Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1883-02-02
A Day in a Coffin.

a Lay IN a Comm.
Miss Clara Munce. New York sewing
woman, recited to n. Y. sTimes' repor-
ter recently the following narrative:
After describing her period of il'-haelth
| which preceded her trance. she coptin-
ned: IAN nnuttarable horror took pos
session OF me as felt that was in a
trance. NV fears were we'll founded. for
half an hour later when the nurse came
to look at me, heard her utter quick
exclamation Of alarm, and hurrying away,
she called my mother and sisters. The
doctor was summoned, and arrived when
all my relatives in the house we're around
my bed. He felt my pulse, pnt his hand
upon my forehead. forced open one Of my
eyes, and examined the pupil, little think
ing that saw him as plainly as he saw
me. and sorrowfully remarked:
s. I feared it. She is going fast!' .
i "Oh. the misery Of that day and the
night following! On the morning Of June
Sd, my body was cold and stiff. and, while
nv mind vas as active as ever, l knew
that | looked like corpse. NV friends
thought me dead, and when the doctor
came they stood aside, silent and weeping.
and made way for him to approach the
he'd. He looked at me steadily for a few
seconds and then said reverentially:
Eyes. poor creature she is gone," and
he covered my face with the sheet.
land this was the man who had first
told me that an epileptic fit might be SO
prolonged as to he mistaken for DEATH
My indignation at that moment absolute
ly overpowered my fear Otherwise, I be.
lieve should have died on the spot.
"For more than two days lay motion
less on the bed. Tuberoses we're strewn
over me-, Friends came to see me, and re-
minded each other of good qualities in me
that neither by myself or others, had ever
before been SUSPECTED. heard it ALL
Nobody spoke of me except as corpse;
none noticed what am sure must have
been apparent. that my face had not lost
the color of life. and on the night of June
4th lay beside my open coffin! On the
morning of the 5th was put into it, for
was to be buried that day.
81 had heard the inscription on the plate
read aloud, over and over again: "Clara
Munce. Aged II years. Poor girl So
young too to be called away. But she
was always delicate!" Oh, why could l
not speak? could not even try to speak
or move. All volition seemed to have
died In me, and could only pray silently
that might die before the rites were per-
formed, but felt that there was little
chance of chat. because I was full of life.
"The undertaken g men were in the room
waiting to fasten down the coffin lid
Kisses innumerable had been pressed upon
my face, and had given up all hope of
life. when an old lady. worth all the rest
of the visitors put together, elbowed the
rest out of the way, and stood beside the
coffin. She was my Aunt J me, and she
had come from Albany to see her favorite
niece for the last time. Her presence
seemed to calm me. for we loved each 9th
er so we'll that conld not think it possi-
BILE that she would allow me to be buried
alive. She was stooplng co kiss me when
she suddenly started back with the very
simple and homely rem .rk:
"Why, her nose is bleedingl"
st was perfectly true. though mp to
that time nobody had noticed it. My men
tai agony had made nv nose bleed.
Now the d,ctnr knew quite enough
about his business to os very much start
+ led at seeing fresh blood flowing from the
body that had been dead two days. He
examined nv face and said hastily. as he
| for the first time hal noticed the color
Take her back TO bed"
The sudiannsss and immansitY If the
| relief RESI- ored all my faculties, and as the
men took me up said. with hardly an
effort, and in perfectly natural tones:
9Th ank you, doctor. How are you
Auntie?"
Il think have told you nearly the
whole story. l recovered very quickly.
and have never had a trance since. The
doctor still practic"s medicine in Green.
point. an;f is considered one of the best
authorities on diseases of children, and
whenever he sees nue. he tells me confident
| ly that from the first he had a ''latent sus.
picon that the vital spark fingered some
where bit do him the justice to discred
| it his statement.