The Opelousas courier., 1889-08-03
THE DEAD ALIVE.
Qnser Gases of Catalepsy OBJ
served By a Morgue Keeper,
PEOPLE Sent to the Morgue Instead of the
hospital Through Carelessness-A
Device to Rescue Persons
Buried Alive.

sThe only fear I have OF is
the possibility Of being buried alive.
remarked d Boston lady of culture and
resignation. 1t was a bull" but it
was also the expression of a sentiment
either active or latent in the breast of
every civilized human being. And is
ii ~notprobable that it is entertained by
The savage as well? Is not this fear
che origin of the custom prevailing
among savage c of depositing food
with the bodies of their dead?
Repeating the bull, a reporter asked
George A. Elton. long superintendent
of tho old city morgue, if he had ever
seen Il dead man come to life.
IF you refer to cases of suspended
animation he replied, al can say
that many instances have come under
ny observation. One of the most re-
markahle occurred at the morgue some
eight years ago. About eleyen o'clock
one morning the patrol wagon ratified
ZIP and the police attendants lifted out
acorpse, carried it through the front
once to the morgue in the rear, and
dropped it on a slab. As was my Gus
toin made inquiries as to the cause of
death and was told that the man was
i Fainter and while at work on the
outside OF a building the scaffold had
gwen away and he had been hurled
from q great height to a stone side
walk and Instantly killed. His name
and home were unknown. Two pr
three physicians, they said, had been
summoned and pronounced the man
dead. His face was covered with
blood.
The door of the morgue was closed
aaa Presumed work at my desk. As
/ had q large funeral to attend to that
a~ftsrnoon all my assistants left the
once to look after the arrangements,
leaving me alone. About two o'clock,
~ 4 was busy writing. with my back
70 che door of the morgue. I heard a
sound as though made by the rusty
colled-Wire spring of the morgue door.
! vas slightly startled and turned in
aay chair to listen, but remembering
snat there was a dog in the barn to the
rear attributed the strange noise to
some OF his antics and resumed writ
ang. half a minute later the sound
Nas repeated, accompanied by the Pc
elilar and unmistakeable noise made
M tne dropping of the hasp and staple
aeas ahe inside of the morgue door-a
haaas With which / was perfectly fa-
nAalaF. Wheeling around instantly /
saw y sight that / shall never forget.
Raeanaing erect just outside of the door,
saa within a few feet of me, was the
asp0dy corpse of three hours before.
am old in the business and never lose
~ nerve, but / will confess to you
Aaat my hair stood on end.
Where am I?' asked the corpse,
ssoklng about in a dazed sort of way,
Iaaa slowly approaching me.
Why said I, fearing that a sud-
asn shock might prove fatal to the
sospse, You had a fall, you know, and
Aaae here for treatment.
Ahe corpse rubbed its head gently,
q thuugh trying to recall the past,
sap then said he had a slight recollec-
sloa VI falling, and felt sore all over.
~ INSISTED on knowing where he was
Ana Low he came there. I explained
saat he was in a Doctors office, and
ess brought there because nobody
AaeN where his home was. I per-
saaqea him to lie down on a lounge
saa rest. ] would have given any
lung toR q doctor just then, but none
easssai neither did / see a chance to
I ior one. Presently I observed q
asssas girl at a window across the
ssaset and stepping to the door. beck
savsA fser TO come over. She did SO
R5gaaptiy and ! gave her q whispered
ssaeF "a go for d physician. In those
3sss we used the button telephone
ss1a nad 9 line running 10 the police
s.Aslsn The patrol-wagon ana the
sssgr arrived about the same time
.sss sae latter quickly discovered that
zs*s appeared to be blood on ths face
s sae alleged corpse was simply red
'1s ne contents of the pot he had
nsang. that had been dashed over
s'ls q fhe time Of the fall
hat became OF hfmpn
aas Wa taken to the county h0spi-
S% ~ y few days was fully recovered,
Fs's 1s5 ought 4 know Ii alive to-day.
'aa oEay been bruised and stunned
s'' aealaeHt ana the paint had de-
tas paFslsss p~nyals!sas BID