The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-11-09
A STRANGE CASE or
RAISING THE DEAD.


4 cintion.l i-
There IS vacant lot 100 feet front
By 200 feet deep In the upper part Of
New York about which nearly CEN
tury ago residences were sprlnging up.
One day In 49, II was announced that
this lot had been bought by a man
who intended to use It for livery
stable. The proximity of such proper
ty being undesirable, residents of the
neighborhood dubbed together and
bought the property. Two gentlemen
Invested $1,000 each, forming a trust,
every investor having the right to nom
mate person to inherit his interest.
The property was to be kept intact TIL
but one OF these nominees remained
alive. This person was to then be-
dome its owner. The nominees were
all under one year Of age and selected
from families remarkable for longev
ity.
When ninety years had passed but
two nominees were living. Gustavus
Clough Wyatt and Lydia Ward Selby.
Mr.. Wyatt was ninety-one years Of
age, Mrs. Selby ninety-two and half.
Both were In fairly good health con-
sidering their advanced age. Mr..
Wyatt had wllled the property in case
he should live to secure It to his son,
Walter Lambert, aged sixty-fve. Miss
Selby's interest was to go TO her great.
grandniece, Florence Dudley, aged
fourteen.
fx IoNa Afv al
Mrs. Selby had experienced a great
change. In each there remained but
the flicker of the last drops of life's
burning oil. The property which one
or the other would own was worth
$1.000,000. Lambert who would in
herit II his father should be the sur
vivor, was an old curmudgeon whom
everybody hated. Florence Dudley was
lovely girl with no means whatever
and engaged to Travers Trask, a
young medical man who proposed to
make surgery his speciality.
Since the inheritance of a million
was dependent upon the lives of these
two aged people they were kept like
plants In conservatory. The slight.
est draft of air coming near either
one of them was considered of more
Importance than cyclone elsewhere
Both lived on toast water, and neither
was permitted to go out of doors. Mr.
Wyatt was under the constant care OF
Dr. Myrtlewood, young man whose
whole time was engaged for the pair.
pose by Lambert. Mrs. Selby was un.
der the care of DR.. Trask, who visited
her every day.
The autumn of 10 was balmy up tC
the 18th of November, when blizzard
came down that carried Off most OF
those whose lives hung In the balance
Old Mr.. Wyatt and old Mrs. Selby
both lay dying. Mr.. Lambert had spies
In the Selby home. and DIR. Trask, who
had his fiancee's interests In charge
managed to keep himself fairly posted
as to the condition of old Wyatt. Each
principal was approaching the end OF
the race, and It seemed probable that
the winner might survive by only a
few hours. Dr. Myrtlewood was keep
Ing old Wyatt up by stimulants, and
DR.. Trask was doing the same by Mrs
Selby. sympathy was entirely with
Miss Dudley every one hoping that
she would inherit.
At o o'clock on the morning OF Nov
IL, while the storm was still raging
DR.. Trask saw that his patient was
sinking. Word came that Mr.. Wyatt
could live but few hours. An hour
after this Mrs. Selby, despite the eff
feet of the most powerful stimulants
passed away. Lambert was still alive
Within ten minutes after Mrs. Selby's
death the fact was reported to DR.
Myrtlewood, who gave over attempting
to longer keep his patient alive, and
he died half an hour later.
Dr. Trask may be said to be on the
scouting line of his profession. While
a student he had witnessed an expert
ment which has startled the world
He resolved to repeat 1t. Turning ev'
cry one out of the room where Mrs
Selby had died except his intimate
friend, DR.. Semester, a graduate Of q
prominent German school of medicine
whom he retained for an assistant, he
made an incision over the woman's
heart. He then inserted his hand and
clasped the organ, squeezing It gently
and massaging 1t. This process he
kept mp for some fifteen minutes, when
a faint tinge Of color appeared in the
patients cheeks. DIR. Semester placed
a mirror under the womans nostrilS
and slight moisture appeared on the
glass. The massaging continued some
ten minutes longer, when the patient
opened her eyes.
Hastily covering the body to the
chin DIR. Trask summoned every one
in the house and said to them:
II wish you to witness that on this
18th day of November at 3:45 p. M
Mrs. Selby lives"
At that moment the patient sighed
and said In feeble voice, 81 feel sc
queer"
do you hear thatT said the doctor
"She not only lives, but speaks. Leave
the room. Everything depends upor
keeping her composed"
No one knew what was passing II
the slckroom till O'clock, when the
two physicians emerged and announc
ed that Mrs. Selby was dead
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