Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1890-11-06
DEATH.


man mind than the awful possibility
Of living person being consigned to
the tomb. Nevertheless such cases
have occurred, and unhappily. recent
proofs are forthcoming that they still
occur, despite the fact that in most
countries precautions are now taken
to prevent premature Interments. In
England, as a rule, the bodies of de-
ceased persons are not buried till
signs of decomposition begin to man
ifest themselves, and elsewhere it is
enacted by law that interments must
not take place till three or more days
after death. Nearly three-quarters
of century ago a somewhat grew
some book was published The first
section of its formidable title, which
is too long for quotation in its entire
ty, 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
pIiOr to interment." And the author
submits the following grim quotation
as prelude: ITO revive nailed up in
coffin! TIC return to life in darkness,
distraction, and despairl The brain
can scarce sustain the reflection IN
our coolest moments" Having thus,
at the outset, put his readers in an
uncomfortable frame of mind, he
proceeds to pile on the agony by cit
ing numerous well-authenticated cas-
es of persons supposed to be dead
coming to life. Several of these
owed their restoration to conscious
ness to the oficlousness or irreverence
of friends, who, persistently declined
to believe that they were absolutely
dead, forced liquor down their
Threats. A chapter is devoted to the
remarkable case of ''Sir Hugh Ack-
land of Devonshire, who, after beng
laid out as a 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
preparing for chapel Sunday, fell
down, to all appearance, dead. In
spite of the positive assurance of the
physicians, who declared her to be ir-
recoverably dead, her loving husband
Col. Godfrey, persisted in believing
that she was only in a 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 that she had been in a
state of suspended animation for a
week, and the first thing she did was
to scold her attendants for not wax
lag her in time to go to church, as
she had intended to do. That the
restoration of an inferred person to
life should have a romantic sequel
and result in a cause celebre seems
anomalous, but such thing did oc-
cur in the olden time
Two neighbors living in the Rue
st. Honore, Paris, who were great
friends, had respectively son and a
daughter. The young people were
were very much attached, and would
have married had not wealthy suit
or appeared 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 prpdently declined
to see the first lover any more. Mel
ancholy, however, brought on a NAL
aday which SO heRNmhed her faleul-
ties that she was thought to be dead
aad was, accordingly, consigned tc
the grave. Her former lover, who
could not believe that even then she
was lost to him, persuaded the grave
digger to bring the body to his house
There he used every means to restore
animation, and succeeded. Convinc
ed that now she belonged to HIM, she
agreed to his proposal that they
should escape to England. Ten years
afterwards they returnea. "a IiaEls, :
A cEE.anee meeting between husband
and wife convinced the former tina
the latter was still alive, though b
had buried her with becoming griei
! He claimed her for his own, the olair