Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1895-06-26
SAVED BY A DISPUTE.
THE DOCTORS DISAGREED, AND HAY
WARD BEGAN LIFE ANEW.

A Man Now Living In Missouri Tells .
Pretty Stiff Story of Burial Alive, Body
Snatching and Return of Physical Pow
ers on the Dissecting Table.
To be buried alive while sorrowing
friends are standing about the open
grave and then come to life in dissect-
ing room is the actual experience Of
George Hayward, an Independence jew
eler.
Although years have elapsed since he
was lowered gently into his grave, the
memory of the moment when the under
taker screwed down the lid of his coffin,
shutting out the sunlight, and the SEN
sation he felt as he was lowered into the
grave, while funeral dirge was being
chanted by the village choir, still re-
mains to him as horrible dream.
he was conscious from the time he
was pronounced dead until he was
snatched from the grave by the medical
fraternity and laid on the dissecting ta-
BILE in the 'interest of science.
Mr. Hayward still retains the grim
recollections of hearing the damp earth
falling ON the coffin lid, mournful ac-
compartment to the sobs of relatives.
He was unable to help himself or
make sign, and knowing this, his
agony was at times intense.
His greatest agony of mind occurred
when the sexton rounded up his grave
on top and the sound Of receding foot
steps smote his ear.
Mr.. Hayward says that at this mo-
ment he fell into dreamy sensation Pc
culiar to drowning man. How long he
remained in that condition he does not
know, but his sense of living again came
over him when he heard scraping on
his coffin lid some little time after he
had been buried. Mr.. Hayward is
man SO years of age. He related his
burial and resurrection with the uncon-
Germ of man who does not fear death.
''It was in Marshalville, England,
County Gloucestershire, where I was
buried, said Mr.. Hayward very grim
ly. My father had a large family of
boys, and he raised us all ON the farm
near the village. One day farm hand
accidentally struck me on the head with
pitchfork. I was soon in bed, and in
two weeks my eyes closed in what was
supposed to be death, yet Twas conscious
of every movement round me, and was
even able to open my eyes enough to see
many things.
GAS soon as the undertaken arrived
knew that was to be buried alive Try
as would nothing could break the spell
which bound me. Every action and ev-
cry word spoken are as distinct to my
mind now as then. The undertaken ap-
preached and the lid of my little prison
house was fastened down. Life seemed
all but gone when this took place, but,
as I stated, no effort of mine could
break the spell. The coffin was showed
into the wagon, and the trundling of the
vehicle sounded i'll my ears.
II was conscious of the fact that 1
was soon to be lowered into my grave.
Strange as it may seem, at times did
not feel fear at my impending fate. The
coffin was taken out of the wagon and
lowered into the grave.
''In those days boxes were not used
as a receptacle for the coffin. The clods
Of earth fell heavy on the lid of the cas-
ket. There I was being entombed alive,
unable to speak OF stay the hands of my
friends.
''My effort to move proved futile, and
the close air of the coffin seemed sitting
to me. Suddenly the shoveling ceased,
and the silence of the tomb was COM
plete. 1 did not seem to have the fear
that person would naturally expect
under such circumstances.
''All remember is that the grave is
a lonely place, and the silence of the
tomb was horribly oppressive. A dreamy
sensation came over me, and sense of
suffOcation became apparent. My whole
system was paralyzed; were it other
wise my struggles would have been des-
perate.
'.How long remained in this condi-
tion do not know. The first sense of
returning life came over me when I
heard the scraping of spade ON my cof-
fin lid. I felt myself raised and borne
away. was taken out Of my coffin,
not to my home, but to a dissecting
room. 1 beheld the doctors who had
waited on me at my home, dressed in
long, white aprons. In their hands they
had knives. Through my half closed
eyes saw them engaged in a dispute.
They were trying to decide how to cut
me up. One argued one way, while the
other doctor took another view of the
matter. ALI this I witnessed through my
half open eyes. My sense of hearing was
remarkably acute. Both approached the
table and opened my mouth to take out
my tongue, when, by superhuman effort,
my eyelids were slightly raised. The
next thing heard was:
"'Look out, you fool, he is alive.
He is dead, rejoined the other doc
tor.
"'See, he opens his eyes, continued
the first doctor. The other physician let
his knife drop, and a short time after
that commenced to recover rapidly.
Instead of cutting me up they took me
home. I owed my life to the doctors
dispute as to what allied me during my