The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1880-02-18
BURIAL OF PERSONS ALIVE.
rhe DaNlcHlty OF reiling the DInerencs
Between Death and y state Trance.
[Chicago Inter-ocean.I

[Chieago IntSr-ocsan.I
"Ah, merciful Godp' piously exclaimA
Camille, chow many living men and wo-
men are annually taken to their gravesp
Were it possible to get at the truth the
victims In this eohntty alone might be
numbered by many scores-possibly by
hundreds. Mr.. G.. Eric Mackay, in the
current number of BelgraVia, gives a
very interesting article on the subject of
Premature Burials," /" In which he, points
out how difficult it ib 10 discern the diff
ference between death and a case Of
ttahee-indeed, he goes so far as to
claim that the difference has never been
quite clearly understood by the general
ity of mankind. The article calls atten-
ton to several instances of premature
burials on the Continent of Europe; in
stances which involve stories of trance,
the semblance of death holding It's sway
over the human body for hours and days
and not merely for minutes, as in the
case of ordinary fainting fits. In his
opening remarks the writer saysI
'fIn days when land is dear, and bur-
ial rights less sacred than the rights of
builders and contractors, cofins have
been opened with the pickaxe, in the
act of converting cemeteries into streets
and gardens. Here a grave has been
discovered whose inmate has turned in
its shroud; here a corpse clutching its
hair in strained and unnatural condi-
ton; dead men and dead women lying
in their graves as the dead never lie in
a Christian land at the moment of bur
ial."
Mr.. Maekay gives an account of a
young and beautiful women who, it is
supposed, died of over excitement at
the prospect of being married. When
the first shovelful OF dirt was throNn on
the coffin a strange noise was heard on
the inside. The coffin was unscrewed,
but too late. The girl was found in an at
titude of horror and pain impossible to
describe-her eyes wide open, her teeth
clenched, her hands clutching her hair,
but life was extinct. An instance show
ing the utter depravity of the Italian
undertakers and graye-diggers is given
in which they actually tried to snatch
the body of lady from her friends, one
of whom thought she was not dead. As
they were about to drag it from the bed
the I" dead body" moaned, and soon az
terward was thoroughly revived by a
medical practitioner of the neighbor
hood, and lived to tell the story of her
escape from the tomb. A learned Car
dinal incurred the displeasure of the
King, and on being rebuked, fell to the
ground, to all appearances, dead. 1t was
decided that the unfortunate Cardinal
should be embalmed, but when the sur
geons began their operations the patient
aWOke, but too late, for the wounds were
mortal.
A case is given in which young lady
arose out of her coffin and appeared De-
fore the family at supper, ''pale and
frightened, but fair to see as before
death" The doctor, the priest, and the
undertaken saw the error of their way,
but the priest alone made amends by
at the young lady's wedding a
year after he had preached her funeral
sermon. Petrarch, when a middle-aged
man, lay twenty hours in trance, and
narrowly escaped being buried alive,
We have often heard the story OF
the ConsuPs wife, who was buried
alive and released from her pain
full position by robbers, who broke open
the coffin to steal the lady's iewelry.
Among the other stories of resuscitated
victims of apparent death, is one Of an
old gentleman who was revived by one
of his skeptical friends putting a burn
ing taper to his nose. His life was saved
but the sad story of his escape from the
very jaws of death was ever afterward
told by the SCARED and crimson beacon
on his face.
A number of stories are given of
the revival Of hospital patients after
they have been carried out to the dead
house. This seems very common oc-
currence in Europe. Two of the most
terrible statements are of children being
born in the tomb, one of whom, accord.
ing to Mr.. Mackay, being discovered by
a lucky incident lived to be a man, and
occupied for several years the post of
Lieutenant-GeneralO on the frontiers of
Cherez.
Several instances are given Of persons
who have been cOgnizant of what was
going on around them, yet powerless to
stop their burial. On case is given of a
who, had it not been for
the arrival of sister, would have been
buried alive. The passionate grief of
the sister caused the eyelids of the de-
ceased to culver, and the truth was dis
covered.
1t is impossible to prOlong the list of
but enough has been already
aid to show the Wickedness of hasty fu- |
neraIs, and the necessity of establishing |
a proper system OF tests. Hoes it ever !
occur to the minds Of Americans that |
funerals are often conducted very |
quickly in this country, as well as
IN Italy and the warm couIitt--::eess of Eu- |
rope? 1t is doubtful if the bodies of the |
Door people who live in the tenement |
: e,rs-4-= ~ nur iarra cities are ATsminns' |
very closely before they are InGerreu; II
IS doubtful if the greatest care is excer-
oised in this matter in the rural districts, |
where good physicians cannot be at the
leath beds of sick persons, and where
-ich and poor alike are often intrusted |
20 doctors who are neither famous for
earning or intuition. The writer in
Belgravia is inclined to think that one
If the needs of the world is simple test
md not complicated series of tests,
which would be out of the reach of the
poor and beyond the power of 1nexperi-
enced or badly-paid doctors. 1t will
De reassuring to have that test as soon
rs possible.
Rebuked.