Evening journal., 1890-03-04
Was lonN BURIED ALIyEf
The Remarkable Tale of St.
Louis Man.
TAKEN FROM AGRAYE BY GHOULs,

sia Supposed widow Identified His Body
at the Morgue and Was Very Much
Surprised when He Turned Up Again.
Cut by Doctors knives.
ST. f,oUIs, March 4-When John O'con-
nor died last month his good widow buried
aim in way that bore testimony to her
wifely worth and the esteem with which she
had regarded her departed lord. Funerals
are expensive, but Widow O'Connor did not
do things by halves. She had an apprecia-
sion of mortuary niceties, and II corpses
could see and know, then the dead O'Con-
nor must have felt a compensation in death.
That man only dies once in lifetime has
al along been an undisputed truth, but the
case Of the late Mr.. OiConnor has some
phases about It which will 60 far to siatter
the popular belief
Ber Dead Husband walked In.
Widow O'connor looked comely in her
weeds, but It was most cruel blow to her
when, few days after his funeral her hus-
band walked into the house
She had been living apart from him be-
fore the funeral. and in the shadow Of the
grim reaper she had forgotten their trouble.
Death had preached the rupture over, but
abe widow little expected such an unexpected
phase Of the preaching. She had forgiven
and wept over O'Connor dead, but here he
was in flesh again.
A Remarkable Case.
Now John J. O'Connor had died and people
who ate and lived with him testified that
the corpse was that Of OConnor. Added to
this the Identification of the wife removed
the matter beyond all question. But there
appears 60 have been two 0'Conors, the
same in name and feature; in fact as much
alike as the two Dromios. The question
which now distresses the good woman who
mourns one Of them is why one is dead and
one is living The case is a remarkable one
of mistaken identity as to individuality, and
OF q similarity Of names and features.
Not Buried by Proxy.
There Is now some reason to believe that
the present John j. O'Connor was no: buried
By IFoxy, but in his own proper person.
lie has just made public his theory Of the
strange affair and points TO an empty grave
In Calvary cemetery to verify his story
He said today that he really believed he
had been buried, resurreoted and placed on
the dissectng table, and that he had there
revived under the knife. He exhibited a
partly healed wound, extending half way
acrcss the abdomen. It is not a random
slash, but scientific incision, which was
deftiy stitched and covered with adhesive
plaster.
The Doctors Had Him.
II must have been takon for dead by
somebody said the resurrected O'Connor,
sand Pm satisfied the doctors had me,
else how did get the cuhl You see, I'm
subject TO heart disease. | went TO bed at
"a .
D'Connor was found dead on the evening
OF Feb TO- That is the last | remember
till Wednesday morning two days later.
when found myself sitting on the court
house wall, near Fourth and Market streets
4 was SO sick and weak / could hardly
stand And then when l read about my
wife having buried somebody else for me
Just made up my mind that had taken a
bad spell OF heart trouble in that lodging
house and that my folks had gone and
buried me for dead that the doctors had
dug me up tho same night and begun cut
ting me ] must have come to as soon as a
little blood had flowed
They sewcd Him Up.
sIt is possible that the doctors got scared
and kept me under the influence OF chloro.
form till they could sew me up then took
and set me down on that low stone wal
that runs around the court house, just 4
get me of their hands II it wasn't me that
was taken out Of that lodging house fol
dead and buried by my wife, would like 4
know who It was. The description given o
the body ia the morgue is the description o
my body, clothes and all, and I'd like 70 sel
anybody deny it. And then there's thE
empty grave out there How do know il
emptys Never you mind, but know it. y
is the Grave Empty
He says his mind has not been exactl
right "since he was buried, or rather sine
the night on which he or the other "feller
died When referring to dates the resui
rooted OConnor says, "The day | diedN 0
a'the day / was buriedn ia a very matter-oi
fact manner. A color Of truth is give
O'Connor's theory from the fact that th
wife first learned that her husband was j
the morgue through the newspapers, an
then went there and recognized him beyon
a doubt II it can be established that
really registered at the Third street lodgin
house ON the night in question aud that Il
grave is now empty, then the story will
accepted