The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1908-03-14
Robert E. Lees Mother Buried Alive.
CFrom the Philadelphia Press.)

This, the 101st anniversary of the
birth of General Robert E. Lee, recalls
the little known fact that he was born
more than a year after his mother had
been buried, furnishing to the world
one of the most astonishing cases of
| reviviscence OH record.
General Lees mother was by no
means an entirely healthy woman, and
| the physician at Stratford, Va, the
home of Henry Lee Light Horse Har-
ry), was kept in almost constant at
tendance. Mrs. Lee suffered from cata-
| lepsy. and during a prolonged trance
she was pronounced dead. The body
was prepared for interment and the
morning Of the third day after her sup
posed death the remains were laid to
rest in the family vault in the grave
yard of that pretty little Virginia vii
lage.
While the sexton was cleaning up
and arranging some fresh flowers to
be placed on the casket he heard a
faint voice as though of some one call
ing for assistance.
OF course, the old man was some
what alarmed, but as he had seen
many years of service in the city of
the Dead he did not leave the vault.
He listened closely and the voice was
distinctly heard again.
Becoming satisfied that the voice
came from within the casket he at
once set to work and opened it, dis
covering that Mrs. Lee was alive. He
then summoned assistance and within
a short time she was safe in bed at
her own home
Mrs. Lees recovery was slow, but
she did regain good health and little
more than year after she was buried
alive her youngest son, Robert E., was
born, and thus came into the world
one of the bravest men and greatest
generals.
But there have been number of
cases of reviviscence, and General Lee
was not the only celebrity who was
actually born after the burial of his
own mother.
Sir Richard Edgecombe's mother, af-
ter a brief illness, was believed to have
expired, and she. too, was laid away
in the family vault. About a week af-
ter her supposed DEATH the sexton. |
from motives sufficiently obvious, and
entirely too often exercised, entered
the vault and tried to take a valuable |
ring from Lady Edgecumbe's finger. |
During the sections efforts TO secure |
the ring by pressing and squeezing the |
finger, the body moved almost to one |
side. This sudden awakening of the |
OCGtu Cd1ASGO NilG SeAlOu " lice III ter /
ror, leaving his lantern in the vault |
Lady Edgecumbe succeeded in extri-
eating herself from the casket, and |
taking the lantern which the fright |
ened sexton had left in his flight. she !
vtllked to her home. Under careful |
treatment she regained her health, and |
five years after this Sir Richard was
born.
Henry f. Hupers. at one time a large
planter and cattle owner of Beaumont, !
Tex, was born after the supposed |
death of his mother. Mrs. Hupers,
like Mrs. Lee, suffered from catalep-
sy, and while in long trance her ply
stefan pronounced her dead She was
placed in a coffin, but just before the
funeral service she opened her eyes
and asked in a faint voice for a drink
Of water. The grief-stricken family
and sorrowing friends were greatly
alarmed and frightened over this sud
den coming to life, but the water was
pressed to her lips and in a few mo-
nents she had returned to entire con-
sciousness, and after a short illness re-
gained her health. Her son Harry was
born six months after this.
Still another case nearer at home is
that of John Adams of Del Rico, East
Adams is a mining engi-
leer, and one morning he was found
n bed' apparently dead. A physician
said it was a case of heart failure
The remains were made ready for in
erment and relatives and friends in
were notified. check
vas received from Philadelphia in pay
nent of the undertakings bill, but the
Undertaken declined to accept anything
ave the hard cash. This caused a
'urther delay, and while waiting the
coming of the money by express, the
Eyes of the corpse" which lay on the
cooling board, opened as from a re-
reshing sleep, and there was a yawn,
md there was likewise a sudden dis
appearance of the undertaken and 9TH
RS from the room. Mr. Adams recov- $
red and is still alive.
Many other cases could be cited, and
o frequent are premature burials be-
oming that it is now q serious ques- +
ion as to what measures can be taken I
o guard against this terrible fate.
Physicians and undertakers are
greed that there are but few infalli- 6
lie signs of death. and, possibly, none :
.bsolutely true save that Of decompo-