, 1890-10-25
FRANCES LIKE DEATH.
SEVERAL STRANGE CASES OF sus-
PENDED ANIMATION.

row Escapes from Such = Horrible
Eate-some Recent Cases
There is nothing more repugnRnt to the
human mind than the awful possibility OF
a living person being consigned to the
tomb. Nevertheless such cases have oc-
Cured, and, unhAppily. recent proofs are
forthcoming that they still oocur. despite
the fact that in most countries precautions
are now taken to prevent premature inter
ments In England as a rule the bodies
OF deceased persons are not buried till signs
of decomposition begin to manifest them
selves, and elsewhere it is enacted by law
that tnterments must not take place till
three or more days after death.
Nearly t~hree-quarters Of a century ago n
somewhat grewsome book was published.
The first section OF its formidable title.
which is too long for quotation in its en-
tlrety, runs, The danger of premature in
terment proved from many remarkable in.
stances OF people who nave recovered after
being laid out for dead, and OF others be
ing intombed alive for want OF being prop
erly examined prior to interment," And
the author submits the following grim
quotation as a prelude: ITO revive nailed
up in a cofinl To return to life in dark
ness, distraction and despeirl The brain
can scarce sustain the reflection in our
coolest moments"
A STATE OF COMA.
Having thus at the outset put his read.
ers in a d~readfully uncomfortable frame OF
mind, he proceeds to pile on the agony by
citing numerous well authenticated cases
of persons supposed to be dead coming To
life Several OF these owed their restora-
ton to consciousness to the of~iciousness or
irreverence Of friends, who persistently de
elining to believe that they were absolutely
dead forced liquor down their throats.
Thu Hon NJ. nnAf-.- 4.t.- - ~
great Duke of Marlborough, while prepar-
ing for chapel Sunday, fell down to all ap-
p~earance dead In spite OF the positive as
surance OF the physicians. who declared
her to be ~irrevocAbly dead, her loving hus-
band, Col Godfrey. persisted in believing
that she was only in n trance.
So she lay till the following Sunday.
when exactly at the same hour as her seiE-
ure. just as the chapel bell was once more
ringing, she awoke. She was not awar
that she had been in a state OF suspended
animation for a week, and the first thing
ahs did was to scold her s~ttendAnts for not
waking her in time to 20 to church. as she
had Intended TO do.
soNE AMERICAN CASKS.
The following one was reported from
Nevada, Miss, Aug. "a. 1888; While the
remains of twenty-three unknown dead
bodies were being removed from Deepwood
80 NAaN ~ III
G.. w. Mccain discovered a body which
was partly petrihed, and from its position
evidently had been buried alive. The body
that Of an infant probably a year old,
and was lying on It's face, with its legs
drawn up and the bottoms OF its feet rest.
ing on the coffin lid"
The Philadelphia Press published n re-
mArkable case. vouched for by Mr.. Thomas
Hooper, formerly Of that city. but now n
paaidanf I'm Naur Work II fa that ~ N l.d-
the wife OF a musician, who apparently
died in Media some years back. Her body
was placed in a casket and taken TO the
church, where funeral services were held.
Al the close of a solemn address the min
lister said that all who wished might take
a last look at the remains. Among those
who went forward was a woman. and she,
after bending earnestly over the coffin,
exclaimed, See, her eyelids quiverl''
Great excitement followed, but q doctor
present ridiculed the suggestion. declared
that life WAS extinct, and urged immediate
interment. The husband. however, In.
sisted on the application Of restorativez.
The wife was removed home, the grave
clothes were stripped off, and within four
days. thanks to c%ontinuous effort, she was
quite well. Six years after her restoration
to life she. while singing at n musicale,
suddenly stricken with blindness, and
VIM oAN sun -
RESCUED BIT STUDENTS.
From Orenburg, In Russia, a very pain
full case has been reported. During the
OF a wealthy peasant the coffin was
seen to rise and the corpse proceeded to get
out TIL affrighted priests and mourners
ran of. The corpse" followed, but the
peasants, having by this time regained
courage. proceeded to exercise the ghost"
which they did so effectually with guns
.nI tNaa .e.l.. VAaV Vhay EEtI.A Vta 80 |
fortunate man, who, IL was a~scertained,
had previously been in a state OF coma.
The funeral of a young woman was
about to take place at Alessandria, Pied
mont. when, owing to the jolting of the
hearse, the supposed dead person was
from the lethargy which was mis-
taken for death. The bearers In the cemo-
terry heard sounds issuing from the coffin.
lid was torn of. and the young woman
was found to be alive and conscious, though
in a state of great agitation In Italy bod
les are inferred very soon after supposed
death. and a doctor in Rome has compiled
and published statistics showing that thou
of persons are annually buried in n
state Of coma throughout Europe.
A man named John J. O'Connor had, II
is alleged, an exceedingly lucky escape
from the dissectinR table in the American
city OF st. Louis He being supposed 10 be
dead his body was identified at the morgne
by his wife. A funeral followed, and it is
positively asserted that he was buried in
Calvary cemetery. But, to the Amazement
OF all who knew him. he was afterwRrd
seen walking about rs II nothing in particu
lar had happened to him. His own version
OF the affair was that he was really buried,
that his body was afterYArd taken up and
conveyed to the diSsectlng room, and that
the first incision made in his abdomen caus-
ing blood 10 flow his consciousness, which
had only been suspended. returned to him
London Standard.