The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-12-26
BURIED ALIVE.
4 Most Uncanny Story Told by an
English Officer.
The Strange Sequel to the Robbery of Young
Brides Grave in a Leieestershire
Cemetery.

The Strange Sequel to the Robbery of a Young
Brides Grave in a Leicestershire
Cemetery.
An English officer tells the following
strange and uncanny story, which ought to
be given as far as possible in his own words.
"a great friend of mine, a fellow named
D., one Of Ours was engaged to the
daughter of an old clergyman in Leicester
shire. They were awfully in love with each
other. and were to be married in ten days;
he had asked me to be his best man, and all
the arrangements were completed for the
wedding when he received a Geographic
message from the father of the bride to say
that she had been taken suddenly Ill and to
come at once If he would see her alive.
OF course he started for their place im-
mediately. and was so completely cut
up about it that l went with him, feel
ing that he ought not to be alone in such
acOndition of mind We found the SAD news
only too true; the poor girl was dying, and as
they both greatly desired that he might
have the right to be with her to the end, the
old rector performed the ceremony, and
they were made man and wife. 1t was the
most affecting thing l ever saw. Her
mother drew off her own wedding ring.
which the poor fellow placed on the finger
of his broken lily of bride. who lay there
so white and wan, the only calm member OF
the agitated group. Three days afterward
all WAS over. Unable to bear his old life,
D. sent in his papers and left the service
for several years 1 completely lost sight OF
him; aud then, from an English surgeon
who had prOffered his services to the Ger
man authorities during the Franco-Prussian
war, L heard a tale so weird that it might
we'll seem impossible. Finding the mo-
notony of his life uncomfortable, D.. it seems,
entered the French army, and without
much difficulty. through his previous con-
nections, obtained commission in one OF
the regiments which had been ordered to
the front After the battle of Sedan, among
the many who had been carried to the hos
pital mOrtally wounded was D.. Was
it vsionY he thought that as he lay dying
be saw bending over him his old love, his
dead wife. in the garb of Sister OF the
Red Cross. He saw the startled white face
and the deep blue eyes that he knew so well
all filled with an awakening wonder. There
was a sharp cry ana the Sister swooned
away. The surgeon in attendance hurried
up, and giving her in charge OF some Of the
other nurses, returned to
THE EXCITED MAN,
Who insisted that he had seen the face of
his dead wife. The shock was too much for
his enfeebled condition, his wound broke
out afreSh, and in few hours lie was dead.
"On leaving his patient, who no longer
required his services, the doctor found the
Red Cross nurse delirlous with brain fever
Over and over again she lived what seemed
to be the last weeks of a previous existence
She was happy promised bride-she was
giTliSnly excited over her trousseau and
pretty presents-she talked proudly of her
handsome and devoted lover-aHd finally of
solemn DEATH bed wedding. That was
all-over and over she seemed to live again
a former period of her life-but of the time
since the doctor had known her, there came
never word. a year or two before he had
been connected with one of the London hos
piials, and had been greatly interested In
this woman, who had been brought there
and placed in the ward for the insane. The
only point upon which her mind seemed
affected was that she had no recollection of
the past, and seemed entirely oblivious of
her own identity. Her name had been
given as Mrs. Clark, and the people who left
her had never appeared again. Showing her
self most capable and intelligent with the
one exception stated, she was kept as an as
slStant IN the wards, and gradually became
| one of the most experienced of the hospital
nurses. When the doctor decided to 90 to
the seat of war it occurred to him to take
her with him, not only on account of her
acknow lodged competency, but with the
idea that change and excitement might pos
sibly touch some chord that would awaken
her memory. Bot she died without recover
ing consciousness, aud the mystery was I'M
solved. Among D-'S effects, however,
the doctor found letter directing that his
lew papers, ETC., should be sent to me in
case of his death; and photograph in a
frame which was so maTyelously like the
dead woman that he at once wrote and gave
ME all the particulars, not only Of ID.
death, but of
MRS. CL.ARK's LIFE
While under his observation. He forwarded
at the time "a nlain Cntn WI ioh
was on her finger when she came to the
hospital, and which had simply date OF
thirty years back engraved inside the rim.
Feeling that the strange coincidence-for it
could be nothing more-waS hardly enough
to warrant me in disturbing the family by
awakening painful memories, | concluded
at first to say nothing about it; hut the af-
fair troubled me, and at length | grew
fairly haunted with the idea that there was
more in it all than liked to think possible
l finally found myself en- route for the
Leicestershire village without any clear
idea OF what l really intended to do. There
| found changes; the old rector and his
wife had both died; their only remain
lag child-a son-had gone over to Cam
ada. where his wife's people lived. | knew
no one-aIl the faces were strange to me. I
felt that eerie sense of living in the past,
of having nothing to dc with the present.
that come over one sometimes. While wait
ing for the afternoon train which was to
take me back / wandered into the church.
yard, and sought out the graves of the old
couple and of my friends BRIDE Mary
was written on the maidstone, beloved
wife and daughter-died May L. 49, But
did she die then or long after? That is
what haunts me to this day."
DO you mean that she was buried in
trance?" said the listener
That is what l believe" he answered.
Il think that her rescuers were afraid of
the law, and finding signs of life, hurried
her to hospital whpra her qp.ira 10 NJ
memory tempted them to keep the matter
forever secret. Thinking it over, deemed
it inexpedient to take any steps In the mat
ter. The publicity would have been pain
full; they were all dead. 1t could do no
good, and so l let the matter rest But from
that day to this ! have been doubtful
whether did right or not in not carrying
the investigations further. IN. Y Tribune.