The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1883-03-16
A Drunken Russian Buried Alive.

A Swiss, settled in Russia, sends to
the Bund a strange story, taken from
Vjedomosti, paper published at Sama-
ra, of man being buried alive, for the
accuracy of which the writer says that
he can personally vouch. The story,
besides the horror OF it, shows how
helpless the Russian system of govern
ment renders the people for whose bene-
| fit it is designed, and how utterly bu-
reaucracy has crushed in them all spirit
of initiative and independence.
The other day, so runs the account,
man was buried alive in Samara. His
name was Tichonoff, and he had been
employed as writer in a machine de-
pot On the fete day .sTichonoff drank
heavily, and had an epileptic fit. For
a long time thereafter he lay quite still
and showed no sign of life, which led
his wife and kinsfolk to conclude that
he was dead. This happened on st.
Silvester's Day, and 10 avoid keeping
the supposed corpse in the house three
days (for on Saturday preceding festi-
val no body can be buried), it was de-
cided to lay him in the ground that very
night after vespers, and arrangements
were made accordingly. The body was
removed to the cemetery church, where
the Pope (priesO read the service for
the dead. While this was going on (the
coffin being uncovereD some of the by
ISLANDERS noticed what seemed to be
drops of sweat on the dead mans face;
but this appearance being attributed to
n few sncwhakes which had fallen dur
ing the passage from Tichonoff s house
to the cemetery, he was laid in the
grave without more ado, and. the hour
being late, very little earth was thrown
over him.
When the grave digger went early
next morning to the cemetery to com
pletc his work he heard sound as of
groaning and struggling in Tichonoff s
grave. Instead of forthw with releasing
tie poor wretch, the man ran to the
priest to ask leave to disinter him. This
request the priest refused, OH the ground
that he dare not touch a body once
buried without the permission of the
police. On this the sexton informed
Tichonoff S wife of what had come to
pass, and they went together to the
chief of the local police. This gentle,
man said it was quite out of his power
to give the required authorization, and
referred them to the archimandrite, and
the archimandrite, protesting to be
equally powerless, referred them to the
procurator In the end the agonized
wife procured sthe authorization, with
out which nobody would act, and re-
turned to the cemetery. But it was too
late five hours had elapsed since the
grave digger first heard the groans,
and Tichonoff was now dead beyond |
the possibility of doubt.
The poor fellow succumbed only
after mortal struggle He had turn
ed quite round in bis coffin, and in his
despair bitten his fingers, torn his flesh,
and rent his clothing, "I'his fatality
says the ViedoneosH, sis due to no
other cause than the senseless formali-
ties which prevail in every branch of
Russian administration. Nine. Itch
onoff is suing the priest who refused to
letthe grave diggeTdisinter her husband
for damages, on the ground that he
caused the latter's death by too slavish-
ly obeying the letter of his instructions