The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1891-01-26
,st it was resolved to bury her despite his

last it was resolved to bury her despite his
protests.
In the struggle to remove him from the
room the bandage around the girls face
fell off ana her lips were seen to move
She called for water, and on giving this
evidence of vitality received proper atten-
ton. She, also, at last accounts, is still in
the land of the living,
A vet narrower escape from premature
interment was that OF a resident of York
county Pa. the coffin had been lowered
into the grave, and the first shovelful of
earth had fallen on the lid when the son of
the supposed dead man demanded one
more look at his fathers face, explaining
that something told him he was not dead.
His request was complied with, and such
signs OF life were discovered that the fu-
neral was stopped and the body carried
back to the house There the process of
recovery continued until the man was re-
stored to consciousness.
A horrible case Of untimely burial be-
came known some time ago through the
confession of a man lying hopeessly i'll in a
hospital at Copenhagen. He declared that
year before, on a dark and stormy night,
he had sought the cemetery to rob the
had Deen buried during the afternoon with
many costly jewels on her person. lie
cleared away the earth and l2id the lid of
the coffin bare. This he tore off, and be-
gan to search among the costly robes for
his booty He found some difficulty in re-
moving heavy gold ring from the right
forefnger of the corpse. To secure 1T he
used a knife, and was terror stricken to
see the supposed dead woman rise up. he
recovered from his panic sufficiently to aid
her to the surface of the ground.
1t seems that she had been conscious but
powerless through all the hours while her
friends and relatives had mourned her as
lost and arranged her body for the tomb.
She plead with the grave robber to spare
her life and return her to her home, but
the wretch, thinking only of his personal
safety, concluded that her continued exist
ence meant his detection and punishment,
So he beat her down with his shovel, re-
placed her in the coffin, filled up the grave
and fled His horrible confession was sub
staptiated by the exhumation of the man
gled corpse.
Such occurrences as those narrated above
naturally bring up the question as to in
fallible tests of death One physician of
prominence has declared that decay is the
only sure sign, and here is the warning
which he recently gave to the public above
his own signature:
"If any member of your household is
pronounced dead, and no signs of decompo-
sition are visible, cover the body with a
sufficient amount of clothing to favor
warmth, and then patiently watch and
wait, even if it be for six months or year.
Perchance lie yet hangs by a feeble thread,
and resuscitation may be spontaneous"
Catalepsy, trance, suspended animation
any of these may simulate the last dread
change which marks the close of life, and
/ if error is to be made it is well that il
should he made on the side of delay, fol
there is always the possibility that post
poned funeral may result in the restora
ton to friends and family of some ont
mourned rs dead. GEORGE BAvARD