The Globe-republican., 1890-12-31
PREMATURE BURIAL.

len beneath our notice many startling re-
ports of premature burial. June 10th,
1890, we have the record of the burial OF
John Burke in Chicago. Mr.. Burke died
at his home and little did any one sus-
pect that life was not extinct; at the
proper time his funeral took place.
While at the grave some one thought he
heard a strange noise, but little attention
was given it. The coffin was lowered
and the grave filled, but after more ma
ture reflection, day or two later, it was
decided that the peculiar sound might
have meant life within the coffin. and the
grave was accordingly opened, the cof-
fin lid removed and most horrifying
scene was presented to their view. The
body twisted, features distorted; tongue
bitten nearly in two; finger nails imbed-
ded in the flesh, and every indication
that terrible struggle had taken place.
Again on September oath, 1890, we find
reported from Vienna, Austria, that Il
lady was buried. after which it was for
some reason decided that an autopsy
should be held. The coffin was removed
from the grave and all in readiness for
the autopsy, when to the horror of all it
was found that she had been buried alive
and had given birth to child in the cof-
fin. aud in this way we might 20 on in
1nGr pp,f fkno cfo rf1 &c ho
one yet fresh in the minds of the reader,
as reported in Fridays Capital of last
week. Louis Bremen, an employe of
the South Park railroad shops of Denver,
Colorado, was supposed to be dead, and
the funeral was conducted under the au-
spices of one of the local tribes of Red
Men. The corpse was taken to Riverside
cemetery aud there inferred. There were
several incidents connected with his flu
neral which led to doubt the genuineness
of his death. Accordingly four days later
it was deemed advisable to investigate the
matter by disintering the remains. And
to their unspeakable horror they discov-
cred he had been buried alive. The
coffin lid was split, the glass cover broken
in, and in the unutterable agony of the
realization of his position he had strug-
gled with mad desperation of the hope
lessness and helplessness, to free him.
self from the very grasp of death, whose
horrors can be but feebly imagined by
the living. The body was lying on its
face, the lining of the coffin had been
torn to shreds, the hair pulled out of the
head. the arms bent and hands so tight
ly clinched that the finger nails had been
sunk into the flesh. The face of the dead
was distorted from the awful struggle
through which the man had passed, and
the cheeks showed that in his frenzy. the
man entombed alive, had dug his nails
deep into his flesh. Terror stricken at
the discovery they had made, the friends
made sure that life was indeed extinct,
and then reinterred the mutilated re-
mains.
Since from the small number of bodies
which are disinterred we find it 50
often that they have been buried alive.
how many desperate struggles between
life and death there must occur in the
'City of the Dead" of which the world
knows nothing.
Ut all the inventions and devices that
the American genius has proven itself
capable Of contriving; of all the acts and
agencies nature has been compelled to
perform and submit to, under the power
OF education, 1t is wonder that hereto
fore man has not in some manner con.
trived a means whereby that horrible
dread OF graphing with second death in
the dreadful bosom of Mother Earth. can
be averted. To die is the last thing
thought Of by the active able-bodied
man. and since it is the last act perform
ed. it receives the last attention.
However. we wish to announce to our
readers this morning, that it has been
recently learned that all fear of suffering
by premature burial can positively be
averted by an invention of one of our
citizens. w. H. White, which invention
provides that when suspended animation
returns, and the supposed cadayer mani
tests life, at once there is current of
fresh air supplied in the casket. and
simultaneously by an electrical appliance.
an alarm is sounded at some designated
point Generally at the sections resi-
dence). giving the exact location where
the living Is entombed.
Itwould seem to us to be one of the
most marvellous and useful inventions of
modern ages. We are further informed
that large capital here and in Chicago
are combining to manufacture and push
the enterprise.