The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-01-01
SAVED BY AN UNDERTAKEN.
Young Woman's Narrow Escape from
Living Tomb.

Living Tomb.
do you see that lady in the carriage
with the little girl in her arms?" asked
North Side undertaken, of Press
representative.
Eyes, SIR"
well, that is Mrs -, and eight
years ago | was called to her home by
| ler father to prepare her body for
burial"
What! prepare live person for
burial?' asked the reporter in amaze
ment.
I'm this case, yes, but her parents
and drunken physician thought she
was dead"
ut was shortly after / opened up my
| establishment on the North Side, when
one evening nicely dressed old gentle
the proprietor. / informed him that
was the individual he was seeking, and
asked him what could do for him. He
told me he desired my services to pre-
pare his daughters remains for burial,
and wanted her embalmed so that the
body would keep month.
This was about my first good job in
this vicinity, and knew if / did my
work satisfactorily to the old gentleman
that it would help me in my business,
which at the time was not very brisk,
as | was comparatively stranger in
that section of the city. The old gen.
tleman seemed anxious to have me take
charge of the remains myself. After
packing my instrument case and taking
an extra quantity of embalming fluid,
| started for the residence
when ! rang the bell was admitted
by servant, who conducted me to the
room where the alleged corpse lay. AS
yet nothing had been disturbed. The
body was covered by sheet, and when
| uncovered the face found it was that
OF beautiful girl about II years of
age To all appearance life was ex-
tinct, as the body was cold and rigid.
| lifted her on to my cooling board, and
it was then that 1 discovered, when the
features were plainly visible, that her
eyes were bright and not covered by a
film, as is usual, and that her lips were
remarkably red for dead person. At
first l was about to call the old gentle
man and tell him that his daughter was
not dead, but l thought better of it, as
l was sure l was mistaken Neverthe-
less, l determined to make the usual
tests, and was about to prick her with
my lance when l thought / noticed a
slight movement of the eye. Nor was
l mistaken.
81 barred the neck so as to get near
the artery we use in arterial embalm-
ing, and when l made slight indenta-
ton with the knife a small drop of
blood dropped on my finger. This
blood was warm, and / then knew that
life was not extinct Icalled servant,
and asked her what form of disease her
mistress had died of. She told me the
doctor said it was typhoid malaria |
then asked for the death certificate, and
found that the servant was right.
II said nothing to any one in the
house, and after wrapping the body in
several blankets, placed it back on the
bed.
II had often read of people being in
frances and taken for dead. and was
sure that this was similar case Not
knowing whether she was conscious, 1
spoke to her and told her that knew
she was in a hypnotic state and not
lead, and that / would return in a few
moments with physician. / passed
quietly out of the house after telling
the servant to allow no person in the
room till / returned, and found medi-
cal friend who accompanied me back to
the house. He was not long in deter
mining the facts, as his diagnosis
proved beyond all doubt that the lady
was not dead, but in deep trance. He
also thought she was conscious, and
spoke kindly to her, telling her not to
fear, as she would be all right in lit
tie while.
''He injected drug into her arm, and
in short time was rewarded by hear
ing slight futter of the heart, which
gradually grew stronger.
when l went downstairs the old
gentleman was pacing up and down the
parlor floor, and when he saw me he
started for his hat and coat, saying he
pick out caslxet. | told him to be
seated, as there was some mistake, as
his daughter did not need a coffin at
present, and hoped it would be a long
time before she did. At first could not
make him comprehend that his daugh-
ter was still alive, but finally convinced
aim that it was fact, and introduced
aim to the doctor, who in the meantime
had come into the room
THE old man was partly stunned,
and acted more like a crazy man than
the sensible person that he was We'll,
both the doctor and sat at the bedside
of the girl all night, but it was not I'M
til the following afternoon that she re-
covered consciousness. She knew abso-
lutely nothing of what had taken place.
and it was not until some weeks after,
when she had fully recovered, that her
father told her all. Three wears later
she was married, and is to-day as happv
a wife and mother as lives in Chicago"
Chicago Press.