The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1879-08-09

fst. Louls Globe Dem nocrat. /

A ride with corpse is by no
means pleasant under any circum-
stances. Drivers of hearses, as a
rule, express great adherence for
their miserable calling, and assert
that unpleasant pictures pass through
the mind as the silent passenger is
taken to his last resting place. A
ride of this description is rendered
doubly unpleasant when the horses
attached to the hearse or dead-wag.
on are as wild as mustangs, tugglng
away at the bits continually for free
dom enough to enable them to speed
away and distance everything on the
road. It is not often that team of
this kind is selected for this line of
work, for the cortege is expected to
move slowly, almost with measured
tread, according to the old custom,
the reason for which no one has ever
been able to ascertain. Sometimes,
however, the most docile animals
will become frightened and nnman-
ageable, and without any respect for
the dead, dash away, scattering frag-
mcnts of the vehicle in every direc-
tion, and carrying CONSERVATION into
the minds of those who may be wit
nesses. A ride something like this
occurred very recently. A telegram
was received at the dispensary stat
ing that dead negro was in one OF
the rookeries near the Iron Mountain
Depot. Ambulance No. 5, with two
spirited bays, was standing idle, and
into this Charley and Philip, two of
! the ambulance drivers, jumped, with
instructions to call at the morgue,get
box for the corpse, after obtain
ing which they were to take
it to the potter's field. The corpse
was found at the place designated,
put into the box and nailed up. The
ambulance horses grew restless after
the obnoxious load was put into the
vehicle, and only short distance
had been travelled when they started
out on the go.as-you-pl please plan, and
it required the efforts of both drivers
to pull them down to a gait that
would not be considered a violation
of the ordinance against fast driving.
They continued to grow restless,
but no further trouble was antici-
pated. At the corner of Tenth and
Market one of the drivers, Philip,
left the ambulance and Charley con-
tinued the journey. The animals
seemed to appreciate at once that
the chances for q runaway were
much more favorable, and accord
ingly made a break. Charley saw
| that he could not rein them in, and
the way that ambulance passed up
| Market was something after tho
| fashion of a contest between two
messenger horses on the homestretch,
neck and neck. The corpse bounced
around in the wagon until the lid of
| the coffin was loosened, and every
time the vehicle struck the car-track
or run into q rut the dead man
would spring up as if to rcbuke the
driver for his carelessness, and then
as quickly sink back out of sight.
The way to the grave for him was
certainly not smooth. AS he passed
the City Hall, with the horses doing
their best, the body was still in the
coffin, but receiving q severe jolting.
The team got weary OF the run in
the vicinity of Fifteenth and Market,
and were willing to stop on a very
slight pull. Charley drove back to
the dispensary, whore the coffin was
again nailed up and the journey con-
tinued for the potter's field.