West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1885-12-18
STRANGE EXPERIENCE.
4 College Professors story OF snoring
CsdaVcr and the Explanation OF the Phe-
nomcnon,


s College Professors story OF "a snoring
CadaVcr and the Explanation of the Phe-
nomcnon.
"l have been for tho past fifteen
| years engaged at my present business,
| and rHed not tell YOU IL is not one of
tho most pleasant occupations in the
world. have had some terrible OK
perieuces during that time, and II |
were 10 relate some of them TO YOU you
would not think them credible
spend moU of the day and night with
these dead bodies, and now that have
! grown accustomed TO il do not mind
it so much The speaker was Prof.
James Walsh, Superintendent of tho
dissecting room in the New York Uni
versity Medical College, and the above
answer was given in reply to the re-
porter's query. The professor con-
! tinued:
" III YOU wish TO hear an experience
| | had, let me see about fifteen years
! ago, / have no objection TO telling YOU,
! but Just follow me up and | will show
| You the very spot where il occurred,
and perhaps il will help to refresh my
memory somewhat"
The reporter followed the professor
up n long winding iron stairway until
he came To door which was locked
! The professor took from his pocket a
key, and. having applied it to the lock,
! the'door suddenly ilew open and dis
| closed n long, wide room, i'm which lay
upward of two hundred "cadaversh
| placed upon marble slaps. The stencil
that came from this room was of the
most indescribable character and the
reporter instinctivcly drew back 60
catch his breath.
This is the dissecting room, added
the Professor, land IL gives YOU some
idea of tho character of my work II
is here | spend my day and night, and
! YOU will ut once admit it is not very
pleasant way to spend ones existence.
1t Is over there, Just at that slab to-
ward the left, that the experience oc-
CURED which | will now relate
j 81 was then new man, and did not
feel quite at home rs much as now.
and though il is well-nigh fifteen years
since il happened il was so forcibly
impressed upon my mind ut that time
that | shall never forget it, The stu
dents had all gone and / was alone i'm
the dissecting room. The hour was
about twelve o'clock, and / had re-
mained to fix up the cadavers for the
morrow. The associations connected
with the place at such an hour are
enough TO fill the mind of u less nerv-
Gus person with apprehension About
two hundred dead bodies lay on the
slabs all around, and at that time a
screen hung from the top of each slab
TO the ground, so as to conceal the
debris during the day. Not sound
broke the stiffness OF the dissecting
room, not ripple ran through this
big building, when all at once. as ]
stood near that slab, | heard loud
snoring sound proceed from cadavcr.
81 could feel the thrObbng of my
heart, and / stood rooted to the
ground. ] could not move if / tried,
and the muscles Of my feet seemed TO
give way under me. Tho cadaver
raised himself on his back and looked
and grinned ct me i'm Il most agonizing
manner. A cold sweat ran all over
my frame. ] seemed to be lifted of
the ground, and in another moment
j was thrown PROSTATE on the floor. /
never believed much i'm ghosts, Iut at
that time could not explain this ex.
traordinary phenomenon.
g lay in that position ] know no.
how long. But any way when / re.
covered consciousness il was morning
and the light was streaming i'm through
those windows. With the return OF
day j plucked fresh courage and went
up 20 ascertain the cause of my scare
Of the previous night The cadaver
lay IN the very same position in which
1t had been placed by me, and ! put
my hand Oh the face. and found the
GOODNESS Il death there. ] raised up
the cloth that covered the lower part
Of the slab, and there found the cause
OF my feeling Of the previous night. A
student lay on his back ON the floor IN
profound slumber. sleeping off the
effects Of the nights dcbauch This
at once explained the whole secret
away. and the nervous prostration
experienced was wholly due 10 my an
dent Imagination / got over all that
however, and now I investigate the
cause Of any unusual noise since that
| night. Or course, YOU can readily un.
derstand the nervous perturbation wa,
wholly induced by the strange nois,
that was produced in that place
such an unreasonable hour. and that
explains away my feelings with REGARD
70 the erect position the cadaver wac
supposed 30 assume Such an extra
ordinary occurrence might result
fatally IN many eases for the nervous
ystem in one who * firm believer in
supernatural visiiations would receive
a shock from which IL would never, in
ail probability. rally and ] have
known many people who were rem
dercd insane by just such an occur.
renee. 10 was lesson 10 me, how
ever. that ! will not readily forget So
much for my first experience in dis
| socting-rOOm m y Hey0id
RANDOLPH'S SARCASM.
How lie siIenced a Young Man who Tried