Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1884-07-16
BURIED ALIVE.


we can imagine none more ghastly than
that of being buried alive, and well au-
thcnticatcd records have placed beyond
n doubt that il has occasionally hap
pcncd. The case of the lady whose
ring, cut from her finger by midnight
violators of her tomb, was the means of
saving her from dreadful fate, ha'
been often told. Her son, the eminent
DIR. l., born many years after his
mother had been buried was the ply
stefan and friend of the family of the
writer, one of whose earliest recOllec-
tions is the hearing the story from the
lips of an aged relative, while forming
one of group of small listeners gath
cred round and hanging with bated
breath ON the narration. Children love
To have the same stories told over and
over again in the same words. They
like 10 know what is coming 90 TO watch
with thrills of expectation for each de-
tail. And these details, graphically
given by one who had them from the
very actors in the scene, were weird
and vivid. The vault at midnight the
cutting of of the finger the CHASTITY
terror of the rullians, when the dead
began to ilow--the familiar knock com
ing to the house-door in the dead OF
night, heard 10y terrified maids, who,
thinking their mistres-'s ghost was
there, buried their faces, trembling, in
their pillows. The bcreavcd husband
lying slecpless in his grief, heard it,
too, and started ut the sound AT my
dear wife were not gone, he thought,
81 should say that was her knock" and
when, more fIintly, ii again smote his
ear, rising mt last and going To the door,
he was confronted with the resuscitatcd
woman. All this was listened to with
an interest intensified by the fact of its
being true.
A curious coincidence respecting this
event is that an exactly similar story is
recorded i'm The annals OF the family of
the Farls of Mount Edgcumbe. In them
we read that the mother of Richard
EdGcumhc, created first Baron in l7i2,
being al the time young aud childlcss,
died, apparently, at their seat, Cothele,
near Plymouth She wa buried with
valuable ring on her finger. and the
cutting this on by yiolators of the tomb,
as in the case of Mrs l., restored
her to consciousness. Five years after
wards she gave birth to II son.
In the year 1888 n remarkable in
stance OF burying alive occurred ut
Cambray, in France. Nj. Marbois, a
farmer residing ut Sissy, in that neigh
6orhood, had reared a large family.
and acquired by his industry and good
conduct wealth and consideration, 80
that he was chosen churchwardcn of his
parish, and appointed Deputy-Mayor.
lie had lived in harmony with his fam
lily until the subject of II marriage his
eldest son wished to contract became
the cause OF II quarrel, aud brought on
fierce disputes between him and his
children. Marbois was q man of violent
passions, opposition made him frantic;
and on one occasion, when the dis
pute ran higher than usual, he be-
came 80 infatuated that he rose up
and pronounced fearful malcdictiOn
upon his family. No sooner had tho
words pas ,cd his lips than his whole
frame suddenly collapsed his face grew
livid, his eyes liked h's limbs, stiilicncd,
and he fell to the ground. Medical aid
was called in; but all puIsation had
ceased. Soon the body became cold,
and his death was decidedly pronounced
the cause, u -toppage of the heart :
action produced by violent excitement.
This occurred on the 18th o. January;
and on the 10Th the interment took
place. There had been Il severe fro i.
and the extreme hardness of the ground
prevented the grave from being proper
ly dug. II was therefore left shallow,
with the intention OF deepening il when
the thaw should come. BY the 23d the
ground became sufficiently softcned,
and men were set to work to raise tho
body and finish the grave. On lifting
the coffin they fancied that they heard
n sigh, and on listening attcntivcly they
found the sounds OF life repeated.
Breaking open the coffin, and perceiv-
ing that faint actions of pulsation and
respiration were going on to a certain
extent the men hurried of with the
body to the house of the parish doctor.
by whose efforts Marbois was at last
restored to consciousness.
When the resiiscitatcd man was able
10 recall what had taken place, he be-
came overwhelmed with contrition, re-
garding the fate from which he so mar
rowly escaped as. the deserved punish
man of Sisov, whom he entreated to
mediate with his children, expressing
anxiety 10 make peace with them and
TO recall his malediction. The result
was.a return to mutual understanding
and the rc-cstablishment of harmony in
the household.
The distinguished physician Sir Hen
nv Marsh used to describe an event
which occurred at the beginning of his
medical career, many years before he
had reached the emincnce TO which he
afterwards attained. lie was called 10
by the family doctor-a country practi-
tiouerr-to attend upon Colonel H,
struck down suddenly by apopleXy.
The fit was severe one. All efforts
TO save the sick man proved unavail-
ing; he never rallied, and at the end of
a few days, to all appearances breathed
his last. On the morning of the funeral
| the two medical attendants deemed il
right, as last attention, to go and
take leave of the remains Of their pa
tent before the coffin was screwed
down. The family doctor, u jovial
/ florid parsonage on whom professional
cares sat lightly, had been a friend, and
oft-times boon-companion, OF the de-
ceased. A bottle OF port and glasses
/ stood on u table near the coffin.
"Ah, my poor fricnd!" he said, pour
ing out bumper and tossing IL of;
this was his fayorite drink. Rare
wine, too. lie knew what was good,
and never spared it. Many generous
glass we have had together. I'll drink
another to his memory, he cried; and
another and another followed, until
the wine rapidly gulped down, and al
30 unwontcd an hour, began to tell
upon the man, and make his eyes glis-
ten and bis speech grow thick
"Vhy should YOU not pledge me now
urtbo last timepn exclaimed the ex-
cited doctor, while he approached the
corpse, and, to sir Hcnry's incNpressi-