Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1882-04-01
NO. IS.
Almost Buried Alive.
JosErHiNK RYNAN's HORRIBLE EXPERIENCES
Wills LYING IN FRANCS.

Josephine Rymsn, fair-haired, blue-eyed
young woman. is just recovering from q re-
marksble illness at the home of her sister.
Mrs. Brown, in this place. Her parents died
some years ago. and Josephine went to work
in ST. James, a little village near here. Oae
Saturday night last - inter she went to sing
ing school. She had not been in her seat
long when she felt very strange sensation
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 frat
thought the attack was but a mere fa,nting
spell. and the usual restoratives were applied,
but the girl continued to lie as If dead. sun
day came and went, but 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 ritess
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 a slight change in the :
appearance Of the body, which gave the
startled watchers faint hope that the girl
lay in trance, and that this was but deaths
counterfeit The body lay on its back. with
arms folded, just as the attendants had placed
hrea,h;ng ,h. .,.s s,i,l had ,hs, s,an,, ~
mean;ng g.ye rho fac. w.s a. n.,i;a =.
wbi,e m.rble hn, tho ;.;noss of re.i d.s,h
was wap,;ny The Zoe, and Emhs w.ra rn,
3.rm hn, ,hsv a;5 No, hay. ,ha, hin, ,,rnh
hat il a sure sccomnanim.n, of ac,nai d;sso.
lution. There was .ntf,c;.nt donht in m.
minds of those in attendance 10 warrant
caution, and 40 ano,ber dav and NIGHT na..ed
On Wednesday. or the fnur,h day after the
y;rl was f,rst .,r;cl..n dovn tho pr;.st was
AGAIN sent far After cri,;r.lIy ax.m;ning
the ease and consulting with tho nhys;cian
he said. ,.It's a franco She NAV como 10
herself bnt II w IN no momen,arv When .he
relapses nil will he over. She Cant live
Accordingly the funeral was set for the next
day. Imagine the fpelinys ot horror which
noss..sed ,h;s c;rI wh.n !, 10 Lnown Tho, .ho
dos co.n;zant of oy.r, wor5 ,h., ..s sroLan
in that room. and couid ace the forms Of her
friends and watchers about her couch. Her
terrible situation is best told by herself. She
said 10 me Yesterday.
ooh sir /, was borr;hIe AL ,av ,b.ra nm
nv bach stretched on, on the boar "; Ri
INV arms crossed and fect tied tooe,her with
the lighted candles about INV head, and could
see my sisters and neipbbors come and peer
into NV face il was awfnl. I hoard every
word spoken. Nv body limbs and arm. wer..
as cold a. ice. / Thought of the agony Of be
ing buried alive, of being nailed in n coffin
and lowered in the ground. I tried IN make
some noise. or move lust little. To let them
know that was alive. but IL was impo,siblc.
saw nv sisters come in one bv one and
look into nv face. Poor Josie, shes gone
kisses were warm TO INV Inns. A. they turned
to leave me. il seemed as IL I must make nm
effort to attract their attention. II only bv
moyinpmy eyelids. But I couldn't do Il
felt like screaming. I tried to. but couldn't
move a muscle The priest came in. and felt
nv arms and wrists. He sbook hi, head.
Then he placcd his ear 10 INV heart II IVA.
no use. He could not hear II heat After
saving a short PRAYER for the repose Of INV
soul, he too turned and left me. and NV agony
and horror were redoubled.
will no one find out that live?' I said To
mv.elf Must be buried only 10 wake when
it is too late? Must / come back TO lite when
they put me in the vault and all of the peo.
ple have gone away. only TO die of fright and
horror and suffocatiop3' The Thought va.
madness. why doesn't the doctor do some
thing to bring me to mvself? l am not dead I.
Ii was no use. There Law thinking and lis.
tenipg TO every word that was said couid
hear woman giving directions ma IN the
making of a shroud. I heard the time set for
the funeral and all. I coujd ace every ono
who came to look at me. tried 10 look con.
scious and let them know that understood n
all, but it was impossible. II is wonder
did not die Of fright and agony. / often think
that l would die 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 'Ain't you
going to cut her hair Off NV hair was done
up in long braids. and fell down INV bsct
Yes said INV sister. .we,l, cut !, ofr nos,
Then they got the scissors and came mn
to me. While one of them took hold ~
my head and turned Il to one aide. the one
with the scjsso,s began the cu,,;nv 7 conjd
feel the cold steel on INV neck I realized
this was about the last thing they'd do heTo,s
putting me in the coffin. The women bevan
to clip. and in a second or two one long braid
Of hair was taken off and laid aside Nv head
was then ,prned tho o,b., vsy a. silo- ,ho,,,
W ket NJ tHe othtF Drb1u, Dut tnls was nor