sad ceremonies are gone
through in counties Where climate renders
speedy inteTment after deceaSe al absolute
necessity. | propose to relate three mar
velouS escapes from living burial whlcl-
happened Io different members of the same
family at different periods. The scene was
in Italy; the facts were related 10y tue
daughter of two of the parties concerned.
You will scarcely wonder" she said,
lat my horror of being buried alive, when
| tel y;u that peculiar tate seems to pur-
sue our family, or at least did pursue it in
the last generation. My father was an
only son, and fium having been bOIu sev
eral years after his parents marriage, was
an obirci OF especial devotion. lIIS mother
was unable IN nurse h IN herself and
country woman was procured from village
at some distance from the chateau where
his parents resided, who was unt only well
calculated To replace the mother as "a nurse
but was of so affectiunale a disposition that
she seemed to throw her whole soul into
her care fuI the veil being nf The child. aud
lavishcd as much affection bIm as did
I the real mother. When the age came Tor
weaniug him, it was found impossible to
accomplish il whilst The muse remained
| with him and after many terrible
scenes auo the most heart breaking SOITow
| on her part, she had TO GO. The boy throve
! very well until lie was about three years
! old, when I've Was attacked toy some childish
u,alady and to all appearances died.
Il: is unnecessary 10 dwell on the dis
| trac;ed grief Of the parents. The mother
could scarcely be induced 10 leave the body,
/ and even though all life WAS extinct,
/ grudged every moment as il flew towards
4 the time wien even what was left of her
/ darling would have To- be removed fuI ever.
! ( The time that was allowed by the govern
! meut for bodies ~ remain unbuued was
| three days The father had gwen s'rict
orders that the child's nurse should not be
| iufuI med of the death of her fusier- son uu-
+, I'll after the funeral, he felt convinced
! size would at once come iO see him, and lie
| dreaded the effect the sight of her grief
! NIGH: have ON his already broken learjed
| vie. However, the order was ill-Acpt aud
| Oh The morning uf the funeral. after all the
| guests had arrived aud were grouped round
tie coffin taking their last farewell Of the
! lovely toy, i'll Iushrd the nurse, her hair
1 down, heI dress all torn and travel stained
4, her boots worn nearly uff her feet. On
| hearing the news, she had STATED fl with
out waiting Tor extra clothing, without
/ word or look TO ATTY one, aud had Iun the
! whole night in OIder To be in time to see
/ her boy. As she entered the room size
pushed past servants and guests, aud on
| reaching the coffin seIzeG the child, and
before any one vas aware of her intention
or had presence of mind 10 prevent her she
/ bad vanished with hIm in her AIMS. II
was found she bad carried him off to the
/ grchter oI garret, and had locked and bar
/ headed the door. She paid no attention Ia
| threats aud ent:ea les, aud all attempts at
/ foicing the door were equally fruit less -
! The guests waited patiently, hoping that
she would before long return tu her sehses
aud bring back the child's BODY for burial.
AT the cud of an hour or more they
/ beard the heavy furniture rolled away and
| the d"ur opened. The nurse appeared, but
with no dead CHILD in her aIms-the little
/ thing = arms were clasped lovingly round
her neck as she pressed him L. heI bosom
| / he m"urnful a>Sembiagc WAS turned into
one of joyful congratulatiun. The woman
would never speak of the means she used
u restore the boy io life indeed, although
she brcAme from that hour a resident ! n
the family, n q trusted aud valued iIirnd
she steauily forbote ever refining 20 the
incident in which she played So important
( part. She lived To see the rescued child
manied and with family of his own
around him.
The heroine OF the second anecdote was
a first cousin to the above rescued chiI,l-a
yonng lady of thirteen or fourteen wears
old. After somewhat protracted illness
she, IA all appearance, died. The mother
literally refused to bellows it, although the
doctors aud the other inmates of :he bouse
saw no reason to- doubt the fact The fu.
neral 1as arranged, the grave made and
the specified three days had come to an
end. The mother had never left hei
daughters body she had tried every
available means To restore her, but to az
purpose. AS the hour approached for the
ceremony to take place, she became molt