St. Paul daily globe., 1888-08-19
HEARD A DEAD MAN GRoAN,
Startling Experience of a Nurse in
Cholera Hospital.


HEARD A DEAD MAN GROAN.
Startling Experience of a Nurse in
Cholera Hospital.
New York Press.
1t has so long been accepted that jack
of all trades is master of none that /
would feel some hesitancy in denying
the old saw were not capable of prov
ing its fallacy by living proof. Alfred
S. Mutt, whom [ met Oh Broadway yes
terday, has lived to defy this law. and
he is not yet thirty-five years of age.
He is at once Skillful nurse. good
actor, a capable carpenter and clever
! enough as ShakeSpearean scholar to
be able to recite twelve of the bard S
plays, line-perfect, from memory. AS
nurse and are-taker of the insane he
has very few superiors, and there are
not many men who have had tenth
part OF his dangerous and thrilling eX-
perienceS. AS all actor he has as
tonished the veterans of the foot
lights by his pose, grace and delivery
AS carpenter his hand is cunning
enough to yield him living should he
at any time be forced to take up that
trade. AS a memOriZer very few men
can compare with him.
Mutt has had rather varied and in
tereStlng career for a man of his age.
He was the faithful nurse and attendant
of the late John Mccullough, and
was constantly with the Iamented
actor for two years prior to his
melancholy death. Before that he had
taken all intense interest in studying
the various forms of insanity, and had
secured engagements in cases of violent
mic cn hot hn al 1l>
serve the different phases of the NAL
ady. The most dangerous part of his
experience, however, was as one of the
staff of trained nurses, headed
by Florence. Nightingale, in the
cholera districts of Spain and
Portugal. People were diving
off like flies in frost. In and about
MisSal, town not far from Oporto, the
population had become panic-stricken.
Mothers deserted their children and
children their parents. Even the priests
became infected with the general fear,
and the majority of them refused to
give consolation to the dying or to hold
services over the dead. Miss Nightin-
never heSitated moment in their duty.
They went into the stricken houses, and
by show of confidence and cheerful
ness managed to coax few people
enough to return to assist them in the
arduOus and not altogether agreeable
work in the cholera ward in the hos
pital. With all the work, however.
there seemed to be no staying of the
disease. Some of the sights were grue-
some enough. Mutt had personal eX-
perience that would in all probability
have terrified a SuperstltiouS man into a
SpaSm.
1t was one of Nurse Nuts duties to
carry out the dead and prepare them for
burial. and at this ghastly work he was
kept busy almost constantly. One
morning he was summoned to remove
the body of a young man who had died
the night before. The agony of his
taking off had been so great that he was
horribly cOntorted. his knees beingdrawn
up to his chin and his muscles in great
knots. Mutt carried him out and tried
to straighten his frightfuIly distorted
limbs SO as to put him in the rude pine
box provided for each patient the mo-
ment he or she entered the hospital.
This was found to be impossible, and
the nurse concluded that he would wait
for few hours until the natural relaya-
ton, which always follows rigor mortis,
took place. He was very tired with
the days exertiOns and threw him
man. He fell asleep about noon
and remained in that condition, he
thinks, for about five hours. 1t was dusk
when he was awakened by noise as of
some one knocking at the door. He
lifted his head and looked to the left.
Directly in the line of his vision was
the pine box, alongside of which lay the
dead cholera patient, with his legs and
arms contorted. AS Mutt looked he saw
one of the corpse's arms straighten
out and strike the floor. Then
one of his legs did the
same thing. To another man this
might have been something horrible: to
Mutt it was simply the obedience of a
natural law-the relaxation of the mus
cleS-juSt what he had been waiting for.
too. He turned over, stretched himself
and was preparing to get up, when he
saw the supposed corpse turn over on
its stomach, and, with Sepulchral
groans, begin crawling painfully along
the floor.
Nurse Mutt was on his feet in an in
slant. He was startled, to be sure, but
not in the least frightened. He realized
instantly that it was a case of suspend
ed animation, and his only thought was
how the poor fellows life might be
saved. He lifted the patient from the
uOO1 " UCuS dlio ChCu Idtl lltO dIl-
other room to call physician.
He was gone not more than
two minutes. When he returned
he found that the patient had rolled off
the bed ard was on the floor again. He
was on his back. His limbs were again
contorted. His eyes were glazed. The
doctor bent down and put his ear to the
chest. why, nurse" said he. 1.-THE
man is dead. He's cold, too, and has
certainly been dead for at least six
hours"
$50 thought" replied the astonished
Mutt, "but 1'll stake my life that he was
alive three minutes ago, when I left
this room. He came over by that box
near the door, and awakened me with a
groan. distinctly saw him tuln over
on his face and crawl at least ten feet
on his hands and knees. Then picked
him up, put him on the bed and called
YOU"
The doctor, without making reply, re-
moved the dead mans shirt and ex-
posed the upper portion of his stomach.
Uamlstakable evidences of decompOsi-
ton were there shown. The flesh was
turning black. ''Are you satisfied"
asked the doctor.
"Yes," replied Mutt, 81 am satisfied
of one thing-I have seen a dead man
mOve."