The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1879-01-15
A LIVELY CORPSE.
The OShea's Deprived Of a Funeral.
Chicago Tribune,1

The first requisite to proper1y-conducted
funeral is to have the corpse on hand, and to
be sure it is the right one. For lack of the
latter precaution, a funeral which was to have
come off to-day at No. 224 Maxwell street has
been postponed Indefinitely, much to the salts
faction of the friends and relations, and to the
infinite chatting of the corpse by his boon
companions, for failing to play out his part
in the Iugubrious drama. Sometime yester-
day morning one John O'Shea called upon
Undertaken Elton and told him he had received
a postal from the authorities of the Cook
county hospital stating that his brother.
Micheal oshea, had died during the night of
dropsy. and asking for instructions as to what
should be done regarding his burial. Mr..
O'Shea-the very much alive but sorrow-strick-
en- one-requested Mr.. Elton to send over to
the Hospital, get the body, prepare it for the
grave, and bring it over to the family resi-
dence. This was all DONE decently and in
order, and in the meantime the O'Sheas made
all the usual preparations for funeral, and
in this case, for the wake which was to precede
it and give it the proper eclat. The shroud was
ordered, the burial permit and physicians
| certificate We're obtained, the friends were
called in, pipes were lighted and certain stoups
of liquor found their way down eager Threats
with the usual accompanying smacking of lips
| and verbal praises of the ''crayture." Every
thing was ready but the form of the beloved
| departed.
In the course of the afternoon that came,-or
! what was supposed to be the mortal remains
thereof Tears there were, voices choked with
| emotion, and-more ibations. The corpse,
| neatly shaven. in a plain but appropriation
| casket, and Laid on the cold cold bier" was
| mysteriously exposed to view by removing the
! cothn-plate. The mourners gathered around,
| expecting to see the the dead form of him
whom they had known in life. When the last
screw was removed and the lid taken off the
| fond illusion was dispelled. ''Huwly Noses"
| yelled one of the sorrowing ones in tones of
mingled wrath and disgust. ''Holy Moses, and
| do yes call that Michael OShea? DiviI a bit
| Nv Mike O'Shea in that stiff The sentiments
expressed by the remaining mourners were
wonderfully similar. The wake was at stop.
| The corpse was taken back to the Hospital, the
brother and some of his friends accompanying
| it, and then they wanted to know, you know,
how the - this was" The upshot of it all
| was that the other O Shea. the dropscal Michael
| was found in one of the upper wards, alive
and with his cloths on, and very much aston
| ished at the news he received, and the subse-
| quent chafngs to which he was exposed. The
| uueerest thing about it all was that none of the
| Hospital folks knew who the dead man was. if
| he wasn't O'Shea, and the latter positively re-
! fusedto be considered dead, or anything like
| it. It might be good scheme for the Hospital
| Authorities hererfter to label patients or brand
| them, SO that when found dead they can be
| properly identified. -.. ... ...----.-,