Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1884-07-17

MEXICO, MISSOURI, THURSDAY, JULY IL 1884

JULY IL, 1854.
rise Nithin me. Whispered to N.Y.
self bow much I would have rallied at
any brother physician should he have
told me Of experiencing the slightest
feeling Of nervousness under similar
circumstances. Even the students
would have retailed the affair as an
indication of my effeminacy had they
known it. Surely there were me-
.ahanical causes to produce these re-
suit / knew that the unsubstan-
tial could not give motion to the SUBJ
stantial. My Natural Philosophy
told me that there must be force at
work to impel that grim fragment Of
q human frame toward me. Yet
what force was it
II determined not to leave my
seat to attempt q close inspection,
fearing to be rewarded by the laugh
ter Of those who were endeavoring to
astonish me.
The dreary monotone of the rain
and the unearthly sobblng Of the
wind turned my reflections to q
more somber color, and some things
came back to me had read in Rob-
ert Owens Footprints ON the Boun-
daries Of Another World'-curious
things, authenticated by affidavits
and all the solemnity of oaths Of re-
markable revisitants from the grave
While dwelling on these subjects I
realized the many conversations l
had had with my patient, now dead
and buried some three weeks, Sailor
John, and his persistent reservations
of the possibilities of the intellectual
spirit returning to this world of the
! flesh.
'sThere! the skull moved again.
On it came, still sliding along in o
direct line toward me.
"Do what would / could not
shake off feeling Of uneasiness and
disquiet. did not like the situation
that about expi esses it.
"sE E-e-e-e eke,' grated the
skulls bony points on the floor, the
sound tingling my nerves as when
one scratches the finger nail on brick
or rough surface.
"My pulse grew more frequent.
I experienced a peculiar sensation
down my back and cold prespira-
ton dampened my forehead.
"Around me the corpses lay; the
gas-light making them saffron vel
low.
81 could stand this strain no long
er. 1t was unbearable. I was be-
coming the victim of a weakness for
which I would have reprimanded a
child. felt pale, if that Is possible,
for it seemed as if all my blood had
rushed to my heart.
\ "With bound sprung toward
the skull, and STOPPING, grasped it
with my two hands. / lifted il
from the floor.
"Out jumped large rat and ran
scampering away. could not de-
scribe my feelings when I saw the
cause of my discontinue. At first
laughed, and then became angry
with myself for, even for moment
allowing such an incident to disturb
my equilibrium.
| Examining the skull I saw how
it had occurred. The rat had entered
the cavity in which the brain had
been through the Joransen saadgnum
or aperture through which the nerve
matter of the spinal column commu'
4 nicates with the brain. The skull
turned over, imprisoning the body
/ of the creature, and permitted the
use of his feet only through this
foramen. He could move the skull,
but while it was on the floor he couli
not get his body out.
"Pasted across the whitened brow
was a piece Of paper and on it
students name-'Hehry j. Stubbs
l-and below: Skull of Sailor John,
a king of one Of the Polynesian is
lands; died May u, '69. Chart.
hospital
SIN an instant I remembered th'
day of the month. 1t was June 80
the night of Johns birthday. Hi
!, promise came back to me. He SAT-
he would make himself known to m
on that night
81 regretted the Intervention OF tn
!. rat. Had that animal never bee
discovered by me there would hav
: been an excellent foundation for
= ghost story, on which I could has
made my affidavitand thus swelle
!. the number of authenticated cases {
: remarkable spiritual manifestations
; But the rat spoiled it all.
"Even with the full explanation
the skulls movements the nel
= vous feeling did not pass of Il
some time, and even now when Jur
: 80 comes around 1 think of Sailt
John and his promise, which. hoy
ever, he has never fulfilled.
'e Hints for Hot Weather.
In A. L1~,nkso nack