Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1886-01-07

as Attempt TO dispute the Unborn
superstition OF the lower German
classes. 1 do not even attempt ~
disturb it. If they chose to believe
that souls walked and 'iuttered
airly back and forth between The
gloomy walls OF this their Temporary
prison. no words of mine could have
| effect.
Finding me determined to face the
worst, whatever it might be, the door
was reluctantly opened andI was adj.
mitted. The huge and simple apart.
ment was but dimly lighted by scat.
tered gas jets. Blown by the ftful
breeze coming through the open
windows, tho pickering light from the
burners wavcred in shifting light
and shadow across the pinehea
and ivid features, lending an
appearance of motion 20 the
drawn lips and sightless ewes. To
eunaccustomed TO the aspect of the
dead, tho heavy lbs did seem really
to STIR to struggle against the lethar.
~ lald upon them by the grimmest
Zoe OF mankind, have never known
the time when these looms, erected
Tor the lying in state of the dead be.
tore the burial, were not crowded TO
thedoors. At this time, perhaps, as
many as fifty bodies-men, women.
and children-were resting upon the
trestles. In the urgent hurry of our
errand it was impossible, so closely
ana the trestles stand, topass between
them, without striking against the
bodies themselves. The caskets stand
ing at the head OF all Of them, wait.
their consignment of CHASTITY freight,
did much to addto the hideousness of
the scene. Strong as | am, and accus.
toned to the daily round OF medical
work to sights of horror, Ifound my
sell now almost overcome.
AT last, IN the farthest corner of
the room, where the shadows clustered
thlckest, the attendant stopped beside
a trestle which supported the slen.
der Inquire OF n woman reclining in
a hait.sitting position upon q
crouch of natural flowers. in a life
like attitude-afancy ofthe profession.
al entrepreneur. Clasped in the ON
brace OF the signaling instrument, she
seemed TO have thrown herself down in
the abandon offatigue and thus to have
fallen asleep. Many n pallid face has
rested quietly in these gruesome u r
roundings ,deafto the whispered words
OF love and agony spoken above it;
but the hail had never rooted a figure
more beautiful-frail and emacisted
as it was-than the one before me
The delicate form lay there as peace
fully and quiet as fiat any moment it
might rise and tear free from the bill
lows OF satin and lace heaped like
snow about it. 1t seemed impossible
that the signal could have sounded
from this still and silent frame lying
upon it's strange couch, ~lifeless, frozen,
n lovely waNon image, buried beneath
exquisite flowers, but without q
sign of life to account for the
turned signal. 1t gave some coloring
to the curious belief in the inter-
vention OF the devil expressed
by the frightened attendants. As n
physician whose work brings him al
ways in contact with the grim reali-
ties OF grief and pain, not to speak Of
things which must be classed with the
distinctly inexplicable, Ireadily under.
stood theterror with which the super
stitious German nature regarded this
night alarm-an alarm made doubly
hideous by the knowledge that itcame
from a tenement once-and apparent
ly still-deserted by it's soul.
Personally / do not believe in the
establishment of these rooms in Gott-
sakers," continued the doctor. THE
revival OF life occurs too seldom to
justify the offense against delicacy of
feeling brought about by this exposing
Of thedead and exhibition of private
griefs. To realize the full rcpulsive.
ness OF the practice, fancy a member
OF your own family resting IL. .aose
haunts OF sorrow, guarded by hire
llngs whose tenderness and care are
measured by the length of your purse
and their own unreasoning terrors.
Without crediting the existence Of
anything uncanny in the matter Il be-
lieye that there is a cause for every
thing, / bad begun TO be considerably
puzzled myself. Lifting the shrunken
wrist | sought for q trace Of pulsation
the faintest would have given me q
hope-but cold and white as marble
the delicate hand lay IN mine, n spray
OF roses falling from the nerveless fin
gers. A subtle something-half dread,
nall recognition-made me stoop more
closely above the body. / felt that |
knew it, and shrank from the shock
of actual recognition. Pushing aside
the tresses OF hair falling over the
brow and concealing the features, |
could not control a cry of astonish.
ment when in the rigid form before me
/ saw the young Baronin Friesbach, a
girl when Ihad last seen her, or rather
a newly made matron in all the rosy
happiness OF the first months Of mar
ried life. The shock was the greater
from efact had heard nothing other
illness, or Of her, as she had gone at
once to the Friesbach estate, in the en-
virons of Heidelberg. redoubled my
efforts; | sought in every possible way
to discover q sign OF remaining or re-
viving life. IT was in vain. To all APP
pearances stsne dead, che slept peace
lully on, with all the strange and I'M
accountable weight about the body
which comes when death has frozen
the veins with an icy chill. The mo-
ments passed rapidly by, but without
apparent change In the condition OF
things.
'Hanserl, Isaid sternly, turning TO
the man who was standing at my side,
his teeth still chattering from his par
oxysm of fright, you have certainly
made some mistake, The signal must
have been turned by accident or care
lessness.'
'"Got in Himmell No, Herr Doctor,
that would be impossible; nothing
could touch the instrument; see for
yourself, pointingto the one attached
to the body, which, If you have en-
tered these rooms in Gottsaker's, you
know to be precisely similar to those
in use in the regular French morgues.
''The words had scarcely left his
lips, before with a scream OF widest
terror, Hansel dropped upon his knees,
shuddering, hali-crazed, with one
shaking finger directing my attention
TO the apparatus above us. Looking
up, / saw that the arm of the instru-
ment was moving slowly, tremulcusly,
but unquestionably moving. l
watched it with almost the same
amount Of wonderment that Hansel
exhibited. while it rose, trembled, and
fell upon the gong, with q stroke hard
ly stronger than the blow ofan infant,
but, so delicately are these signaling
Al