The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1886-02-17
IN A DISSECTING-ROOM.
Mysterious Sn0ro from q BOD "A
Stran." Experience.

Strange Experience.
81 have been for the past fifteen years
engaged ut my present business and
need not tell YOU it. is not one of tho
most pleasant occupations in tho world
l have had some terrible experiences
during that time. and if were 70 relate
some of them to you You would not think
them credible. spend most of the day
and night with these dead bodies, and
now that have grown accustomed to it
do not mind it much" The speaker
was Prof. James Walsh. superintendent
of the disSccting-room in the New York
University Medical College, and tho
answer was given i'll reply TO the re-
pQrtcr'S query. The professor con-
tinted:
"lf you wish to hear an experience
had, let me soc, about fifteen years ago,
have no objection to telling you, but
follow me up and will show you the
very spot where it occurred, and perhaps
1t VIII help TO refresh my memory some
what"
The reporter followed the professor up
long winding stairway until he came
TO u door which was locked. The pro-
fcSSor took from his pocket Il KEY. and
having applied tito the lock the door flew
open and disclosed long, wide room,
in which lay upward of two hundred
"cadavcrs" placed upon marble slabs.
The stencil that came from this room
was Of the most indcScribablc character,
and the reporter instinctively drew back
to catch his breath
This is the disSccting-room," added
inc professor, land it gives you some
idea OF the character of my work 1t is
here | spend my day and night, and you
Will ut once admit it is not n very pleas
ant way TO spend ones existence. 1t is
over there, just at that slab toward the
Lett, that the experiences occurred which
will now relate.
81 was then Il now man, and did not
feel quite at home us much as now, and,
though it is well nigh fifteen years since
ii happened, twas so forcibly impressed
upon my mind at that time that shall
never forget it. The students had all
gone, and | was alone in the dissccting-
room. Th" hour was about II o'clock
AMI had remained TO fix up the cada-
vcrS for The morrow. The associations
connected with this place at such an
hour are enough to fill the mind of a less
ncr,oUS person with apprehension.
About ;wo hundred dead bodies Law on
the slabs MI 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 dissccting-room. not n
ripple ran through tho big building.
when all at once. as stood near tho
slab, | heard Il loud snoring sound pro-
cccd from n cadavcr.
81 could feel the throbbing of nv
heart, and stood rooted to the ground.
| could not move if | tried, and the
muscles of my feet seemed to give way
under me. The cadavcr raised himself
up on his back and looked and grinncd
at me in most agoniZing manner A
cold sweat ran all over my frame.
seemed to be lifted off the ground, and
in another moment was thrown pros
tratc on the floor. never believed
much in ghosts, but at that time could
not explain this extraordinary pheno-
mcnOn.
Il lay in that position know not
how long, but anyway when | recovered
CONSCIOUSNESS it was morning, and the
light was streaming in through those
windows. With the return of day I
pluckcd up fresh courage and went up
to ascertain the cause of my scare of the
l'i''h''H night. i nc c;V;tNcT IaN IN the
very same position in which it had been
placed by m", and put my hand on
the face and found the coldncss of death
there. raised up the cloth that COW
cred the lower part OF the slab and there
found the cause of my feeling of the pre-
vionS night. \ student lay on his back
on the iloor in profound slumbcr,
sleeping OF the Ci!rctS of the nights de-
bauch. ih!s at once explained the
whole secret away, and the nervous
proS'ration | experienced was wholly
due to my ardent Imagination. | GOT
over alt that, however, and now invcs-
tigatc the cause of any unusual noise
since that night. OF course you can
readily understand the nervous pertur-
baton was wholly induced by tn
strange noise that was produced in that
place at such an unreasonable hour,
and that explains away my feelings with
regard to the erect position the cavader
was supposed to assume Such an ex-
traordinary occurrence might result
fatally in many cases, for tho nervous
system in one who is n firm believer in
supernatural visitations would receive
shock from which it would never in all
probability rally, and | have known
many people who were rendered insane
by just such in occurrence. 1t was q
lesson to me, however, that will not
readily forget. So much for my first cx-
pcricncc III n dissccting-room."--M Y.
HcrGl0.