Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-01-23

ENcE BETWEEN DEATH AND A STATE OF
TRANC'E-soMg TERRIBLE CASES OF BURY
INd ALIVE.
from the Chicago Inter-oceanl
"Ah, mcrciful God - piously exclaims
Camille, chow many living men and wo-
men are annually taken to their graves!
Were it possible to get at the truth the
victims in this country alone might bo
ur,nberad ~ ,,,..-y r-----Li, ~
hundreds. c. Erie Mackay, in tho cur
rent number of Bclgracid. gives very
interesting article on the subject of Pre-
mature Burials, in which he points ont
how difficult is to discern the difference
between death and state of trance-ln-
deed. he goes so far as to claim that the
difference has never been quite clearly
understood by the generality of mankind
The article calls attention to several IN
stances of premature burials on the CON
tinent of Europe instances which involve
stories of trance, the semblsnce OF death
holding its sway over the human body
for hours and days. and not merely for
minutes, rs i'll the case OF ordinary liant
ing fits. In his opening remarks the
writer says:
.in days when land is dear and burial
rights less sacred than the rights OF
[ builders and contractors, coffins have
been opened with the pickax III tho act
| Of converting cemeteries into streets ami
| gardens. Here grave has been discov-
I cred whose inmate has turned Ill Its
/ shrouI here corpse cldtchlnS ITS hnir
in II strained and unnatural position :;
dead men and dead women lylnS III their
/ graves as the dead never lie III Christian
/ lunl at thp moment pf burial
Mr.. Mnckny gives an account oi II
youngnnd beautiful wonlan who, II Is sup
posed, died of fover-tXcitementa at the pros
pect of being married. When the first
/ shovel of dirt WAS thrown on the coffin Il
strange noise wns heard from til" inside.
The coffin was opened. but Ia hate a; the
girl wns found i'll m attitude Of horror
and pain impossible to describe her
ewes wide open. her teeth clenchcd, her
hands clutching her hair, but life WAS
extinct An instance showing the utter
dcprnvity Of the Italian uniertakcrs AMI
graye-diggers, is given. III which they
actually tried to snatch the body OF II
lady from her friends. one of whom
thought she was not dead. As they were
about to drag it from the bed, the dead
body" moancd, and soon afterward was
titioner Of the ncishborhood, ani lived
to tell the story Of her escape from the
tomb \ learned cardinal incurred the
displeasure Of the king, and, ON being re
buked, fell to the ground, to all appear
ance dead 1t WIS decided thai the uli-
fortunate cardinal should he emballned,
but when the surgeons began their opera
tons tho patient nwoke, hut too late, for
the wounds were mortal.
A case is given III which II Indy arose
ont of her coffin and appeared before the
family at supper, pale ana irleitencu
but fair to see as before death, Inc
doctor, the priest and the undertaken saw
the error of their way, but the priest
alone made amends by ofhcihtint ~ ti,'
young Indy wedding year ait'.r no h'
preached her funeral sermon ie'rhfoii'
when middle-aged man, lay ~ hours Ill
Il trance, and narrowly escaped being
buried alive. We have often heard ihe
story Of the c"nsnls wife who was buried
alive and released from her Paihiui po-
sitinn by robbers, VIII" broke open the
coiiin to steal the ladys JewelrN. Among
the other stories "f resllscitated victims
of apparent death Id one "i an oid gentle
man who WAS revived lay one "i MS sh''P
ticul friends putting burning taper I"
his nose HIS lly" WIS snVed. nut the
sud story of hls es,up" from thevery jaws
of death was ever afterward told hy the
Scared and crimson beacon on hlS lace
\ number uf stories ar" gwen "i the
revival Of hospital patients after they
have been carried out to the dend house
This seems II very common occurrence III