Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1882-08-31
HOURS IN A COFFIN.
Thrilling Adventure of Shoemaker
Martin Strong-Preparcd for Hasty
Burial-A Night of Concentrated

Seven hours in q coffin added ten
years to my life," was the singular re-
mark made to your correspondent on
Thursday last, which resulted this morn
ing in the unfolding of a most remark
able tale of adventure. Martin Strong,
shoemaker, living-or rather dying
at his brothers house, on Twelfth street,
told for the first time of a horrible ex-
perience through which he passed in the
summer of 1868, when he was pro-
nounced dead by his physicians and
| came within an ace of being buried alive.
Strong has suffered for several years
with an affection of the spine. He has
been unable to attend to his business for
several years, because of his ailment,
and now appears to be on the verge of
the grave.
II will tell you all that I remember"
said the shoemaker, as he gulped down
half tumblerful of brandy and water;
"but l object to having anything pub
lished in a newspaper, and L don't thank
| my old doctor for sending you here. In
the month of June, 1868, was taken vi
olently ill with terrible pain at the
base of the brain, and chilliness all the
way down the spinal column. / then
lived in room on South street, and had
shop on Ridge avenue. About the
middle of June / took to bed, and called
in DIR. Harker (who died few years
| ago, by the way, and afterward DR..
Cummings, now living, I believe, near
| Camden. Neither of them appeared to
know what allied me. l became delir-
ious, and remained in that state from the
2sth of June to the 4th of July. remem-
Der distinctly awaking on that morning
and hearing the noise of fireworks. In
the afternoon the queer feeling in my
| back bone increased, and by shutdown [
felt as though | was paralyzed from the
neck down. l remained in that state
until 8 o'clock the next morning, and
all over the body. lost all power Of
motion, and could not even open my
mouth or eyes. Still 1 heard everything
going on about me. DR.. Cummings held
my pulse, and l heard him tell my
brother that would probably live until
noon.
''At eleven o'clock-for I heard the
clock strike-a SILVER seemed to go
through me, and my brother lifted my
head. I heard the doctor say, he's GO
ing now, think | could not utter a
sound, nor move a muscle. Then felt
the doctor unbutton my nlght-shirt, and
place his ear above my heart. He raised
his head In a moment, and said, He's
gone My God, how did try to move
at that moment, but it was no use; I
couldn't even as much as wink. My
idea of death, but 1 did not feel the cold
ovoorf II, tho rauior of r,u c,,;no nv,
supposed dead body was covered with a
sheet and placed in the middle of the
bed. My brother then locked up the
house and went out. Now what hap
pened almost Immediately afterward
is so very strange and incredible that I
must ask you to believe it simply on my
word alone, because I would not insult
your intelligence by such stupendous
statement unless it were true. I lay
there thinking of the awful agony L
would endure should they bury me alive
I seemed to live a lifetime, and the
mental torture was the most terrible
you can imagine. Ny brother had been
gone about ten minutes, / should Judge,
when suddenly felt a new sensation.
My back seemed as though it was be-
ing pricked by hundreds of needles.
and felt a warmth creeping down my
backbone. This warmth extended
gradually to other parts of the body, and
involuntarily | gave a great sigh. This
simple action brought back the suspend
ed functions of life, and the next instant
had thrown the sheet off and was on
in chair to think. Then I knelt
down and offered prayer of thank
| fulness. These feelings were now sue
ceeded by the iolliest humor imagin-
| able. felt SO good that 1 could scarce
| ly retain myself from opening the win
dow and shouting for joy, but l re-
strained myself and sat STILL Then it
occurred to me that it would be harm.
| JOSS joke to surprise my brother, the
doctor and the world in general, by
suddenly rising out of tie coffin, if I
could maintain my equanimity long
enough for them to put me in it. The
more | thought of the scheme, the more
I liked it, and actually laughed aloud as
| imagined the horror stricken counten-
ances of the people at seeing dead
man rise up and speak. Ny brother
might return at any moment, so to carry
out the plan successfully I lay dowI
again and had the sheet ready to draw
over my face the moment l heard hin
come in. l suppose I remained in thai
| position for twenty minutes or more wheT
| the front door opened and shut and
heard footsteps ascending the stairs.
waited until he had nearly. reached the
top and then attempted to- draw up the
sheet, which covered me to the waist
Great heaven! could not move finger
Like flash that same old, chilly feeling
came upon me, and was to all intents
| and purposes dead man again. My
Il crh Of inl- tod in h
bic fate. My brother, the moment he
entered the room, went to a closet anc
took out a bible. when he sees the
disarranged sheet I thought, he viii
suspect something, and take means tc
awaken me- but he didn't seem to no
tice anything, but covered my face again
and then, sitting down, began to read
If the agony before my revival was hor
rible, this was superlative. My brair
seemed on fire from the intensity o
thinking. At five o'clock in the after
| noon the door-bell rang, and my broth.
er answered it. My horror was com
plete when heard my brother say:
II want the funeral to take place il
the morning, so it will not be necessary
to put him in ice, although the weathe
is warm. Just be kind enough to have
everything arranged to night" Then ht
| went down stairs, and the undertakes
brought up plain walnut coffin. l wa
washed, dressed and placed in the coffil
without being able to even witch ar
eyebrow in protest. / shall never forge
i that night. 1t was an eternity. Iheard
the old state-house clock strike the mid
night hour, and all the weird stories
| about ghosts and the dead chased through
my almost frantic brain. 1t would fill
volume to tell how l suffered. On thu
following morning at nine o'clock m,
brother and few friends were assem-
bled in the front down stairs ROOM