Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-08-16

tSAva, borrs in A cofnn ADDED ten years TO
| my life," was the Singular remarK mace TO
your correspondent on 1nulsHy tHst, "nt M
resulted this morning 10 l1e unloiuing ..
Strong sbosno.ker. living-or rather dy-
inp-st his brother's house, on Twelfth street,
told for the f;rst time OF 4 horrible experience
through which he pissed IN the summer OF
1868, when he was pronounced oeao py ms
physician and came within an ace ei oelng
buried alive strong has suffered for several
wears with an affection Of the spine. He has
been unable TO attend to his business Tor sew
eral years, because Of his ailment, and now
appears to be on the verge OF the grave
Will tell you all / remember, salu me snee
maker, as he gulped down a nsll-tu al ~
of brandy and water, "but object TO having
anything published in a newspaper, and
don't thank NV old doctor for sending you
here. In the month OF June, 1868, L
was taken violently with terrible
pain at the base of the BRAN, ana
a chilliness all the way down The
spinal column. then lived in a room on
South street, and had shop on Ridge ave-
nue.. About the middle OF June book 10
bed and called 10 DIR. Harper who died a
lew years ago, by the Way), and aIlerm alr
Or. Cummings, now dead, l believe, near
Camden. Neither of them appeared 10
know what allied me. / became delITlous,
and remained in that state from the zoth OF
Junesto the 4th of July. l remember ois
tInctly awaking on that morning anu nea
ing the noise of fireworks. In the afternoon
the queer feeling in nay backbone increased,
and by shutdown fell as though was par
alyzed from the neck down. remained IN
that state until o'clock the next morning,
and then the chilly feeling began extending
ali over nv body. / lost all power OF mo.
ton, and could not even open my mouth or
ewes. Still / heard everything going on
about me. DR.. Cummings held my pulse,
and heard him tell my brother that would
probably live until DooH.
"At II o'clock-for heard the clock strike
"a SILVER seemed TO go through me, and
my brother lifted my head. l heard the
doctor say: He's going now, L think
could not utter sound nor move muscle.
Then felt the doctor intuition my night
shirt and place his ear above my heart He
raised his head in a moment and said
Hes gone.' NY God, how / did try TO
move at that moment, but 1t was no use;
couldn't even as much as wink. My body
must have been cold, to give the idea OF
death, but did not feeLthe cold, except in
the region of nay spine. Ny supposed dead
body was covered with a sheet and placed in
the middle of the bed. Ny brother then
locked up the house and went out. Now,
what happened almost Immediately after
ward is SO very strange and incredible
that / must ask you to believe 1t
simply on my word alone, because
would not insult your intelligence by
such stupendous statement unless II were
true. l lay there thinking of the awful
agony should they bury me alive. seemed
to live a lifetime, and the mental torture
was the most terrible you-can imagine. My
brother had been gone about ten minutes,
should judge, when suddenly / felt a new
sensation. My back seemed as though it |
was being prieked by hundreds of needles, |
and L felt a warmth creeping down my |
backbone. This warmth extended gradually |
to other parts of the body, and involuntarily |
gave a great sigh. That simple action
brought back the suspended functions of
life, and the next instant i had thrown the
'heet off and wasson my feet. was still
weak aud sat down in a chair 70 think.
Then l knelt down and offered up prayer
If thankfulness. These feelings were
low succeeded by the jolliest
lumor imaginable. felt so good that
ould scarcely restrain myself from opening
he window and shouting for icy, but re-
trained myself and sat still. Then it oc-
urred to me that it would be harmless
oke to surprise my brother, the doctor and
he world in general by suddenly rising out
f the coffin, if could maintain my equa-
unity long enough IOr them 10 put IN H. |
he more thought OF the scheme the more
1ike1 II, ana naturally }aushod- aloud an
imagined the horror-s:ricken countenances
( the people at seeing dead man wake up
nd speak. My brother might return in any
1oment, so to carry out the plan success
llly lay down again and had the sheet
eady to draw over my face the moment l
card him come in. l suppose l remained
n that position for twenty minuts, or more,
r6nrx h. rrrr d<<ar ~ -, Y Y
card footsteps ascending the stairs.
-aited until he had nearly reached the top
nd then attempted to draw up the sheet,
hich covered me TO the waist. Great !
eavenl L could not move finger. Like
ash that same old chilly feeling came upon
lie, and was, TO all intents and purposes,
cad man again. Ny CHASTITY joke nearly
.sulted in a horrible fate. Ny
rother, the moment he entered the
'om, went to closet and
ok out a Bible. asWhen he sees the disar-
Inged sheet thought, he will suspect
mething, and take means 10 awaken me-
1t he didn't seem to notice anything, but
vered my face again, and then, sitting
,wn, began to read. If the agony before
y revival was horrible, this was superla-
We. My brain seemed on fire from the in
nsity of thinking. At 5 O'Clock in the
ternoon the door-bell rang, and my brother
severed it. My horror was complete when ,
heard my brother say, I want the funeral !
take place IN the morning, so it will not !
necessary to put him on ice, although the
.ather is warm. Just be kind enough TO
we everything arranged tonight Then
went down stairs, and the undertaken
ought up plain walnut coffin. / was
shed, dressed and placed in the coffin
thout being able to even switch an eye
DIV in protest. / shall never forget that
yht. 1t was an eternity. / heard the
tehouse clock strike the midnight hour, I!
all the weird stories about ghosts and
, dead chased through my almost frantic
ain. 1t would fill volume TO tell how
suffered. On the following morning
8 o'clock nay. brother and few friends q
re assembled in the front downstairs
I'M. l was in the coffin upstairs, when
ain did that feeling come over me as =
the day before. Again sighed and came
* again 10 life, just as my brother entered
room. He seemed TO take in the situa-
n at glance, and, closing the d Dor after
n, locked it. of course he embraced me, .
l then, in his eccentric way, went out and
my half dozen shoemaker friends that
re would be no funeral, that was not |
I'd, and that he had summoned them | D
rely to test their friendship. Knowing
oddities the men believed him and went
~. The undertaken was sent for and the
tor. While they were not pledged TO
recy, it was generally understood that
hing was to be said for my brothers sake, !
D detests publicity in any form, go if you =
Isl upon saying anything in the paper
k it away in some corner" DR.. Cum
,gs corroboraIed the strange story fnlly,
the undertaken, while he refused 10 /.
: about it all, would not deny it directly. y
, strangesf part of the whole affair il the
that it has never been brought to light
IRE.