West Virginia daily oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1894-1902, 1902-01-30

Kept His Coffin Ready aud Once Al
tended HIS Own Funeral.

tended HIS Own Funeral,
John Sammons, an old farmer,
died recently near Bullvil!e. His
eccentricities had long made him
conspicuous among his neighbors.
Twenty years ego he readin a
paper one day that Collins were
going out of style and were being
replaced by caskets.
"My last mortal re INFANTS ain't
agoin' to be tucked away 10 no cas-
ket," he said. EN- I'm goin' down
10 York to fetch hum one of them
cofics"
Accordingly he went and several
days later came home bringing a
coffin. It was good coffin, made
of heavy oak and polished until Its
fowner could see his Dristling whis-
kers reflected In It,
He laid 1t carefully away%in the
spare bed room and left 1t there
for several months. Then one day
ne decided that the coffin was too
costly an article of furniture to
hide away and 1t was forthwith
brought to his bedroom, where he
stood 1t in a corner. For, nearly 20
years that oaken coffin stood In his
bed room, waiting the day when
John should need it.
Its presence In his room gradual
ly brought about strange state OF
mind IN him and he spent much OF
his time In medita:ing on death
One spring morning he was plow.
ling a field when the pillow struck a
large fat stone. There were strange
marks upon the stone, and date
August 1o" At least, Sammons
insisted that the date was there and
he at once decided that the stone
was warning to him that be would
die on the coming August 10
He seemed rather pleased than
otherwise, and had a vault con
!structed on his farm, wherein he
desired bis remains TO be placed.
| 10 due time he sent invitations to
his funeral.
II want We all to come, 'en fetch
eriong yer frien's," he said, "cos
I've been warned of which Is te,
come ter pass"
Then one day early In August he
drove to Montgomery and bar
lgained with the Rev. DR.. Lee, Of
the Reformed church, to conduc
the services. The minister wa.
surprised at the request, and triet
to argue with the man. But Sam
mons said:
by the tarnal gosh, them kline
o warnin's amt ter be shifted at, ,
and the minister agreed to be or
hand.
He was and so were about SOC
others, who began coming eaily II
the morning and kept coming near
ly all day. John Sammons, 10 {
salt he brought when he wen
a-courtin a quarter of centur,
before, was ready and waiting fol
the last SUMMONS. He had riser
early and made his final prepare
lions, after which he sat down L
wait.
1 He waited all the morning auc
the GRO Nd outside, in the meantime
became SO impatient that every tev
minutes some one would go to thu
door and ask him If he was aliv'
yet. Finally he saw the necessity
iof making an explanation to thu
people.
He stepped to the door and be.
gan harangue In sepulchral tones
but The crowd soon tired of listen
ing, and chased him about the
house, and then drank all the ole
apple whisky.
The mourners who gathered to
weep at MS fuceral never forgave
Summons for his failure to die, and
he himself, never forgot the disap-
pointment Of the day as long as he
lived. After that he used 10 90
down into the vault and sit fo1
hours meditating on the uncer-
teinty of human existence. There
probably never was a man that
wanted TO live half as much as old
Sammons wanted to die. But his
health stayed good and he was
strong and rugged.
| After awhile he got new theory
In his queer old brain. 1t was that
when human beings died their souls
transmigrated Into the bodies Of
animals.
| He declared that very vicious