Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-03-15
ALMOST BURIED ALIVE.
JOscp hinc Rymau's Horrible Enpr.
rtence While Lying nm N Trance.


Joscp hinc Rymau's Horrible Eapr-
rience While Lying in a Trance.
From the Cincinnati Enquirer.
EVANSVILLE, IND.. March I0-Josephlne Ry-
man. a fair-halrea. blue-eyed young woman. is
just recovering from a remarkable illness AZ the
home of her sister. Mrs. Brown. In this place
Her parents died some years ago. and Josephine
went to work in st. James: little VILLAGE near
here. One Saturday night last winter she went
to singing school. She had not been I'm her seat
long when she felt very strange sensation
about the head, accom- anied by pains IN the
back. She arose 10 her feet, as if 10 start out OF
church. when she fell in dead faint. and Was
carried home. Her friends al first Thought that
the attack was but mere faintng spell. and the
usual restoratiyes were applied, but the girl
continued % lie az If dead. Sunday came and
went. but still there was no change. The BODY
| became CO ldeI and colder the eyes were open
and staring, the lips were apart. there was no
| pelceptIble pulse. and every indication pointed
TO death. Physicians pronounced lite extinct
/ The priest was sent for To administer the last
rites and the weeping sisters and friends OF the
| family prepared to hid Josephine the last fare
| well. 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 a slight change in the appearance
OF the body. which gave the startled watchers q
faint hope that the girl lay In a trance. aud that
| this was but deaths counterfeit. The body Law
! on Its back, with arms folded Just as the at
| PENDANTS had placed it. There was not the
| least perceptibe breathing; the eyes still had
that stony, unmeaning gaze the face was as
pallld as white marble; but the jciness OF real
| death was wanting. The feet and limbs were
not warm, but they did not have that chilly
| touch that is sure accompaniment OF actual
! dissolution. There was sufficient doubt In the
minds OF those in attendance to warrant eau
ton, and so another day and night passed On
Wednesday. or the fourth day after the girl Was
first stricken down, the priest again sent
! Tor After critically examining the case and
consulting with the physician, he said: lit is Q
| trance. she may come TO herself but 1t Will be
but momeatary. When she relapSes all will be
over. She can't live" Accordingly the fune-
raj was set for the next day. Imagine the
| feelings OF horror which possessed this girl
when 1T is known that she cognzant 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 herself. She said to me Yesterday:
| ''Oh. sir, it was horrible As lay there on my
back, stretched out on the boards with my arms
| crossed and feet tied together. with the lighted
candies about my head. and could see my sisters
ana neighoors come and peer into my face it
was awful. i heard every word spoken Ny
body. hmhs, and arms We're cold ice. I
| though: OF the agony of being buried alive. OF
being nailed in a coffin and lowered in the
ground. tried to make some noise or move
Just little, to let them know that | was alive
| but ii was impossible. 1 saw my sisters come in
one by one and look into my face. Poor Josie
she's gone. Their tears dropped on my hair,
ana their kisses were warm to nv lips. A
they turned To leave me, il seemed "a il I must
make an effort to attract their attention. If only
by moving NY eyeds. But | couldn't do it.
felt like screaming. 1 tried to, 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. IL was no use. He could not hear IL
beat. After saying a short prayer for the repose
OF my soul, he too turned and left me, and my
agony and horror were redoubled will no
one find out that live?' said to myself Must
| be buried only to wake when it ia too later
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 suIocation2'
| The thought was madnessl Why doesn't the
doctor do something To bring me to MYSELF
| am not dead, Ii was no Use. There 1 lay think
| Ing and listening to every word that was said.
| could hear woman giving directions as TO the
making of the shroud. 1 heard the time set for
the funeral and all. could zee every one who
came to look at me. I tried to look conscious
and let them know that understood it all. but
it was impossible 1t Is wonder did not die
OF fright and agony. often think that would
sooner die, a thousand times sooner, than 70
through that experience again.
| FINALLY, when all was ready. when the shrOu0
was finished, and all had left the room but two
or three, some one said: Amt you going to cut
her hair off?' My hair was done up i'm long
brads and fell down my back. Yes said my
sister. well cut it off now Then they got the
scissors and came up to me. While one OF them
took held VI my head and turned il to one side
the one with the scissors began the cutting
could feel the cold steel on my neck realized
that this was about the last thing they'd
do before putting Inc In the coffin. The woman
began TO clip and i'm a second or two one long
braid OF hair was taken off and laid aside. Nv
head was then turned the other way to allow
them to get at the other braid. but this was not
touched. Thank God! something i'm my condi-
ton or some movement, L don't know what il
was, caused my sister TO scream. and / was
saved The scissors dropped to the floor with
loud noise the woman jumped back nearly scared
to death and sat up. You should have seen that
house little while after that. / thought every
body had gone crazy. 'Nenies avei' 'Venie's
alive!' The whole neighborhood came rushing
in as soon as they heard Of il. and for several
days there was nothing talked about but me.
My folks thought didn't know what had been
going on. Little they thought that every word
spoken in that room was heard and understood
| by me. They tried to keep everybody from 10
ferring to the fact that my shroud was bought,
the coffin ordered, and the funeral arranged.
| They made an excuse. too. for part of my hair
being cut off. They told me the reason Of it
was that plaster had been put on the back or
my neck, and my hair got SO tangled in il that
| 1t had to be cut away. L didn't say anything.
One day my little brother said to me: 'yenie,
you was goin' to be buried last Thursday. and
they cut your hair or He never imagined
that / knew more about il than he did. The
| recollection of those terrible DAYS and nights
will never leave me. pray to God that l may
never be called upon to pass through it again
| | would rather die"