The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1881-12-15
A Lonesome Business.

''Did I ever bury anyone who was
alive?" said the undertaken, leaning
against comfortable-lookingb black wal
name plate "Well, no, but came near
it once. 1t was in the winter time, too,
and when got to the house where my
services were needed ! found the win
dows of the room wide open and the cold,
wintry air blowing through, and there
was no one in the room with the corpse,
it was so chilly there. 1t was a woman
who had died-a young, good-looking
woman, and the first thing
noticed was that her cheeks
were stained with red. This
is not uncommon when people die sud-
denly, and she had only been sick u few
days, and I congratulated myself on the
fine appearance she would make for her
friends to see. l had an assistant and
we placed the casket on supports by the
side of the bed, and were just going to
lift her in when 1 discovered that pill
low we needed had been left in the next
room. I told the young man to go after
it, which he did, taking the lamp with
him and leaving me with the head of the
dead woman supported on my arm; he
had some trouble in finding it and was
just going to call him when the wind
blew the door to and was alone in the
dark.
Now am not coward, but my first
impulse was to drop that woman's head
and run out of the room. actually
trembled with nervousness and imagined
that could feel thrill of life in the
neck, which was still warm; at that mo-
ment heard my assistant coming, and
at the same instant voice proceeding
from the dead. woman said distinctly in
sudden, sharp tones: "Auntie! Auntie!
Auntie!'
The return of the light brought back
part of my courage, and 1 looked keenly
at the corpse to see if could detect any
signs of life, but the red was fading out
of the cheeks, and the signs of death was
unmistakeable. 1 learned by adroit
questioning that an aunt OF the deceased,
of whom she was very fond, had arrived
at the house q few moments before she
died, and then the sick woman had ex-
PRED in the vain attempt to speak to her;
my theory is that the words stuck fast in
her throat and were expelled with the
final breath, when I moved her. What
else could think?
Then there was a beautiful girl who
was engaged to be married, and was sud
denly taken ill and died. 1 was sent for
to prepare her for the grave, and as they
| lived in the country I was to send out
the casket and all of the tnishings. 1t
was to be there in the evening early. as
| at 10 p. NJ. the remains were to be taken
East. The young man who drove out
with it stopped at wayside tav-
ern, became intoxicated and
remained drinking and gambling all
night. When at noon the next day he
reached the house, the corpse was sit
ting up holding a reception. She had
lain in a trance all night, and but for
his delinquency would have been buried
alive.
The friends of dead person are al
ways anticipating their return to life
during the first few hours; sometimes
the features will suddenly become life
like, and slight color will suffuse the
lips, and frequently beadlike perspira-
ton will appear on the forehead. To
those of our profession these signs are
sure tokens of death and decay. 1
have known people who would be strick-
en- with q panic few hours after the
burial of friend and insist on disinter-
ment."
"How is it when post mortems are
held, or embalming takes place."
'That settles the question definitely
there can be no doubt in the case of
President Garfield, though the embalm-
ing process was a failure, or at least all
the undertakers consider it so; but un-
dertakers are not embalmers; they leave
that branch of the trade to men of
science, professors of colleges of medi-
cine and such. 1t may be impossible to
avoid disooleration as in the case of
President Lincoln, but the tissues Of the
body should be thoroughly preserved /;
Vice President Wilson was perfectly en-
balmed, so was the late Mr. Bagley. The
best case ever knew was that of a young
man who died in Denver and was brought
to Detroit for burial. After three
weeks trial he was as natural looking as
if he had Just died, and it was in hot
weather, too. The trouble with the late
Presidents case was that it was too hur.
risd; he should have been put on ice for
two days previous to embalming. The
family did not feel as anxious about it as
the people. A good many are much dis
satisfied"
Folks think We have no sentiment"
said the undertaken, land wish some
times hadn't, but when l see the little