Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1888-10-25
rASSBR WaIn nrBsAsArs.
1ha Champion Faster 10 BECOME
ans thnnapaon sleeper.

cnNhpion raster 20 BECOME
ans champion Sleeper.
ohicsgo rsibane
Eight years have gone since DR.. II. 8.
tanner performed his wonderful feat Of
lasting 40 days and nights In Olarendon
Han, In New York city. For 16 days be
,ouohed neither water nor food. After
the 10th day he began to drink water aud
sunsisted on this alone during the remain
Ing "a days OF bis fast. Tho public haa
not heard much OF the plunky little doc
Tor Tor the last few years, but not long
Reo he turned up in Chicago, bright and
chipper, splendid specimen Of 4 man 10
perfecs health, and with o rotundity Of
ioim indicative rather of the bon viyant
than Of man who eats only two meals q
day In summer and only one In winter.
where have you been keeping your.
se1 doetorf asked o reporter, after
friendly greetings had been exchanged.
u have Just returned from New Mex.
100, where l have been for nearly four
years, purauipg certain investigations Of
scientific nature. am much interested
In the subject Of suspsnded animssionsor
counterfeit death. am convinced that a
far greater percentage OF people are
buried alive than even those who have
ever given the matter much thought
would be willing to believe. In no oonn-
try in the world are the dead buried with
suoh criminal hasts, / may say, ss in the
united States. / have been looking into
this subject more or less for the lust &c
years, ana the evidence have socumlated
Is startling. tell you II Is murder, hor-
rible murder, and 1t Is high time some
agitation wRs started for the purpose Of
securing needed legislation on the sub.
ject of the burial Of the dead.
"1he principle Of life is so subtle, -
continued the doctor, 'that man with oil
his science knows nothing about IT and
the only safeguard against the awful
crime OF buryipg alive those We love lies
in the precautions that are taken against
committing their bodies to ihs tomb be.
fore decomposition has set in. That is
the only unmtstskable sien that death
has finally taken place. The people Of
Holland were among the first to awaken
TO the importance Of this subject, and In
1764 society was organized In Amster-
dam for the purpose Of looking into CAGES
where death seemed counterfeit rather
than real. In less than four years they
had rtsuscitated--eaved from entomb.
Snant aliye-no less than $50 persons. In
1858 the authorities at Milan and Venice,
and those as Hamburg, followed tho ex,
ample set by Holland, and little later sim
liar societies were formed at London, Paris
and Glasgow. IA result of the work
among the members Of which wsre some
of the foremost scien.ists OF the times, it
has been proved that.in great number
of cases where every known test had
been applied and preparations made for
ne burial the subjects had recovered.
These experiences led Professor Morine
OF the University OF Rome, to cffer q
prize of / 500 francs for the best essay on
apparent death; and the Marquis d'0nche
LETT 20 600 frames to be used in discover.
iug the best means that could be applied
In detecting the counterfeit of death And
SO in ell the countries statistics coilRted
on this subject are startling, rs revealing
the danger of premature burial"
Nov don't You think, :" asked the doc
tor, "that this ia subject that people
should discuss, should be walked ur
about2"
"whas remedy have you to offer, doc
tori"
"simpiy this: hold-and II certainly
cannot be successfully contradicted-ih
the setting in Of decomposition is the
only certain sign OF death. In the 40
senee of this burial should be delayed
weeks and months, IL necessary, for &C
long as there is no decay life may hsGg
by feeble thread, AND, by that subtle
ness of which have already spoken, the
recovery be spontaneous
'Another discovery that have made, u
said the doctor, 'tH that ALTERNATING ami
mails do not use their lungs dutiDg the
period of Information. For several years
have been studying the habits Of this
class of animals, and, do You know, am
about convinced that man can hiber-
mattel
Here the reportar must have looked the
ipcredulity ne feit, for the doctor has
tened to explain: "Take the bear for ex.
ample its organs of respiration are the
same as mans, and ii hibernates Tor
months without food or drink. have
also been studying the philosophy of the
adopts who ussd to be able TO 60 into tho
death trance at will. Their preparation
for this was long fasting, aud the trance
condition following was, Ia my opinion,
season Of bibernation. apl studying
now with view Of making some expert
ments In this line, and the time may
come when / will permit myself to be
sealed up In an alright GOTTA and laid
away until such time 90 | shall designate
for 1t 10 be opened
''But, doctor, you will not expect to
come out Of test like that alive, will
youI'
Eyes, indeed,n was the earuest reply.
II have twice been near the portalg OF
the tomb in my studies OF !his subject Of
life principle and Of suspended ANNA
tion, and l firmly believe con go Sill
nesrer-that l can to all outward appear
aness be dead, aud, reulsiniag that way
for length OF time. can still come back
living witness OF the truth OF my
theories and investigations"
Speaking OF his fast, hs said: THE
fact is, with most people the body rules
the mind, while the reverse should be the
case the mind should control the body.
Appetite, snd il may be depravad one,
clsmora for this or that desired article,
md people rush of to crafty it, When
II began my 40 days faFtirg Iaaid to my
ftonach: Here, old fellog, | have a
job tor you. I want Jon 10 takes good
long rest, and / wont no arumbiing about
il That settled it. At 10 o'clock OF the
last day OF my fast, when mad only two
hours to 20, a little child that was In the
room whore / was thrust a ripa peach
under my nose. II Adam was tsmpted ns
I wan then do not wonder that hs fell.
had 80 little longer to go without eating
that relaxed my will power, aud truly
my greatest sufferings vera during the
last two hours OF my fast.
It
Nhv HVaneN miller.