Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1882-03-29
SELECT.
ALMOST BURIED ALIVE.


young woman, is just recovering from
q remarkable illness at the home OF fiher
sister, Mrs. Brown, in this place. Her
parents died some years ago, and jose
phine went to work in st. James, a
little village near here. One Saturday
night last winter she went to singing
school. She had not been in her seat
long when she felt 81 very strange SEN
sation about the head, accompanied by
pains in the back She arose to her
feet, as if to start out of church, when
she fell in dead faint, and was carried
home. Her friends at first thought
that the attack was but mere fainting
spell, and the usual restoratives were
applied, but the girl continued to lie as if
dead. Sunday came and went and
still there was no change. The body
became colder and colder, the eyes
were open and staring, the lips were
apart, there was no perceptible pulse,
and every indication pointed to death.
Physicians pronounced life extinct.
The priest was sent for to administer
the last rites, and the weeping sisters
and friends of the family prepared to
bid Josephine the last farewell. The
coffin was ordered, busy fingers began
to prepare the white clothes in which
to bury the corpse, and in fact, every
preparation was made for the final
scene.
Thus passed Monday. On the
evening of that day there was slight
change in the appearance of the body,
which gave the startled watchers a
faint hope that the girl lay in trance,
and that this was but deaths counter
felt. The body lay on it's back. with
arms folded, just as the attendants had
placed it. There was not the least
perceptible breathing; the eyes still
had that stony unmeaning gaze the
face was pallid as white marble: but
the iciness of real death was wanting.
The feet and limbs were not warm,
but they did not haye that chilly touch
that is sure accompaniment OF actual
dissolution. There was sufficient
doubt in the minds of those in attend
ance to warrant caution, and so anoth-
er day and night passed. On We'd
nesday, or the fourth day after the girl
was first stricken down, the priest was
again sent for. After critical examin-
ing the case and consulting with the
physician he said: 1T is trance. She
may come to herself, bnt it will be bat
momentary. When she relapses all
will be over. She cant live Accord
ingly the funeral was set for the next
day. Imagine the feelings of horror
which possessed this girl when it is
known that she was cognizant of every
word that was spoken in that room,
and could see the forms of her friends
and watchers about her couch. Her
terrible situation is best told by her.
self. She said to me yesterday:
'Oh, sir, it was horrible. AS | lay
here on my back, stretched out on the
boards, with my arms crossed and feet
tied together, with lighted candles about
my head, and could see my sisters and
neighbors come and peer into my face,
it was awful. heard every word
spoken My body, limbs, and arms
were as cold as ice. | thought of the
agony of being buried alive, of being
nailed in coffin and lowered into the
ground, / tried to make some noise,
or move just little, to let them know
| was alive, but it was impossible. |
saw my sisters come in one by one
and look into my face. Poor Josie,
she's gone.' Their tears dropped on
my hair, and their kisses were warm
to my lips AS they turned to leave
me, it seemed as if must make an ef-
fort to attract their attention, if only
by moving my eyelids But | couldn't
move muscle. The priest came in,
and felt my arms and wrists He
shook his head. Then he placed his
ear to my heart. 1t was no use. He
could not hear it beat After saying q
short prayer for the repose of my soul
he turned and left me, and my agony
and horror were redoubled. will no
one find out that | live?' | said to my
self Must be buried only to wake
when it is to late p Must / come back
to life when they put me in the vault,
and all of the people have gone away,
only to die of fright and horror and
suffocation p The thought was mad
ness! Why doesn't the doctor do
something to bring me to myself? l
am not dead 1t was no use. There
lay thinking and listening to every
word that was said. | could hear a
woman giving directions as to the
making of the shroud. | heard the
time set for the funeral and all. |
| could see every one who came to look
| at me. | tried to look conscious and
let them know that / understood it all,
but it was impossible 1t was won
der did not die of fright and agony.
| | often think that | would sooner die,
a thousand times sooner, than go
through that experience again.
Finally, when all was ready. when
the shroud was finished, and all had
left the room but two or three,
some one said: Amt you going tc
cut her hair off? My hair was done
up in long braids and fell down my
back Yes said my sister, We'll GU
it off now. Then they got the scissors
and came up to me. While one o
them took hold of my head and turned
it to one side, the one with the scis
sors began--t the cutting. / could fel
the cold steel on my neck. | realized
that this was about the last thin!
they'd do before putting me in the col
| fin. The woman began to clip, and il
second or two one long braid wa
taken off and laid aside. My head wa
then turned the other way to ALLOW
them to get at the other braid but thi
wes not touched. Thank God some
thing in my condition or some move
ment, | don't know what it was, caus
L nd a