Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1884-08-07
Almost a Ghost Story.
New orleans Times-Democrat.

New Orleans Times-DemOcrat
81 don't believe ever told YOU nv ex-
perience in the dead-hOuse of the hospi-
tai after Sailor Johns death, >" said a well
known physician to a reporter. Il never
cared about saying anything regarding it.
for if have to confess it, for the first
time IN my life was little weak.
You know the dead-hOuse at Charity
Hospital and its interior? Well, had
had a case of aneurism that puzzled us
all, and being a young physician then, l
had a natural pride in my diagnosis,
which did not agree with that of the
other surgeons. So I determined that
when the patient died, as he was sure to
do, would hold an autopsy myself
Well, the poor fellow succumbed at last.
and, as I had been busy all day, could
not get back to the hospital until eleven
o'clock on the night of June 80. re-
member the date well. Illuminatingthe
inside room of the dead-hOuse, there
was but a ngle gas-burner alight. Rigid,
on one Of the dissecting tables was my
subject awaiting me.
needn't tell you that, after all of
my student life at the hospital. going out
there alone at that time of night p1O-
duced not the slightest impression upon
me. We were too used to such things to
notice them. In fact, so great was my
desire to prove my diagnosis correct as
against that of other physicians, I thought
only Of the case, and nothing else.
" 1t was anything but a pleasant night.
l may say that l cannot remember q
more disagreeable one. A clustering
nOrther was blowing and a heavy rain
falling. The wind moaned around the
caves Of the hospital as if hundreds of
sufferers We're IN agony, and the gurgle
of the water in the cutters leading to the
cistern was anything but musical Once
in awhile a flash of lightning threw out
in relief the bodies lying on other tables
awaiting burial. Certainly it was night
of nights for visit to a dead house.
"Wen, took off my oil-cloth coat,
opened my dissecting case, and started
to work. The wind stole in through
crevices and fiared the gas so that I was
delayed in my investigation considerably.
But after an hours labor I approached
the solution of the problem over which
1 had so long studied. So full of anxiety
was I my hand trembled, and seeing this
IstOpped, filed my pipe and began smOk-
ing to conquer my eagerness.
"The face of the dead man was ashen
IN its paleness, and his flesh was as cold
as marble. Looking back ut the picture
now, DON'T think ever saw a more
spectral corpse than that. The eyes were
open, and in the agony of death the
that in the rigOr morris he had a sardonic
grin that was horrible in its leer.
"The patter of the rain on the roof was
incessant, but It sounded pleasant, for it
seemed company to one. Still it did not
drown all other sounds, for now and
again above the storm there came from
the female ward a vail of anguish from
q poor sufferer in delirium.
sit took but q few minutes smoking to
recover my steadiness of hand and ] re-
sumed work.
while bending over the body, and
just at moment when the greatest deli
cacy Of operation was required, a curious
noise from one corner of the dead-house
startled me. 1t was not like a footstep,
but was somewhat like a shutting of
feet.
'Instinctively looked in that direc-
ton, and noticed for the first time four
five skulls on the floor IN a partial state
of preparation. The younger students
had been at work preparing them for