The Portland daily press., 1885-01-14
Suspended Animation.
A Maine Soldier who Listened % His
Own Funeral Sermon.
IRambler in tbe Lewi.ton .Journall

rah Sampson of Bath, to whom Congress Is
asked TO give a pension, was the nursing
back TO life Of soldier boy who now is a
prominent business man in a Maine city,
we'll knoNn politically and socially through
out the State, and a favorite everywhere.
This gentleman has bad an experience
through which few men have passed. He
literally has attended his own funeral.
He told me the following remarkable sto-
ry upon the condition that l would with
hold his name:
"When the war broke out" said he, 'I
was puny boy of seventeen, one of the
sickly kind not worth their feed. / lived In
Watervile, and enlisted with the famous
WaterVille college company. I was so infe.
rior a fellow physically that they set out not
to take me, but l was bound to go and eleV-
en- others said they would go if / went and
would stay at home if did not 90. So
went to the'front with the third Maine reg-
ment of infantry and November, 1851,
found me in Camp Howard, Alexandria,
Virginia. The camp was named for Gen.
o. o. Howard, who commanded the regi-
ment.
You can judge of what kind of a young
ster was from the fact that at the first bat
tie of Bull Run, the first lieutenant of my
company loaded my gun for me.
Well, one day while we were In camp at
Alexandria, we were ordered out to Fairfax
Court House on short expedition, and
took cold. aggravated 1t by lying on the
damp ground after my return, and the next
thing was stricken with diphtherla. Some
OF my chums had me removed to the hospi-
tai tent and told the officers that l must
have all done for me that care and money
could do.
They we're very good to me, but / grew
worse. A great sac formed on my throat. 1t
grew so large that / could see 1t as | lay In
my cot, and it protruded from under my
chin. l became specchless and remained in
a sort of stupor. | could hear and was dim
ly cognzant of what was going on around
me. My face at last swelled so that could
not use my eyes and was practically blind.
The surgeons, DIR. Mcclure of Bangor and
DIR. Hildreth of Gardiner, told me l must
die. toek a ring off my finger and .old my
comrades 10 send it home to my mother. l
sent dying message to her, and awaited
death. was recoAciled and in my semi
conscious state quite comfortable. | suffered
no pain. My limbs grew cold and l sank
deeper into the stupor. l heard them say /
was dying had fingered along till 1t was
now in January, '62. DIR. Mcclure took
hold of my wrist one day, threw it down af-
ter trying to feel my pulse, and heard him
say. The boy is dead; his pulse has stopped
take him OUT
could not make sign or a noise, but l
had sense enough remaining to think Of my
jack-knife. thought they would wrap me
up i0 my blanket and ury me, and 1t popped
into my head that might dig my way cut
with my jack-krife, although how l was to
do it, not being able to move muscle,
can't tell you.
My friends gathered around me and
heard their expressions of grief. The time
was set for my funeral. The company was
drawn up and the chaplain, Rev. Mr.. Leon
ard, who preached in Bangor before and af-
ter the war, prayed and made brief remarks.
The ceremony was not enjoyed by me, but
my mind was so much dulled that / did not
fully realize the danger of my situation.
They took me Into the dead-house and laid
me down. Soon, the doctors came around
and took out their knives. l knew what t.
meant. They were going to dissect
tore was buried in order to find out some
thing about that enormous sac on my throat.
l had to silently face the prospect of being
carved alive.
Doctor, guess you had better operate
said Surgeon Hidreth to Surgeon Nc
Crure.
DIR. Mcclure bent over me, lancet in hand.
l made desperate effort to move, to speak,
to let them know by some sign that was
yet alive, but all my horror and despair
could not even make nerve twitch. DR..
Mcclure thrust his lancet into the sac at my
throat. A stream of foul matter rushed out.
The skin on my face relaxed, and as he bent
over me, he saw my eyes open and saw me
wink. The thought that was alive thrilled
him to the marrow. saw his face grow
pale and heard him confer with the other
doctor. They carried me back to the hospi-
tai tent. met DIR. Mcclure many times
afterwards, and he told me that he never IL
his life received such start as he did when
my eyes opened that time.
Mrs. Sampson was the wife of the Lieut..
Col. of our regiment. She took kind inter
est in me, and her nursing saved my life,
She watched over me and fused with me
like mother. l was only one Of her
charges. The other invalds, as well as |,
received her attention, and tell you she
seemed like an angel to all OF us.
was long time rallying. Weeks passed
before could speak. They took me out on
the field to see brigade drill one day. The
movements excited me so that felt some
thing give way in my throat, and yelled.
1t startled those about me. 1t seemed like q
voice from the tombs, they said. could
make one sound, and kept that a-going till
it made the others in the hospital almost
crazy-I was so tickled to think l could
speak, you see. ! had to begin anew aad
learn to talk over again. was weak for
year, but made complete recovery. II did
me good. have been more robust aud
healthier every Way / have not had anV
kiud of humor since. l have outllved
nearly all the boys who were my chums and
took such good care of me. Major Small Of
Oakland and Mrs. Sampson are about the
only survivors of the participants in THE
scenes have tried to describe ts you. DR..
Mcclure, DR.. Hildreth and Rev. Mr.. Leon
ard are dead. Every time Mr.. Leonard saw
me, between the close of the war and his
death, the tears came to bis eyes, and be
spoke of having preached my funeral ser
mon. Mrs. Sampson wrote me lettor just
after was married, and told me TO tell my
vile that sbe wouldn't have had me, but for
her. 1 guess that's So"