Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1889-08-29
ALIVE IN THE GRAVE.

cotisclous OI WnaV WaS gong sou
around me as | am ut this moment.
Ihaye always been of u hysterical
temperament, and on one grievous
occasion had lain in oataleptic state
for twenty-four hours. This last
time ! lay for three days, perfectly
conscious, as ! saia before, but to all
appearance as dead as Cesar"
The speaker was a well-known
young attorney of st. Paul, who re.
lated the story of his thrilling expe-
rience with catalcpsy, conditionally
.!!.sst. ska. his Eaina DO withheld from pub
lication.
"It has been said," continued the,
hero of this blood-curdling adven-.
ture, sthat there are infalliblc signs
which denote death, and are unmis-
taxable to the practiced eye of the
mcaico. I deny that such is the
case, and no one has n better oppor-
tunity Of judging than haveI. When
| died, or rather when three of the
best known medical mon in Boston
had asserted that was dead, / had
been for three days previous to my
supposed demise in condition of
violent hysteria, bordering almost on
insanity, owing to the death of sis
ter whom loved to distraction. At
the expiration of that time l sub
sided into the. condition have
previously described. My death
was attributed by tho learned disci-
pies of Hsculapius to disease of the
heart.
"l'hc three old fogics held con-
sultation over me, and heard them
discuss tho ACCESSIBILITY of post
mortem examination, there being n
slight difference of opinion among
them as to what was the actual
cause. At this time was lying on
board, perfectly rigid, and fully re-
allied the fact that I should be bu-
ried alive if I could not brace up
and explain matters within tho ncxt
few hours. Immediately blessed
my mother and brother for their re-
frsal to allow those old butchers to
go for me with their knives. That's
all that saved me, I tell you. This
seems a wild story, but just the
same it's true one. Why, l can
even remember laughing quietly to
myself to think that the windows
had been opened all around tho
room. 1t was very cold weather.,
too; but I could not feel the cold
much. knew, however, that those
windows had been opened to pre-
vent the decomposition of my ill
used frame. Nor did get out of
the fix2 We'll, it was just by the
skin of my teeth. When the unlcr-
takcr and his assistant brought the
coffin and 1 was lifted into it, I knew
at once that that coffin was too short
and just achcd to say SO, but I
couldn't speak word to save my
life. ! was tonguc-tied; hadn'nt con-
troll of muscle The mercst acci-
dent in the world prevented me
from being buried alive. I had
been lying in the awful condition
have described for over three days,
when that beast of an undertaken
came round again to screw up the
coffin.
A tack had been left sticking out
from the drapery gracing the inte-
rior of MY sarcophagus, and the fcl-
low in the coffin business com
menccd series of vicious jabs at it
with sharp edged scrcw-driver. On
one of these occasions the instru.
ment struck a nail head, and flying
off at tangent, took me on the jaw
with considerable force. The blood
spoutcd forth and I instantly re.
gained the use of my limbs. J
wanted to knock seven kinds Of blue
fire ont of the coffin man, and was
out Of that in no time. The under.
takcr skipped, but put it all owe,
| III,