The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-07-13
Maud Matthews Removed From
Her Coffin at Lexington, KY,
Alive and Well.
WAS IN HYPNOTIC SLEEP.
Says 1t Is Not the First Time She
Has Tried the Experiment
and Will Make Other
Tests.

REPUBLIC SPECIAL.
Lexington. KY, July I2.-After having
been buried In grave in Woodland Park
Cemetery three days. 1s-year-old Maud
Matthews was to-day disinterred In the
presence OF a thousand persons and. re-
covering from what was claimed TO be a
hypnotic sleeo stepped from her casket
with CHEEKY "Hellor to the gravedig-
gers.
The case has caused sensation. and as
the details are made public they almost
pass the credible
Last Monday morning the young girl
was put Under hypnotic influence. A coffin.
such az Is ordinarily used. was procured
and she vas placed in It. The body of the
girl was then borne to Woodland Park and.
grave having been previously prepared.
the coffin was lowered five feet into the
ground and the dirt and stones thrown in
and over IT. To make the affair as realistic
as possible the earth was mounded over.
Then the burial party left.
This morning 1t was advertised that the
grave would be opened to-day. and when
the gravediggers got there. there was a
great crowd present to witness the disin-
terment.
Laboriously the digsers lifted out the
earth. spadeful by spadefui. the crowd
standing with bated breath and eager eyes.
The coffin was lifted carefully to the sur
face and the lid unscrewed Miss Matthews
was discovered In the same position as
when buried She looked as though in a
peaceful Sleep
The physician who had hypnotized her be-
fore her burial stepped forward and uttered
a word or two In her ear. Instantly she
awoke. and. stepping lightly from the coffin,
greeted him with familiar ''Helio.
In India. buriais alive or while the sub
5ect is under hypnotic influence are quite
common. II Is one of the star tricks of the
Dervishes. and for years mystified the scien-
tific world.
Tonight. in relating her experience, Miss
Matthews said:
"Oh. this isn't the first time I have been
under the ground At another time i was
buried. and was placed in a coffin. too. 1t
was on the Fourth of July. at Natural
Bridge, In the Kentucky Mountains. We
had gone up there on a pleasure trip, and
Professor Leon thought 1t would be a good
place to make a trial to see what l could
do.
II had seen hypnotic tests where men
were buried day or so, and / thought
could do it II they could. so l allowed him
to bury me all day, and stood the ordeal
well. At night he took me up. / was con-
WINGED that I would not fail II buried for
longer length OF time. and they do say
looked beautiful. laid out five feet below
the surface Of the earth.
Il did not feel 1t at all There is NJ feel
ing. When one is hypnotized. their SENSIBLE
fty is entirely taken away. All know was
that 1 was hypnotized in the Park Audi
forum at night. BY consulting my friends
1 find that the earth has been revolved
twice. / know / was buried. for they told
me so, and here is the coffin. i feel no
stiffness In my limbs. nor do I feel any
hunger.
after / awoke I drank a glass Of warm
water and ate a cracker. Later / ate break
fast, as usual. Upon weighing find have
lost one and one-half pounds. Ii is fine
way to pass the time away, and any one
feeling like their time Is too slow should
try 1t.
Il am going to undertake the death test
next. 1 am certain / can live under the
hypnotic spell as long as any one. and they
tell me men have lived two and han
weeks. This Is called the death test"