Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-11-19
A GHOST.
A Night In a Dfsseeting .Room-A
Mysterious Snore from a Body-A
Strange Experience


A Night I'm a Disseetsng .Room-A
Mysterious Snore from a Dody-A
Strange Experience.
New York Herald
81 have had some terrible expert
ences, and if were to relate some of
them credible. | spend most of the
day and night with these dead bodies,
and now that have grown so accus-
toned TO it do not mind it so much. !"
The speaker was Prof. James Walsh,
superin tendent of the dlssecting room
IN the New York University Medical
College. The professor continued:
IF you wish to hear an experience
| had, let me see, about Is years ago,
| have 10 objection to telling you, bat
just follow me up and will show you
the very spot where it occurred"
The reporter followed the professor
up long winding iron stairway until
he came to a door which was locked.
The professor took from his pocket a
key, and having applied it to the lock,
the door suddenly flew open and dis
closed long, wide room, in which
lay upward Of 2c0 ''cadavers" placed
upon marble slabs.
This is the dissecting ROOM" added
the professor. ut is here l spend nv
day and night, and you will at once
admit 1t is not very pleasant way to
spend ones existence. 1t is over there
just at that slab toward the left that
the experience occurred which I will
now relate.
ALONE WITH THE DEAD.
II was then new man. and I did
not feel quite at home as much as
now, and though it is well nigh fifteen
years since it happened it was SO
forcloly impressed upon my mind at
that time that I shall never forget it.
The students had all gone and I was
alone III the dissecting room. The
hour was II o'clock and remained to
Tx up the cadavers for the morrow.
About 200 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 a sound broke
the stiffness of the dlssecting room,
when all at once, as stood near that
slab. | heard loud snoring sound
proceed from cadaver.
Il could feel the throbbing of nv
heart, and I stood rooted to the
ground. could not move if tried.
ana the muscles Of my feet seemed to
give way under me. The cadaver
raised himself up on his back and
looked and grinned at me in a most
agOnxng manner. A cold sweat ran
all over my frame. / seemed to be
lifted OFT the ground, and in another
moment was thrown PROSTATE on the
floor. l never believed much in
ghosts, but at that time I could not
explain this extraordinary pheunom-
enOn.
THE MYSTERY SOLVED.
II lay IN that position I know not
now long, but anyway when recov-
cred consciousness it was morning and
the light was streaming in through
those windows. With the return of
day 1 plucked up fresh courage and
went up to ascertain the cause of my
scare of the previous night. The
cadaver lay in the very same position
in which it had been placed by me and
[ put my hand on the face and found
the GOODNESS of death there. L raised
up the cloth that covered the lower
part of the slab and there found the
cause of my feeling of the previous
night.
ga student lay on his back on
tae Hoor IN a profound slum~
Der sleeping off the effects of a nights
debauch. This at once explained the
whole secret away, and the nervous
prostration [ experienced was wholly
due to my ardent Imagination. OF
course, you can readily understand
the nervous perturbation was wholly
induced by the strange noise that was
produced at that place at such an I'M
seasonable hour, and that explains
away my feeling with regard to the
erect position the cadaver was suppos-
ed to assume. Such was the extraor>
binary occurrence that might re-
suit fatally in many cases, for
the nervous system in one
who is firm believer in
supernatural visitations would receive
a shock from which it would never, in
all probability, rally, and I have
known people who were rendered
hopelessly Insane by just such an oc-
currence"