Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1889-09-27
THREE DAYS IN A COFFIN.
THE GREwsOME EXPERIENCE OF
ALAwYER IN A CATALEPTIC
TRANCE.

W
TRANCE.
at was horrible, horrible, sir
Law in that coffin alive, and just
as conscious of what was going on
around me as am at this moment.
| have always been of a hysterIcal
temperament, and on one grievous
occasion had lain in a cataleptic
state for twenty-four hours. This
last time l lay for three days per
fectly conscious, as | said before,
but to all appearances an dead as
Cesar.'
The speaker was a we'll known
attorney of st. Paul, who related
the story of his thrilling experience
with catalepsy conGitionally that
his name be withheld from publ
cation.
at has been said,' continued the
hero of this blood curdling adgen-
ture, "that there are infallible signs
which denote death, and are un-
mistskable to the practiced eye of
the medicO. l deny that such Is
the case, aud no one has had bet
ter opportunity of judging than |
have. When | died, or rather when
three of the best known medical
men in Boston asserted that | was
dead, had been for three days
previous to my supposed demise in
q condition OF violent hysteria,
bordering almost on insanity, ow.
ing to the death of slater whom |
loved to distraction. At the expl.
ration OF that time 1 subsidized into
the condition / have previously de-
scribed. My death was attributed
by the learned disciples of 1Escula.
plus to disease of the heart. The
three old fogles held a consultation
over ne, and heard them discuss
the advlsabilIty of a pOst.mortem
examination, there being slight
difference Of opinion among them
as to what was the actual cause.
"At this time was lying on a
board, perfectly rigid, and fully
realized the fact that should be
buried alive If | couldn't brace up
and explain matters within the
next few hours. | Immediately
blessed my mother and brother for
their refusal to allow those old
butchers to 90 for me with their
kneives. That's all that saved me,
| tell you. This seems a wild story
bat Just the same It's a true one.
Why, l can even remember laugh
ing quietly to myself to think that
the windows had been opened all
around the room. 1t was devlllsh
cold weather, too, but could not
feel the cold much. | knew, how
ever, that those windows had been
opened to prevent the decOmposi-
ton of my ill used frame. How did
I get out of the fxi Well, it was
Just By the skin OF my teeth. When
the undertaken and his fool assis.
tant brought the coffin and | was
lifted into 1t knew at once that
the coffin was too short aud just
ached to say so, but | couldn't
speak q word to save my lite. /
was tongue tied; hadn't control OF
a muscle. The merest accident in
the world prevented my being bur-
led alive. had been ly ing IN the
awful condition | have described
for over three days when the beast
of an undertaken came aronnd
again to screw up the coffin.
A tack had been left sticking
out from the drapery grazing tue
interior of the sarcophagus, and
the fellow in the coffin business
commenced a series of vicious jabs
at it with a sharp edged screw
driver. On one OF these the lnstru-
ment struck nail head and, flying
off at tangent, took me on the Jaw
with considerable force. The blood
spouted forth, and instantly re-
gained the use Of NY limbs. |
wanted to knock seven kinds OF
blue FIRE out OF the coffin man, and
was out Of it in no time. The un-
dertaker skipped, but | put it all
over his assistant, | am ashamed
to say, for the man was too horri-
fed at my resurrection to defend
himself 10 the least. Now you can
lust bet am az healthy a man as
the most of them nowadays, and
I've issued strict orders that in the
event of my death | am not 20 be
buried until an artery has been
opened and my decease absolutely
proyed.r-St. Paul Globe.