The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1885-11-11
BACK FROM TINE DEAD.
The Supposed Death and Resuscita-
ton of Joseph Dyer.
The story as Told by the Young
Mans Promised Bride.

Mr.. Marston, keeper of the Home for Aged
Men, yesterday reported wonderful story
which he learned from a sister of Miss
Blanche Edwards who is employed as do
mestic in the family of H. B. Brown, ESQ.
The story as told by Miss Edwards who is
engaged to young Joseph Dyer, the man who
is regularly buried after his supposed death
and then resurrected and brought back to
life by doctors is as follows:
Fourteen months ago, Dyer who was on
the way to visit Miss Edwards was thrown
from his carriage on Portland bridge, the
horse being frightened by drunken man,
and carried to the house of his father, JOS
eph Dyer in Cape Elizabeth. Here he lived
for six days, part of the time being in an
unconscious state. Miss Edwards was sent
for and went to see her unfortunate lover
She was present and recognized by him on
the sixth day after the accident, on when
day Dyer suddenly died to all appearances
This was on the third day of September,
1884. Three days later Dayer was buried IN
Evergreen Cemetery in due form, Miss Ed
wards being present and seeing the BODY In
the coffin. She went to the cemetery In one
Of the carriages, and has now bouquet OF
flowers which were in the young mans hand
at the funeral and were preserved. The
minister who officiated was the pastor of the
church attended by the Dyers, but Miss Ed
wards does not know his name or where the
church is over which he had charge. After
the funeral both Miss Edwards and the
mother of the supposed deceased assumed
deep mourning.
Some time after the funeral Mr.. Dyer with
his family removed to some place in Deering
or Westbrook. Here they were visited once
by Miss Edwards during the past summer.
She said that she took the Deering horse
cars to Morrill's Corner where she was met
and driven some two or three miles to the
new home of the Dyers. She is unable to
state just where this is, but said that they
drove through woods and made good many
turns before reaching the dwelling, brick
house standing alone in the midst of woods
After concluding her visit Miss Edwards was
brought back to town.
Two or three weeks ago, friends told Miss
Edwards that Mrs. Dyer had for some tire
time dreamed of her son, and believed that
he was coming back to her, This led her to
leave off her mourning, and about two
weeks ago Miss Edwards did the same. On
Saturdayyrnorning last, Mr.. John Wheeler of
Lewiston, called upon Miss Edwards, and
told her that young Dyer had come back and
would come to see her that day. When the
evening arrived, the message brought by Mr..
Wheeler proved true, for Dyer, in company
with his parents, called upon Miss Edwards.
AT first the young man did not seem to recog
nize the young lady, but as he looked at her
the truth gradually came to him, and upon
being asked if he knew the lady he inquired
if she HAD ring which he had given her,
and then remarked that she looked pale and
thin. 1t unnecessary to say that the meet
ing was a happy one, despite the shock it
gave Miss Edwards The story of the resus-
citation of Dyer was told Miss Edwards.
Among the doctors who attended the injured
man was DR.. Harmon of Albany, New York.
After the funeral DR.. Harmon had Dyer's
form constantly before his eyes, and he final
ly determined to recover the body to ascer-
tain if there was any foundation to the hope
which had formed in his mind that his pa
tient had been buried while in state of
syncope, instead of being dead as thought
by all who had seen him. He accordingly
opened the grave in company with DR..
Foster, also from New York, and upon ex-
animation found that the constant vision of
Young Dyer had not deceived him, and that
the young man was in reality in state of
suspended animation.
In the meantime, the dreams with which
Mrs. Dyer had been visited had so firmly
implanted in her belief in the return OF her
son, that late last Friday evening the grave
in Evergreen Cemetery was opened and the
coffin removed. 1t was carried to the Dyers'
house and there opened at midnight
Notwithstanding the dreams with which
she had been visited, Mrs. Dyer could not
believe then the coffin did not contain the
body of her son, but as the lid was removed
it disclosed to view the empty casket. The
body was gone At o'clock, an hour after
the casket was opened, Joseph Dyer, who
for fourteen months had been dead to his
family and the world, appeared before his pa
rents and resumed his place in the family.
Miss Edwards was sent for, to be present
Friday night when the coffin was opened
but did not go and therefore has no very ac-
curate knowledge Of the reception of Dyer
by his parents On Monday, however, Dyer,
in company with the two physicians to
whom he owes his life, again visited Miss
Edwards. He told the physicians to tell
Miss Edwards about him and they told her
their patient had been under treatment by
them for about seven months This leaves
seven months during which time the where
abouts of Dyer are not known to Miss Ed
wards. The couple have renewed the en-
gagement broken by Mr. Dyer's supposed
death. This completed Miss Edwards
story, her knowledge Of many of the facts
being necessarily limited as she says she has
seen Dyer but twice.
The books of Evergreen Cemetery contain
no entry of the burial of Joseph Dyer and
Portland undertakers have no record Of any
such funeral The law requires that return
be made to the city clerk of the burials in
Evergreen Cemetery, but no such return has
been filed in this case. The alleged opening
of the grave and the remova of the body by
the doctors has never been suspected by the
officials at the cemetery, and they and people
living in the vicinity are ignorant of the
alleged opening of the grave for second
time upon the night of Friday last. Mean
while, Dyer is said to be attending to his
farm duties apparently undisturbed by his
burial and resurrection, although he is
reticent in regard to the events which fol-
lowed his awaking after the.funeral