Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1885-04-10

1 q. ~ ~ "a e
4 Annouucing Hh Own Funeral and Theu
Hiding Himself In sa oven. ,
CNewburxh IN 70 Cor. n. r. Tffbunal
John 8. t3ammons, the eccentric old farm.
er who on Thanksgiving Day hsd.a para
iytc Mt and, falling upon his red-hot stove,
was found alone insensibie with hfs faca
and head burned to crisp, and who nov
Hes In critical condition, is known aIl ovez
The county. He lives In the town OF Craw-
ford. Years ago he provided himself with
complete burial outHt he also pur-
chased collins for the burial of his dogs and
cats, his only companions. He bought his
own cofin and set the day for his own
funeral. His arrangements were completes
TOR the burial service. Even the
shroud was arranged and the Under.
taker engaged to oficiats at the cers-
mony. He also bought o dozen pairs
OF black gloves for the pail bearers, and II
Is said q clergyman was engaged. The en-
tire population OF the surrounding country
became excited over the event, and when
the time arrived for heEceremony piovs
were stopped, farmers donned their Sunday
clothes and housewives let their chu,ns
| stand still in order to attend t. Hundred.
eongregatsd at the old mans house. and
hardly . faru-house within fifteen mfles
was unrepresentsd A great many believed
In the yagaries Of the old man, and at
tended, not with the hope of seeing him
dead and laid out in the coffin attire that
he had provided for himself, but with de-
sire, II he really was dead, to pay him q
tribute of respect. Others made fun of him
and said he was lunatic. Some four hun-
fod f0~
roads were lined with wagons bound for
his little old farm house, and every tree,
hitching-post and fencc-bar was utilized
for the horses. - 9vzG -
The crowd soon grew entirely too large
30 be accommodated within the walls Of
the two-story house, and as the visitors
roaIned about the place It was discovered
that even stone tomb had been built
among the rocks by the hands of the old
farmer. He had prepared the tomb both
Tor himself and for his dogs and cats. AS
his friends and naighbors entered the house
they naturally looked for the coffin. They
found the coffin and tie pall-bearers wear
Ing the black gloves he had furn shed, but
the corpse was missing. Everybody was
mystified, and q search was made. Every
nook and corner In the old farm house
from cellar to garret was ransacked. No
one had seen him leave the place, and all
were sure that 1t had been impossible to
spirit away his body either dead or alive.
AT last the dingy old kitchen was over
hauled. Closets were thrown open, boxes
uncovered, and drawers pulled out, but no
trace Of the missing man could be found
Look in the oven," suggested an old
lady who had taken an interest in the
search ;" may be he might have crawled in
there.D aas ll, cess F hsiH
The door of the huge oven soon swung
open, and the eccentric old farmer was dis
covered in his hiding place. 1t was the last
place in the house to look for q person.
either dead or alive, and but for the FORE
thought OF the old lady would probably
have been passed by. The old man wes
pulled out by his heels and found to be In
good health. Then the four hundred
friends and neighbors silently rsturned to
their plows and churns, vowfng 20 let John
Sammons bury himself when he did die.
But this feeling has since died out, and
uow the news OF the serious accident to
thaoId man has been received with mach
regret among all his scquaintances.