The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1891-02-14
DEATH-LIKE FRANCES.
A NUMBER OF CASES OF SUS-
PENDED ANIMATION.
Killed for Coming to Life Again
The Jolting Of a Hearse Wakes
UP tho Corpse.


UP the Corpse.
There is nothing more repugnant to
the human mind than the awful possibil-
ity of living person being consigned to
the tomb. Nevertheless, such cases have
occurred, and, unhappily, recent proofs
are forthcoming that they still occur, de- |
spite the fact that in most countries pre- !
cautions are now taken to prevent prema- |
ture interments. In England, rs rule, |
the bodies of deceased persons are not
buried till signs of decomposition begin
to manifest themselves; and elsewhere 1t
is enacted by law that interments must
not take place till three or more days
after death.
Nearly three-quartcrs of u century ago
a somewhat gruesome book was pub
lished. The first section of its formida-
BILE title, which is too long for quota
ton in its entirety, runs: THE danger
of premature intcrmcnt proved from
MANY remarkable instances, OF people
who have recovered after being laid out
for dead, and of Others being cntombed
alive for want of properly being exam
med prior to interment." And the au-
thor submits the following grim quota
ton as a prelude: "To revive nailed up
IN a coffin To return to life IN dark
ness, distraction and despair. The brain
can scarce sustain the reflection IN our
coolest moments
Having thus. at the outset, put his
readers in dreadfully uncomfortable
frame of mind, he proceeds to pile on
the agony by citing numerous well au-
thenticated cases Of persons supposed
to be dead coming to life. Several OF
these owed their restoration to conscious
ness to the ofiiciousness or irreverence OF
friends. who. persistently declining to be
lieye that they were absolutely dead,
forced liquor down their Threats. y
chapter is devoted to the remarkable
case of ''Sir Hugh Ackland, of Devon
shire. who, after being laid out as
corpse, was revived by 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 o
Marlborough, while preparing for chape
on Sunday, fell down, to all appearance
dead. In spite of the positive assurance
of the physicians, who declared her to b'
irrecoverably dead, her loving husband
Colonel Godfrey, persisted In believing
that she was only in trance. So she la,
till the following Sunday, when eXacti.
at the same hour rs her seizure, Just a
the chapel bell was once more ringing
she awoke. She was not aware that sh
had been in state of suspended ANNA
ton for week, and the first thing sh
did was to scold her attendants for nc
waking her in time to go to Church, a
she had intended to do. That the res
toration of an inferred person to hi
should have romantic sequel and rcsu
in a cause cclcbrc seems anomalous, bu
! such thing did occur in the olden time
Two neighbors living in the Rue -
Honorc, Paris, who were very gre;
friends, had respectively son and
: i daughter The Young people were yer
much attached. and would have marie
had not wealthy sutton appeared on ii
scene, and, with the consent OF h'
! parents. obtained the hand of the dauSl
. ter. The Young lady submitted,
: French yirls think il their duty TO do
n such circumstances. and she PRUDENT
!! Melancholy, however, brought on
. malady which so herumbed her facultl
e. that she was thought to be dead, nj
= was accordingly consigned to the gray
. Her former lover. who could not belle
4, that even then she was lost to HIN
. persuaded the grave digger to bring Il
n body To his house There Inc used eVei
: means to restore animation. and 81
II ccedcd. Convinced that now she bclong'
- to him, she agreed to his proposal tn
thew should escape to England. Ten yea
afterwards they returned to Paris.
chance meeting between husband a
'e, wife convinced the former that the latt
va was still alive, though he had buried ,
ne with becoming grief. He claimed h
RS, for his own. the claim was resisted, an
rs despite every augment to the contrM
d. the Judge decided in his favor. Aga
m the LADY and lover sought ;happine.
ns 1ight. and they lived abroad witho
further mOlcstatiOn.
Now for some recent cases. The folio
ing one is reported from Nevada, Mo,
ly August "a. 1888. While the remains
twenty-thrce unknown dead bod
were being removed from Deepwo
- Cemetery. in that town, Superlntendt
J &. V. Mccain discovered body viii
. was partially petritied, and, from
J position. evidently had been burr
J alive. The body was that OF an infa
, probably a year old, ana was lying
!, its face with its legs drawn up and
( bottom of its feet resting on the col
i lid.
II Early in February. this year, the ri
J adelphia Press published a remarka