Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1879-05-28
Six Days in q Dead House.


Three men sat behind the great stove
in the cabin of the Twilight, on their
way to Troy. "well," said the man
who sat in the middle, 81 have good
reason to remember Bavaria as long as
I live" Some curiosity was then ex-
pressed. and the man told terrible
story of suffering and death at Munich.
He saws he was in that city in lS4s.
He was then a young man and was
taken i'll of some kind of INDECENT fever
After the fourth day he became deliri-
GUS and remembered nothing distinctly
until he woke up and found himself
dead. Then he went on to describe the
manner of dealing with dead bodies.
There is a large vault in the sub
urbs of the city called the dead-house.
There those who die are hustled off al
most as soon as the breath has left
the body. They remain there twenty
days and then they are buried if they
do not return to life. TO each body is
attached two wires connecting with
bells. which are numbered and hung
in the watchman's room adjoining the
dead house. The least motion of the
body will ring the bell corresponding
with the number of the corpse. The
watchman's room is never vacant. Be-
sides watchmen there are constantly
friends of the dead watching the bells
intentlv-but few of them ever ring.
After having given these details, the
man said that he went into trance or
an unconscious condition, and being a
stranger. his body was hurried off to
the dead house. He had no conscious
ness of going there, but when they
straightened him out on the cold slab
he knew what they were doing, but
was powerless to moveor speak When
he heard the great door creak and
elang on its hinges, he gave up all hope
of ever living again. He thought that
the was in a tomb that had been foreve
sealed. He remembered nothing more
until six days afterward (as ne subse-
quently learned.) Then he was sitting
bolt upright, and the tomb was full of
watchmen with lanterns He did not
for a moment comprehend his situation
he thought he had arrived at heaven
or the dark regions, he didn't know
which, and that the men with lanterns
were there to convey him 70 his final
abode. Then he thought ne was
dreaming. Then he looked around him
and saw dead bodies on all sides, and
was about to fail backwards when one
of the watchmen seized him by the arm
and giving him shaking up, said in
his native language: care you dead
or sliye:" He jumped up and said,
"I'm alive, Let me out of here.' He
was then taken to the office, his name
recorded, and physician sent tor. He
remained in the Office a day and a
night, having taken some stimulants
and food, and, feeling well enough, he
was allowed to 90 on his way. The
news of his resurrection did not seem
10 create much excitement, although
such things rarely occurred. There
were some English and American peo-
pie there who made quite time about
it, and full account of II was subse-
quently printed in the London papers
As soon As able to travel. When he was
placed in the tomb the bell wires were
affixed to his hand, but he knew moth
ing about it. The bells tinSled, the
watchmen said, on the nigh. of the
first day of his entOmbment, but on.ex-
smining the body no signs of life could
be discovered. But when he finally
came to life he pulled the bells so vio-
Iently tat they fell down. Then the
watchmen rushed in and found him as
described. They did not seem terrified
IN the least, but took in the situation in
business sort of way. 1t was, how
ever, terrible experience TO him, and
when he discovered where he was and
what he was supposed TO be, he nearly
died outright of fright. The watch.
men told him that within their recOllec'
tion only two others had come to life
but they did not lie as long as he did.