The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-09-18
DEATH-LIKE FRANCES.
A Number of Strange Cases of Suspended
Animation.

to the human mind that the awful
possibility Of living person being
consigned to the tomb. Nevertheless
such cases have occurred, and, unhap
PLY, recent proofs are forthcoming
that they still occur, despite the fact
that in most countries precautions are
now taken to prevent premature in
terments. in England, as rule, the
bodies of deceased persons are not
buried till signs of decomposition be-
gin to manifest themselves, and else.
where it is enacted by law that inter
ments must not take place until three
or more days after death. Nearly
three quarters of a century ago a
somewhat gruesome book was pub
lished. The first section of its formid-
able title, which is too long
for quotation in it's entirety,
runs: "The danger of premature
interment proved from many remark
able instances of people who have re-
covered after being laid out for dead,
and OF others being entombed alive
for want of being properly examined
prior to interment." And the author
submits the following grim prelude
"To revive nailed up in coffin! To
return to life in darkness, distraction
and despair! The brain can scarcely
sustain the reflection in our coolest
momentsW Having thus at the out
set put his readers in dreadfully I'M
comfortable frame of mind, he pro-
ceeds to pile on the agony by citing
numerous we'll authenticated cases of
persons supposed to be dead coming
to life. Several of these owed their
restoration to consciousness to the
ofiiciousness or irreverance of friends
who, persistently declining to believe
they were absolutely dead, forced
liquor down their Threats. A chapter
is devoted to the remarkable case of
"Sir Hugh Ackland of Devonshire
who, after being laid out as corpse,
was revived by a bumper of brandy"
OF cases on record Of bygone time
we will only quote two by reason of
their exceptional popularity. The
Hon. Mrs. Godfrey, sister of the great
Duke of Marlborough, while prepar-
ing for chapel on Sunday fell down, to
all appearance dead. In spite of the
positive assurances of the physicians,
who declared her to be irrecoverably
dead, her loving husband, Col. God
frey, persisted in believing that she
was only in trance. So she lay till
the following Sunday, when exactly at
the same hour as her seizure, just as
the chapel bell was once more ringing
she awoke. She was not aware she
had been in state OF suspended ami
nation for q week, and the first thing
she did was to sceld her attendants
for not waking her in time to go to
church, as she had intended to do.
That the restoration of an inferred
person to life should have romantic
sequel and result in a cause celebre
seems anomalous. but such thing
did occur in the olden time.
Two neighbors living in the Rue ST..
Honore, Paris, who were very great
fir ends, had respectively son and a
daughter. The young people were
very much attached and would have
married had not a wealthy sutton APP
peared on the scene and with the
consent of her parents obtained the
hand of the daughter. The young
lady submitted, as French girls think
it their duty to do in such circum-
stances, and she prudently declined
to see her first lover any more. Mel
oncholy, however, brought on NAL
ady which so benumbed her faculties
that she was thought to be dead, and
was accordingly consigned to the
grave. Her former lover, who could
not believe that even then she was
lost to him, persuaded the grave dig
ger to bring the body to his house.
There he used every means to restore
animation, and succeeded. Con-
WINGED that now she belonged to him
she agreed to his proposal that they
should escape to England. Ten
years afterward they returned to
Paris. A chance meeting between
husband and wife convinced the
former that the latter was still alive,
though he had buried her with be-
coming grief. He claimed her for his
own, the claim was resisted, and des-
pite every argument to the contrary
the Judge decided in his favor Again
the lady and her lover sought happi.
ness in fight, and they lived abroad
without further molestation.
Now for some recent cases. The
following one was reported from Ne.