The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1885-12-29

signaling instrument, shs seemed to have
thrown herself down in the abandon of IA
tigue and thus 80 have fallen a-Lep. Many
a paliid face has rested quietly in these
GTuesome surroundings, deaf ID the whisp-
cred words of love AMI agony spoken above
il; but the hall had never rooted q figure
more beautiful--fral and emaciated as IL
was-than the one before ma. The delicate
form lay there as peacefully and quietly
as if at any moment it might rise
and tear itself free from the pillows of satin
aud lace heaped ike snow about it. 1t
seemed impossible that the signal could
have sounded from this still and silent
frame lying upon its strange couch, lifeles,
frozen, q lovely waxan image, buried beneath
exquisite h)wars, but without sign of life
to account for the turned signal. It gave
some coIorinS - tae curious bele1 in the
Intervention Of the devil expressed by the
frightened attendants. As a physician
whose wOr,. keeps him always in contact
with the grim realities CT grief and pain,
not to speak Of things which must be classed
with the distinctly iaexpiicable, l readily
understood the terror with which the super
stitious German nature regarded this night
alarm-an alarm made doubly hideous by
the knowledge that it came from O tene-
ment once-and apparently still-deserted
by its sou.
lie
Personally do not believe in the estab-
lishment of these rooms in Gottsakers," CON-
.tinued the doctor. "The revival of life &C.
ours TOO seldom t. justify the offense against
deiicacy OF feeling brought about by this
exposing Of thu deai and exhibition of pri-
yato griefs. To realize tae full Tepulsive-
ness Of the practice, fancy e dearly-loved
member OF your owa family resting in these
hauDts Of sorrow, guarded by hireling
whose tenderness and care are measured by
the length uf your purse and their own
unreasouing tarrors.
"Witaout cradItlng the existing of any
thing uaCanuy in the matter Il believe that
there is q cause for rything), hal be-
gun to be considerably puzzled myself.
Lifting the shrunkeu wrist [ sought for a
trace of pulsatjOn fantest would have
given me hope-but cold and white as
marble tho delicate hand lay in mine, q
spray of roses falling from the nerveless
fingers a subtle something dread,
half recogui5iJn-maIa me stoop moro
closely above the body. / felt that knew
it, and shrank from the shock of actual
recognition. Flushing aside the tresses Of
hair falling over the brow and coucealing
the features. / could not control a cry of
astOuishment when in the rigid form
before me I saw the young BaroDin Fries.
bach, girl when l had last seen her or
rather q newly maize matroa in all the rosy
happiness Of the first months of married
life. The shock wa0 the greater from
the fact that l mad heard nothing of her i'll
ness, OF of her, IS she had gone at once to
the Frie5bach estate, in TIE environs of Hell
deIberg Iredoublel my efforts; sought
in every possible way to discover 8 sign of
remaining or reviving life. 1t was in vain.
To all appearances stone dead, she slept
peacefully on, with ell the strange and I'M
accountable weight about the body which
comes when death has frozen the viens with
an icy chill. The moments passed rapidly
by, but without apparent change i'll the con
dition Of thing
" 'Hansel, I said, starnly, turning to the
man wEo was standing at my side, his teeth
still chattering from his parCEysm of fright
you have certainly made some mistake
The signal mu 8 have been turned by acci-
dent or ca"el3ssness.'
"Gott ia HimmeII 10. Herr Doctor, that
would DO impo 5ibge; nothing could touch
the instrument; see for yourself, pointing
to the ono at5ach51 to tle body, which, il
you have entered those rooms ct Colt
saker's, -ou know to b3 pre- cisely similar to
those in usc III the regular French morgues.
"The wor Is had scarcely left his lips be-
fore, with scream of widest terror, Han
sci droppol upon his knees, shuddaring
half-crazel, and with enc shaking finger
directing my attention TO the apparatus
above Us. Looking up l saw that the arm
of the instrument was moving slowly
tremulOusly, but uuquestionably moving I
watched it with almost the same amount of
wonderment that Hansel exhibited, while it
rose, trembled, and fell upon the gong, with
q stroke hardly stronger than the blow
OF an infant but, so delicately are
these signaling instruments arranged, in
stanly followed by tina warning rattle. It
was but the work OF On instant to follow
with my iager the course Of the wire which
attached tue instrument to the body. l
found that after leaving the battery this
wire passed dowa AMI around tae neck
Of the corpse, pressing closely like tight
necklace upon the carotid artery, naturally
the first place. from its connection with the
heart, where reyiviny life currents would bs
perceptible. The mystery was no longer
mystery. The warning signal had undolbt-
eddy been sounded by the tnrobbing artery.
Coming at long ami irregular intervals the
pulsation either failed to occur while | was
engaged III my efforts at resuscitation, or
through soma dj5arransemsut OF the body
itself, caused by those efforts hal failed to
be anuouucel.
"The Baronia Friesbach lived; the throb-
bing artery proved It. Muscular contraction
as any physician will tell you is entirely
possible IN the dead. Arterial movements
are totally different in character AMI are
susceptible OF but ono expianation-that
life is not dead, but sleeping.
"As this IS a record Of plain facts, with no
necessity for dramatic climax. as in fic-
ton, Formulated theories as to the cause of
such attacks would b5 useless Whatever
had teen the cause, the result was sem
blanca OF death that would deceive the
cl-so-t scrutiny. I am not the only physi-
clan who has been driven into a labyrinth
OF iajec.s.ol by such experience. Indeed,
We are not il sucI cases JUSTIFIED in using
anything in the shape Of remedial agents,
except such ,,cUys as act as promp5ers to
t,TaIt organs the sort of position occupied
by tEc msa under the baize at the opara
"Atte: ai-patcatng messenger for case
o. -ur-ical Instruments ani u powerful
gslyanlc battery I la1 tho Baronia Fries
bach lifted from her resting place among
thee grim companions, and, warm
wrapped in blankets placed IN the carriag,.
Sac wa still unconscious, but was evidently