Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1904-08-17
STOPPED HIS OWN FUNERAL.
This Was the Experience of Negro
at New Orleans.

Inns "oS the experience or a Negro
at New Orleans.
10 awake and find himself In cof-
I'M, bound up with grave clothes, in
hearse on the perilous edge of the GEN.
etery-this was the experience a year
ago OF Joe Smith, the negro porter Of
j. l.. Onarato's real estate office, says
the New Orleans Picayune.
Had Joe awakened from his trance
ten minutes later he would have found
himself buried alive. Ten minutes was
all that stood between him and an aw-
full fate and still Joe speaks Of it I'M
moved and even chuckles when he pic
lures what might have been. His hair
Is not gray, nor would one suppose ON
looking at him, that he had come so
close to death.
That many men are buried alive La
growing opinion. How many living
souls are yearly doomed to such awful
agony no man can know. But there
are many men in this town who wake
up in the night time with the terrible
remembrance that their child, their Sis
ter, their brother or their wife died
in the morning and was buried before
night, only a few hours apart; and
there are at least three men in New
Orleans to-day, high and respected in
business and professional circles,
whose hair is white with the fear that
their loved ones woke up afterWard in
the darkness.
Joe Smith had habit of falling into
frances ever since he was years old.
His first trance occurred at that age
and lasted for twelve hours. His sec
ond occurred some years after and
lasted for twenty hours; and his last
occurred year and half. ago and
lasted for thirty-six hours. Had the
last trance endured only a few mo-
ments longer Joe would have had no
more.
Joe tells his story without the faint
est show Of reluctance, and even seem
ed mildly proud to have it appear in
the paper. I'D jes' drapped off fer
Sleep" said Joe, "jes' an ord'nar sleep,
'cuz de weather was hot an I'd been
wu'kin.' When / woke up couldn't
see. Twas all dark roun' about, and
smelt sump'n like er pine board. I
tried to move an hit against board;
| tried to raitch up my ham, an my
ham hit sump'n hard. I tried to open
my mouth, an l foun' my jaw was
tied. Then felt "a joltin' an a STUN.
bin an shakin' along, an knowed
I was in a coffin an boun' fer de grave
yard ssh
Den raitch up my ham an break
de glass over my face. Den use all.
my strength and break de board over
de top Of de coffin an I rise up."
Here Joe paused to chuckle, and a
luminous grin spread over his face. 81
blong to three societies." he said, "an'
every member Of every society was
followin' dat hearse We was just
turnin' frum Canal street into Rampant
dat time, an dey was crowd aroun'.
But when bruk through that glass n
bust out de hearse, all wropped in
grave clothes an with a sort O. wild
look in my eyes, in minute I was all
alone on Rampant street."
whats the matter, Joe?" Did your
friends leave you" inquired the lis
tener.
Dem niggers had 'nough," said Joe.
"All de same" he continued, minute
later, "next time I die, I'm gwine be
mighty certin for shore am dead befo'
they gWine bury me- I'll liant 'em,
shore. I'll liant any doctor tibet calls
me dead befo' my spihit's in heaben,
sho's I'm alive right now, WILL"