The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-02-04
BURIAL OF PERSONS ALIVE.
The Difficulty Of Telling tho Dfnerence
Between Death ana State Of Trance.

BURIAL OF PERSONS ALIVE.
Tho Difficulty Of Telling tho Difference
Between Death ana a State Of Trance.
"Oh, merciful God!" piously exclaims
Camille, "how many living men and
women are annually taken to their
graves!" Were it possible to get at the
truth the victims i'm this country alone
might be numbered by many scores
possibly by hundreds. Mr.. G. Eric
Mackay, in the current number of
BelqraUia, gives very interesting article
on the subject of Premature Burials,"
in which be points out how difficult it
is to discern the difference between
death and state of trance-indeed, 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
continent of Europe; instances which
involve stories of trance, the semblance
of death holding its sway over the hu-
man body for hours and days, and not
merely for minutes, as in the case of or
dinary fainting fits. In his opening re-
marks the writer says:
"ln days when land is dear, and burial
rights less sacred than the rights of
builders and contractors, coflins have
been opened with the pickaxe, in the
act OF converting cemeteries into streets
and gardens. Bere grave has been
discovered whose inmate has turned in
its shroud; here corpse clutching its
hair in strained and unnatural position,
dead men and dead women lying in
their graves as the dead never lie in
Christian land at the moment of burial"
Mr.. Mackay gives an account of
Young and beautiful woman who, it is
supposed, died ofever excitement at the
prospect of being married. When the
first shovelful of dirt was thrown on the
coffin strange noise was heard from the
inside. The coffin was unscrewed, but
too late, the girl was found in an attitude
ofhorror and pain impossible to describe
her eyes wide open, her teeth clenched,
her hands clutching her hair, but life
was extinct. An instance showing the
utter depravity of the Italian under
takers and grave-diggers is given in
which they actually tried to snatch the
body of a 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" moaned, and soon af-
terward was thoroughly revived by n
medical practitioner of the neighbor-
hood, and lived to tell the story of her
escape from the tomb. A learned cardi-
nal incurred the displeasure of the king,
and on being rebuked fell to the ground,
to all appearances dead. It was de-
cided that the unfortunate cardinal
should be embalmed, but when the sur
geons began their operations the patient
awoke, but too late, the wounds were
mortal.
A case is given in which a young lady
arose out of her coffin and appeared be-
fore the family at supper, "pale and
frightened, but fair to see as before
death" The doctor, the priest aud the
undertaken saw the error of their way,
but the priest alone made amends. by
officiating at the young lady's wedding
year after he had preached her funeral
sermon. Petrarch, when middle-aged
man, lay twenty hours in a trance, and
narrowly escaped being buried alive.
We have often heard the story of the
consul's wife who was buried alive and
released from her painful position by
robbers, who broke open the coffin to
steal the lady's jewelry. Among the
other stories of resuscitated victims of
apparent death, is one of an old gentle
man who was revived by one of his
skeptical friends putting burning taper
to his nose. His life was saved, but the
sad story of his escape from the very
laws 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 q very common occurrence
in Europe. Two of the most terrible
statements are of children being born in
the tomb, one of whom, according to
MIR. Mackay, being discovered by Il
luck. incident, lived to be a man, and
occu pied for several years the post oi
Acknowledgement 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. One case is given OF
a schoolmaster 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 quiver, and the truth was
discovered.
1t is impossible to prolong the list OF
examples, but enough has been already
said to show the wickedness of hasty
funerals, and the necessity of establish
ing a proper system of tests. Does 1t
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 countries of Europe?
It is doubtful if the bodies of the poor
people who live in the tenement houses
OF our large cities are examined very
closely before they are inferred; it is
doubtful if the greatest care is exercised
in this matter in the rural districts,
where good physicians cannot be at the
death beds Of sick persons, and where
rich and poor alike are often intrusted
to doctors who arc neither famous for
learning or intuition. The writer in
3elwaUta is inclined to think that one
OF the needs of the world at the present
moment is simple test, and not COM
plicated series oftests, which would be
out of the reach of the poor and beyond
the reach of ofinexperienced or badly paid
doctors. It will be reassuring to have
that test as soon as possible. Chicago
I,,fer 0ce1n