The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-01-12

= Girls Remarkable Story of How
She Was saved from Prema.
turc burial.
New York sunI


- curious an experience, I think, rs any
you ever heard Of" said Greenpoint hdy
- the reporter. "Clara, show him the
F6x&n."
Miss Clara Muncc, who was sewing upon
= dress for the lady who spoke, laid aside
SeT work, and Ding TO drawer in the
dashboard took )ut silver colin-platc,
which she offered for inspection. II bore
Ne inscription:
CLARA MUNCE.
Died June 3, 1864,
Aged 10 years.
~Why. TO whom docs this refery" asked
&c reporter.
at refers to me-, replied Miss Munce,
quietly. "It was on my cofiin-at least
suppose / may call il my coffin, though
was not buried in II. l occupied 1t, how
ever, for some hours, and had IL not been
ser the intelligence Of lady who came to
sftend my funeral / should have been In Il
now. NV uncle took it TO his home, In
Chicago, where he Is fond OF showing it TO
kis friends and telling my story. kept
The plate, which ] seldom allow any one to
&C, for the recolections 1t awakens are
nct pleasant.
"When was young girl was in very
delicate health. used to fall into frances,
in which knew all that was going on
sxoxnd me, and heard every word said In
she room where l lay, but could not
speak or make the slightest sign OF life.
Nv body grew gradually colder, but ordi-
m,xiiy l aroused myself with start within
1rn or fifteen minutes. The doctor said it
vas a form OF epilepsy, and warned me
thSf some day or other an attack might be
ygolonged and mistaken for death. IL al-
ways affected me under the same coudi-
lions. After sleeping, rs consciousness
ssowIy returned, 1 found myself WIDE
awake, but unable to speak or move.
After the Doctors caution / began TO
grow afraid OF myself. 1t was horrible
sensation. / dreaded TO go TO sleep at
night, and, though Growsiness Oyerpow'
szod me at last, awoke unreireshed. Du-
ring the day was languId and tired, but
dared not he down, for knew by eXpe-
rscnce that il slept by daylight l was al
xsost certain to fall into q trance on
zwxking. AS consequence Of all this
xnental disturbance | became seriously i'll,
and was ordered to the country; but be-
xcrc arrangements could be made for me
Go go was stricken down with brain-fe-
yer, and my life was despaired OF.
1.-THE brain-fever was conquered, but
yxs very weak-so weak that l did not
rally. The doctor, always cheerful, said l
seyer would. lay for days neither asleep
nor awake, but not in trance, for l could
AsoEe and speak feebly.
"One day--it was june 2, 1861 felt
xhat was really improving. Life seemed
A DC coming back 10 me. At last L grew
sired. and, for the first time in several
weeks. slept soundly and healthily.
al awoke slowly. and with the rigor Of
Erb that knew so well. An unutterable
horror took possession OF me as | felt that
4 WAS in trance and remembered the good
doctors capacity for laundering. My Wears
were well founded, for half an hour later,
when the nurse came TO look at me, heard
nsr utter quick exclamation OF alarm, and
hurrying away, she called my mother and
SISTERS. The doctor was summoned, and ar
rived when I'LL my relatives in the house
were around my bed. He felt my pulse,
got his hand upon my forehead, forced open
sac OF my eyes, and examined the pupil,
slttle thinking that saw him as plainly US
he saw me, and sorrowfully remarked:
AL feared it. She is going fast
ooh, the misery OF that day and the
aight following! On the morning Of June
III my body was cold and stiff, and, while
my mind was as active as ever, knew
Shat 1 looked like n corpse. My friends
shought me dead, and when the doctor
came they stood aside, silent and weeping,
and made way for him TO approach the
bed He looked at me steadily for a few
SECONDS, and then said reverentially:
"'Yes, poor creature, she is gone,' and
ar covered my face with the sheet.
@@And this was the man who had first
icsd me that an epileptic fit might be so
protonged as TO be mistaken for death. My
n8dignation at that moment absolutely
syerpowered my fear. Otherwise, / be-
Eese should have died on the spot.
"For more than two days 1 lay notion
kss on the bed. Tube-roses were strewn
c8cr me. Friends came to see me, and re-
1aindcd each other Of good qualities i'm me
last neither by myself or others had ever
bc7ore been suspected. heard IT all. No
body spoke Ct me except as corpse; none
nuticed, what / am sure must have been
apparent, that my face had not lost the
scafor OF life. and on the night Of June 4th
4 Try beside my open coffin On the morn
ing OF the 9th was put into it, for was
10 be buried that day.
al had heard the inscription on the plate
read aloud, over and over again: 'Clara
Emce. Aged sixteen years. Poor girl.
30 young to be called away. But she was
always delicatel' Oh, why could / not
speak? 1 could not even try TO speak or
move. All yolition seemed to have died
I'm me, and l could only pray silently that
4 might die, too, before the last rites were
performed, but 1 felt that there was little
scsance OF that, because was full Of life.
~Tbe undeTtaker's men were in the
room waiting to fasten down the coffin-lid.
Kisses innumerable had been pressed upon
say face, and l had given up all hope OF
kEe, when an old lady, worth all the rest OF
G1e visitors put together, elbowed the
aDsheTs out Of the way and stood beside the
ssiin. She was my Aunt Jane, and she
had come from Albany to see her iavorite
Htsee for the last time. Her presence
eeemed to calm me; Tor we loved each
ssfsscr so well that could not think it pos
sSfse that she would allow me TO be buried
alive She was STOPPING to kiss me, when
sac suddenly started back with the very
xiznpie and homely remark:
Ss Why, her nose is bleedingl'
LIT was perfectly true, though up to that
fhne nobody had noticed it. Ny mental
agony had made my nose bleed.
q. Now, the doctor knew quite enough
about his business TO be very much startled
AZ seeing fresh blood flowing from body
1sz4 had been dead two days. He eX-
sxnincd my face and said hastily, as he for
ahe first time noticed the color, Take her
aa1& to bed.'
1.-The suddenness and immensity of the
s<iisf restored all my faculties, and as the
sscn took me up | said, with hardly an
<Hcrt, and in perfect natural tones:
~1Thank you, Doctor. How are you,
Auntief'
81 think have told you nearly the whole
sSorr- recovered very quickly, and hsye
sxger had trance since. The doctor
axin practices medicine in Grecnpoint, and
10 considered one Of its best authorities on