Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1888-04-25
Premature Burial.

A queer but true story is reported from
Belgrade in the Poster Lloyd. Some weeks
ago the police found in the street the body
of man who had apparently been frozen to
death He could not be revived, and his
name and address having been ascersainedf
the corpse was handed over to his family for
interment. Burial within tgenty-four hours
is customary in southeastern Europe, as, in
deed, on the continent generally, and the
day after the body was found it was carried
to the cemetery. AS the procession was en-.
tering the graveyard the driver of the hearse
told the attending priest that he had heard
strange noise in The interior OF The vehicle.
Thereupon the holy man, the weeping
friends and relatives drew near listening
attealively, and, sure enough, a rumpus in
the cofia was distinctly audible. Without
waiting 20 investigate further, they all took
to their heels and fled, firmly convinced that
the dead man had turned into q vampire.
The driver, being responsible for the hearse
and horses, could not fly, and SO he drove to
the nearest police station, where the coffin
was opened and found to contain, not a
vampire, but live man, Sery much put out
By the attempt to bury him brematurely.
He WAS taken to the hospital, and ct last ac-
counts wes almost recovered. His story is
that, having spent the evening with some
iovial friends, he got tipsy, aud, wandering
came insensibie from the cold. A very SIM
liar thing happened TO an Englshman in
Paris some years ago. After q merry even
ing ct British cafe in the Faubourg st.
Horore be was staggering 20 his hotel when
he WAS knocked down By a cab and stun.
ned. lie was picked up for dead and
taken to the morgue, where he was duly
laid out, aud where in few hous be awoke
and found himself lying naked on cold
marble slab. a gas jet burning close By re.
Vealed TO him tie occupant Of the next slab
and showed him his situation. Naturally
enough, he shreked for help, and the jani-
tor came in. But then difficulty arose.
Tie keeper of the morgue did not see his
way to reciothipg the unfortunate man, or
to releasing hin from the place. II bave,"
he said, given q receipt for your body at
the commissary of police, and as you will
readily perceive, must have something to
show for it," He added that he considered
it gross breach cf politsness for deceased
persons to make disturbance in the moi
que His arguments were irrefutabe, but
in the moraing the Eog!ishman was set at
liberty, in suodued aod chastened frame
oil mind. The unwiIlingness of the Parisan
fuuctionary 10 set FREQ the live man who
ought 10 have been dead is, OF course, very
characteristic The French mind does not
Accommodates itself readily TO new or unex.
pecied conditions but the Belgrade affair
is more surprising. Belief in vampires ap-
pears however, to be general in the peas
antry of Slavonic races and also of many
Teutonic nations. In Illyrin, in Poland, in
Hungary, in European Turkey, in parts of
southeastern Germany and in Greece this
delusion prevails. A vampire is a person
who cannot rest in his grave, end issues
forth.at night to torment the living; and the
most horrible part of the belief is that those
who have been prosecuted in this manner
while alive bscoms vampires themselves af-
ter death. Very likely this terrible super
stition was partly caused, or at least
strengthened by cases of premature burial.
To be confined alive is bad enough, but the
inability to protest against such treatment
without being taken for a vampire is hard
ind ne1