The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1880-02-19
Burial of Persons Alive.


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 might be num-
bered by scores-possibly, by hundreds,
Mr. G. Enc Mackay, in the current
number of Belgravia, gives very inter
esting article on the subject of "Pre-
mature Burials," in which he points out
the difference between death and the
state of trance-indeed, lie 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 the several instances
of premature burial on the continent of
Europe; instances which involve stories
of trance, the semblance of death, hold
ing its sway over the human body for
hours and days, andsno merely for
minutes, as in the case of ordinary faint
ing fits. In his opening remarks, the
writer said:
"ln days when land is dear, and bur-
ial rights less sacred than the rights Of
builders and contractors, collins 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 clutchiug It's hair
in q strained and unnatural position;
dead men and women lying in their
graves as the dead never lie in Chris
tan land at the moment of burial"
Mr.. Mackay gives an account of a
young and beautiful woman 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 a strange noise was heard from
the inside. The coffin was unscrewed,
but too late the girl was found IN an
attitude 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
showing the utter dspravity 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
dead. AS they were about to drag it
from the bed the dead body " moaned,
and soon afterwards was thoroughly re-
vived by medical practitioner of the
neighborhood, and lived TO tell the
story of her escape from the tomb. a
learned Cardinal incurred the displeas-
ure of the King, and on being rebuked
fell to the ground, to ali appearance
dead. 1t was decided that the unfortu-
nate Cardinal should be embalmed, but
when the surgeons began their opera
tons the patient awoke, but too late, for
the wounds We're mortal.
A case is given in which young lady
arose out of her coffin and appeared be-
lore 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
officiating at the young ladys wedding
a 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
ConsuPs wife who was buried alive and
released from her painful 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 gentle
man who was revived by one of his
skeptical friends putting burning Ia
per 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 vers Common occurrence
in Europe. Two of the most terrible
statements are of children being born
in the tomb, one of whom, according to
Mr.. Macay, beng discovered by a
lucky incident, lived to be man, aud
occupied for several years the post of
lieutenant general 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
al.