Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-02-18
SAVED FROM DISSECTION.
ahe Hears the FuneraI service Held
over HGIa Apparently dead Body
Sawed hv a WkmHx.

gress IS asked TO give 4 pension, was the
nursing back to life Of asoldier boy,
VINO now Is q prominent business man in
Maine city, aman web known politically
and socially throughoHt the State. and
tavorite everywhere. This gentleman
has had an experience through which
lew men have passed. He literally has
attended has own funeral. He told me
the following remarkable story upon the
condition that ! would withhold his
name:
When the war broke ont, !" said he,
u was puny boy Of seventeen years,
one. Of tae sickly kind not worth their
feed. lived in Waterville, and enlisted
with the famous Watcrville college COM
pany. l was so inferior a fellow physi-
cally that they. set out not to take me,
but was bound TO ga. and eleven others
said they would 90 i'll went and would
stay at home If did not 90. So went
TO the front with the third Maine regi-
ment of infantry, and November, 1861,
found me in Camp Howard, Alexandria,
Va. The camp was nsmed for General
Q. o. Howard, who commanded the
regiment
''You can judge of what kind of a
youngster was from the fact that at the
:iTst battle OF Bull Run the first lieuten-
ant of my company loaded my gun for
me.
We'll, one day while we were in camp
ct Alexandria we were ordered out to
Fairfax court house on short expedi-
ton and took cold. aggravated it
by lying on the damp ground after my
return, and the next thing was stricken
with diphtheria. Some OF my chums
had me removed to the hospital tent and
told the officers that must have all
done for me that care and money could
do.
They were very good to- me, but l
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. | became speech
less, and remained in sort CT stupor. I
could hear and was dimly cognizant Of
what was going on around ms Ny 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
must die. i took n ring off my finger
and told my comrades to send it home
to my mother. / sent q dying message
to her, and awaited death. / was recon
ciled, and in my semi unconscious state,
quite comfortable. l suffered no pain.
My limbs grew cold and sunk deeper
into the stupor. / heard thera say l was
dying had fingered along until it was
new in January, 1852 Dr.. Mcclure
took hold of my wrist one day, threw it
down after trying to feel my pulse, and
heard him say: The boy is dead; his
pulse has stopped. Take hinI out
81 could not make sign or q noise.
but l bad sense enough remaining to
think of my jack-knif thought they
would wrap me up in my blanket and
bury me, and it popped into my head
that might dig my way out with my
jack knife, although how was to do it,
not being able TO move o muscle, can't
tell you.
'sMy friends gathered around me and
heard their expressions of grief. The
time was set for my funeral The com
pany was drawn up ana the chaplain. the
Rev. Mr.. Leonard, whe preached in Ban
gor, before and after the war, prayed and
made brief remarks The ceremony was
NOb CAIOyCu Wv tnCs OuA my i2tuA Was 80
much dulled that did not fully realize
the danger of my situation.
'sThey took ME into the dead house
and laid me down. Soon the doctors
came around and took ont their knives.
I knew what that meant They were
going to dissect me before was buried
ia order TO find out something about that
enormous sac on my throat. had to
silently face the prospect Of being carved
alive
g Doctor, guess you had better
operate, said Surgeon hiidreth to Sur
geon Mcclure
'sDr. Mcclure bent oser me, lancet in
hand. / made 3 desperate effort to
move, to speak, to let them know by.
some sign that was yst alive, but all
my horror and despair. could not even
make q nerve twitch. Dr.. Mcclure
thrust his lancet into fthe sac at my
throat! A stream Of foul matter rushed
ont. The skin on my lace relaxed, and
as he bent over me he saw my eyes open
aud saw me wink. Tbs thought that
was alive thrilled me &c the laarrow. /
saw mis- face grow palef and heard him
confer with the other doctor. They car
ried ME back to the hospital tent. Imet
DR.. Mcclure many times afterfards, and
he told me that he neves in hiss life re-
ceived such start rs h9 did when my
eyes opened that time
Mrs. Sampson was The wife of the
liautentant colonel of our regiment. She
toon ! kind interest il me, and her
nursing saved my lifes She watched