Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1889-07-06
THE DEAD ALIVE.
Queer Gases of Catalepsy OBJ
served BY a Morgue Keeper.
People sent to the Norgue Instead of the
hospital Through Carelessness-A
Device to Rescue Persons
Buried Alive.

"1'he only fear have of dying is
the possibility of being buried alive, "
remarked IA Boston lady of culture and
resignation. 1t was "bull," but it
was also the expression of n sentiment
either active or latent in the breast OF
every civilized human being. And is
it notprobabe that it is entertained by
the savage as well? Is not this fear
the origin of the custom prevailing
among savage races Of depositing food
with the bodies of their dead?
Repeating the bull, reporter asked
George A. Elton, long superintendent
of the old city morgue, if he had ever
sccu dead man come to life.
"If you refer to cases of suspended
animation,' he replied, 81 can say
that many instances have come undeI
I my observation. One OF the most re.
markable occurred at the mOrgue some
eight years ago. About eleven o'clock
one morning the patrol wagon ratified
up and the police attendants lifted out
Il corpse, carried it through the front
Office to the mOrgue ia the rear, and
dropped il on slab, As was my GUS
tom ! made inquiries as to the cause OF
death and was told that the man was
a painter and while at work on the
outsidc Of building the scaffold had
given away and he had been hurled
from "A great height to a stone side
walk and instantly killed. His name
and home were unknown. Two or
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
and ! resumed work at my desk. A.
! had large funeral to attend to that
afternoon all my assistants left the
office to look after the arrangements,
leaving me alone About two o'clock,
Il, was busy writing, with my back
TO the door of the morgue, | heard 4
sound as though made by the rusty
coilcd-wire spring of the morgue door.
! was slightly startled and turned in
my chair to listen, but remembering
that there was dog in the barn to the
rear attributed the strange noise to
some of his antics and resumed writ
ing. Half minute later the sound
was repeated, accompanied by the pe-
culiar and unmistakeable noise made
by the dropping of the hasp and staple
on the inside OF the morgue door-a
noise with which was perfectly IA
miliur. Wheeling around instantly
saw q sight that | shall never forget.
Standing erect just outside of the door,
aud within few feet of me, was the
bloody corpse of three hours before.
| am old in the business aud never lose
my nerve, but | will confess to you
that my hair stood on end
Where am l?' asked the corpse,
looking about in "a d"n.d sort uf way 4,
and slowly approaching me.
why said |, fearing that sud
den shock might prove fatal to the
corpse, you had fall, you know, and
came here for treatment
The corpse rubbed it, head gently,
a> though trying to recall the past,
and then said he had Il slight rccollec-
tion of falling, and felt sore all over,
but insisted on knowing where he was
and how he came there. | explained
that he was in a DOCTORS office, and
was brought there because nobody
knew whore his home was, | pes
sunded him to lie down on a lounge
and rest would have given any
thing for doctor just then, but none
passed; neither did | see chance to
send for one, Presently ! observed Il
little girl at window across the
street and stepping to the door. beck
oned her to come over. She did so
promptly and gave her whispered
order to 90 for physician. In those
days we used the button telephone
and had II line running to the police
station. The patrol-wagon and the
doctor arrived about the same time
and the latter quickly discovered that
what appeared to be blood on the face
of the alleged corpse was simply red
paint, the contents of the pot he had
been using, that had been dashed over
him at the time of the fall"
What became of him?'
"He was taken to the county hospi-
tai, in II few days was fully recovered,
aud for aught know is alive to-day.
He had only been bruised and stunned
by the accident and tho paint had de-
ccivcd tho careless physicians. Had