The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1886-02-17
IN \ DIsSECTING-ROOM.
4 Mysterious Snorr from Body-A
Strange Experience.

Strange Experience.
81 have been for the past fifteen years
engaged at my present business and /
need not tell YOU it is not one Of the
most pleasant occupations in the world.
| have had some terrible experiences
during that time. and if were to relate
some of them to you you would not think
them credible. spend most Of the day
and nirnt with these dead bodies, and
now that l have grown accustomed to 1t
do not mind it much The speaker
was Prof. James Walsh. superintendent
of the diSsccting-room in the New York
University Medical College. and the
answer was given in reply to the re-
portcr's query. The professor con-
tinucd:
If Won wish to hear an experience l
had. let me sec about fifteen years ago.
have no objection TO telling you, but
follow me up and I will show you the
very spot where it occurred, and perhaps
II will help to refresh my memory some
what"
The reporter followed the professor up
Il long winding stairway until he came
to door which was locked. The pro-
fcssor took from his pocket . key. and
having applied it to the lock, the door flew
open and disclosed a 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 mos. indescribable character,
and the reporter instinctively drew back
to catch his breath.
This IS the dissecting-room," added
Tie 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 a very pleas
ant way to spend ones existence. 1t is
over there. just at that slab toward the
left, that the experiences occurred which
l will now relate.
Il was then a new man, and did not
feel quite at home as much as now, and,
though it is well nigh fifteen years since
it happened, twas so forcibly impressed
upon nv mind at that time that shall
never forget it. The students had all
gone, and was alone in the dissecting-
room. The hour was about - o'clock
and l had remained to fix up the cada-
rers for the morrow. The associations
connected with this place at such an
! hour are enough to fill the mind of a less
, nervous person with apprehension.
About two hundred dead bodies lay on
the slabs all around, and at that time q
screen hung from the top OF each slab
to the ground so as to conceal the debris
during the day. Not 8 sound broke the
Stiffness of the dissccting-room, not a
ripple ran through the big building,
when all at once. rs l stood near the
slab, I heard load snoring sound pro-
coed from cadaver.
Il could feel the throbbing of my
heart. and stood rooted to the ground.
could not move if tried, and the
muscles of nv feet seemed to give way
under me. The cadaver raised himself
I'D on his back and looked and grinned
at me in most agonizing manner. A
cold sweat ran all over my frame. l
seemed to be lifted off the ground, and
in another moment l was thrown pros
trate on the floor. never believed
much in ghosts, but at that time could
not explain this extraordinary pheno-
mcnon.
Il lay in that position I 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 l
pluclcd up fresh courage and went up
to ascertain the cause of my scare OF the
previous night. The cadayer lay in the
very same position in which it had been
placed by me, and l put my hand on
the face and found the coldness of death
there. I raised up the cloth that COW
cred the lower part of the slab and there
found the cause of my feeling of the pre-
vious night. 4 student lay on his back
on the floor in 8 profound slumber,
sleeping OF the effects of the nights de-
bauch. This at once explained the
whole secret away, and the nervous
pros.ration | experienced was wholly
due to my ardent Imagination. got
over ali that, however, and now l inTes-
ticate 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 IL 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 the nervous
system in one who is q firm believer IN
supernatural visitatiors would receive a
shock from which it would never in all
probability rally, and l have known
many people who were rendered insane
by Just such an occurrence. 1t was a
lesson to ne. however, that will not
readily forget. So much Tor my first ex.
perience in a dissecting-room. ~. Z.
Hcrcl0
A Living Barometer.