Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1899-02-03
BURIED ALIVE.


Home for two days last week, has now
almost recovered from the awful shock
that his nerves received when he awoke
IN coffin under six feet of earth and
found himself securely fastened in the
box. To the surprise of DR.. Holt, who
IS attending the case, Clark's mind is
not In the least affected by this terrible
strain, and the victim is now able to
converse freely. He talks about his
experience in cool manner, although
fully aware of the awful death he so
narrowly escaped. Clark said:
Had l fully awakened down there
under the ground cannot realize how
awful death would have been. Only
once did come to myself in the slight
est and / presume that was when l
thought l was dying. 1 guess 1 knew
| was in coffin and the thought must
have caused me to relapse at once into
an unconscious state. l knew nothing
else until awoke in bath tub covered
with hot water and many people stand
ing about and rubbing me.
sit has always been horror of mine
that 1 should go into trance some day
and be pnt in a coffin before 1 was
dead"
DR.. Holt is not the regular soldiers
home physician, but one of the physi-
clans about town. He did not know
Clark was subject to frances. DR..
Hollis own statement says:
1.-The case of John Clark is one of
the most mysterious 1 have ever had
under observation. After an attack of
typhoid fever he died what seemed to
me most natural death. After due
time his body became cold and stiff and
his eyelids opened. l could feel no
pulsation and the heart had stopped
beating. l did not place a glass over
his mouth to see if there was any mois-
ture gathered upon it. This 1 realize
should have been done, but all other
signs pointed to natural death and not
knowing that Clark was subject to these
fainting spells, pronounced him dead
and burial certificate was secured.
The soldiers of the post here did not
seem to be very well acquainted with
| the deceased, as he was a newcomer.
but all turned out to the funeral, and
he was buried. This was on Wednes-
day, December II. Thursday news of
his death had reached Henry Hozen,
an old comrade of Clarke's at Winfield.
He arrived there just the day after the
burial. He insisted Clark was not dead
after l had related the circumstances.
lone day before, when in the midst
of battle, Clark had fallen as il dead"
he said. lust before he was thrown into
trench he recovered. That was ter
hours later"
With this explanation it was decided
to remove the supposed dead man the
next afternoon, which was done. We
found that his hands had moved anc
Hozen's story had been timely. We
rubbed him nearly an hour before hs
fully recovered.
In speaking of what had occurred
Clark said:
"On Wednesday 1 was lying in bec
thinking of happy days gone by, whel
l was youth preparing for Christina
time. Suddenly everything BEGAN,
dark. l grew cold and stiff, and at las
l was filed with great desire to eat
attempted to move, but could not
neither would my eyes open. Once
heard man say, He IS dead Hor
, rors, was my predicted fate to com
/ true? / made supreme effort &
speak. bnt could not. Then 1 relapse
into state of Darkness. l do not re
, member anything until 1t suddenl
flashed through my mind that / wa
dying and in coffin. The awfulnes
of the situation again caused me to be
come unconscious.