Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1888-03-09
BURIED AND COMING TO LIFE AGAIN.


suddenly in this city five or six
years ago as result Of stroke OF
apopIexy which came upon him
during a wrestling match with a
companion. He was buried with
the usual forms. A few nights ago
he appeared in the flesh at the
home of bis parents, IN the First |
ward, and had the following story |
to tell of his experience. He re-
membered distinctly that he was
wrestling with his companions, and
then it seemed to grow dark. He |
felt that he was beng lifted up and
carried away, but he had no power
to demonstrate. His nerves re-
fused to act. He knew that his
parents were weeping over him,
and afterward he was conscious
that he was being laid out. Still
he was unable to let any one know
that be was alive. The most hor-
ribIe sensation came over him
when the coffin was lowered in the
grave, and as the clOds fell upon
the lid be lost even what little
mind be had, and everything was
a blank. When next consciousness
came to him he was seated between
two men who were riding in a light
wagon. Although bis eyes felt so
heavy and swollen that he could
not see, he heard enough to con.
VINCE him that he was in the city,
but the conversation of the men
was what attracted his attention
especially. 81 tell you," said one,
in low tones, swell give old Prof. a
bigger scare than he has had in
many a day. | hooked a good suit
of clothes to-day from the house,
and when we get this stiff fixed up
he'll be stunning"
Ht's ID heavy" answered the
other, as he pushed the body over
toward his companion. "GOod sub
ject,D SAID No. in a whisper, and
then Charles began to realize that
he had been stolen out Of the cof-
fin for medical college. The
thought was by no means cheerful,
but try as he would Charles could
not get out of his semi unconscious
state. Rather the news unsettled
him, and he again lost all conscious.
ness. When he knew anything
again he was standing bolt upright
in a low, square, dimly lighted room.
He could feel something on every
side of him holding him up. He
thought that he was in a dissect'
ing room, and realized that what
ever was done must be done then
or never, Necessity is a creator,
and the gravity of his position
seemed to infuse new blood into his
veins. Suddenly he felt the throb-
blng Of his heart, and then the
sense CT touch seemed to come
back to him. He could feel the
warmth from the stove, while
sharp pains darted through his
whole body. The sense of smell
came next, and he almost tainted
as the Odors from a dozen medical
compounds passed into his nostrils.
And, lastly, sight came to him,
and slowly his eyes opened and he
was able to discern things about
him. And what a sight! He was
not in a dissectng room. but in a
doctors office; shelves filled with
bottles solved the origin of the
odors. A book case we'll stocked
stood in one corner, while in an
other was a combination chair in
which a patient can be placed IN
to almost any position. A skeleton
strung on wires, with the CHASTITY
skull and pieces Of dried flesh still
hanging to the bones, was an un'
pleasant reminder of his own sltua'
ton. lie knew now how he cane
there. The men were two medical
students who had robbed his grave
and who proposed to cut him up af-
ter having little fun with one OF
the professors. The pangs of hun
ger made him faint, and he search
ed the Office for a mOrsel. He found
it behind the curtain, where it had
evidently been placed by the doc
tors wife, who intended it for heT
husband when be should return
home from a midnight call. lie
never got it that night for the corpse
did not leave as much az a crumb
behind. The meal despatched,
Charles felt less like a dead man
Young Martlndale had more
nerve than the ordinary young
man, but even he shuddered as he
thought of what he had passed
through. The next thing was tc
get away. NJw that he was him
self again. he had no idea of being
soused into a picking tub nor OF
ornamenting a dlssecting table
He believed that he had another
destiny, and then the thought Of his
past tollies came to him, and he al
most wished that he had not re-
turned to this world, which at best
has its unpleasant side. Unmind'
ful of his fathers warnings, he had
borrowed money until he could Dor
row no more, and he was ashamed
TO 90 home. He went West and
c-----l a-n,nnt aud Lid hnnu