Richland beacon., 1880-02-21
BURIAL OF PERSONS ALIVE.
rhe Di0eplty u Telling the Difference
BstwAeA Death and . state Trance.

| ano DAOpAV u IoAl1nG eho Dtmerenc<
BstwAsA Death and . state Trance.
loAicass I.tsr-ocssa.l
"Ah, merciful Godp piOusly exclaim!
Camille, chow many living men and wo
men are annually taken 10 their gravesv
Were it possible to get at the truth the
victims in this country alone might bt
numbered by many scores-possibly by
hundreds. Mr.. G. Eric Macckay, in the
current number of Belgraria, gives q
very interesting article on the subject OF
Premature Burials," in which he point,
out how difficult it is to discern the diff
ference between death and a case oi
trance-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.
tion to several instances of premature
burials on the Continent of Europe in.
stances which involve stories of trance,
the semblance of death holding its sway
over the human body for hours and days
and net merely for minutes, as in the
case of ordinary fainting fits. In his
opening remarks the writer says:
"In days when land is dear, and bur.
ial rights less sacred than the rights of
builders and contractors. cOffins 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 a strained and unnatural cOndi.
ton; dead men and dead women lying
in their graves as the dead never lie in
Christian land at the moment of bur
ial.".
Mr.. Mackay 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 thrown on
the coffin strange noise was heard on
the inside. The coffin was unscrewed,
bat 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 grave-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. A.
they were about to drag it from the bed
the 90 dead body" mOaned, and soon af-
terward was thoroughly revived by
medical practitioner of the neigh Dor
hood, and lived to tell the story of her
escape from the tomb. A learned Car
dinai incurred the disp!easure of the
King, and on icing 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 a young lady
arose out of her coffin and appeaied 1e.
fore the family at supper, pale and
frightened, but fair TO zee as before
DEATH" The doctor, the priest, and the
undertaken saw the error of their way,
but the priest alone made amends by
officiating at the young lady's wedding a
year after he had preached her Iuuerai
sermon. Petrarch, when a middle aged
man, lay twenty hours in trance aud
narrowly escaped being buried alive.
We have often heard the story OF
the COnsufs wife, who was buried
alive and released from her pain
full position by robbers, who broke open
the coffin to steal the lady's jeweiry.
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 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 o. hospital patients after
they have been carried out to the dead |
house. This seems q 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 |
} lucky incident lived to be a man, and |
for several years the post of |
LieutenantG General on the frontiers of |
ChereZ.
Several instances are given OF per,ons
who have been cognizant of what was
going on around them, yet powerless 10 |
top their burial. On case is given of a
who, had it not been for
he arrival of . sister, would have been
buried alive. The passionate grief of
he sister caused the eyelids of the de-
eased to culver, and the truth was dis
overed.
1t il impossible to prolong the list of
but enough has been already
aid to show the wickedness of hasty fu-
leraIs, and The necessity of establishing
proper system OF tesrs. 2oes it ever
ccur to the aiads of Americans that
unerals are often conducted very
uickly in this country, as we'll a.
q Italy and the warm coII:.--:c- of Eu-
0pe3 It il doubtful if the bodies of the
'oor people who live in the tenement
a"eas nj mp 'ere~ cities gre examined
cry closely before rney are ln-rreu; n
doubtful..if the greatest care is excer-
Used in this matter in the rural districts.
'here good physicians cannot be at the
cath beds of sick persons, and where
ich and poor alike are often intrusted
doctors who are neither famous for
earning or intuition. The writer in
3etgrorid il inclined to think that one