Daily Kennebec journal., 1913-10-11

home and prepared for burial At day-
light next morning one of the watchers
discovered signs of life Vollum. after
graduating at the medical college. passed
the army examination and became a doc
tor in the army.
AT the battle of gettysburg a bullet
passed through the head of General Paul.
tearing out both eyes Three days later
his body was removed from the field into
house, DR. Vollum, having had a
narrow escape from premature burial,
had adopted the opinion that there is
no certainty of death until the body
clearly shows decay and refused to
have him buried. Several days later the
General showed signs of life and in
time recovered his health and strength.
| and. although blind, lived for IA years in
Washington.
In the afternoon of the battle of Chick
amauga an Ohio soldier on Snodgrass
! Hin was shot through the body He was
| carried to the regimental surgeon and
pronounced dead. The writer had the
| pleasure of going over that field In 1905
with this soldier and his handsome
young daughter. He was then a member
| OF the Ohio State Legislature. and was
| robust, healthy man.
| II seems that the third day after he
| was shot he became sufficiently con-
| scious to attract the attention of Ser
| geant of Virginia regiment who poured
! some water on his wound and gave him
4 some to drink. The next day the Con-
| federates carried him to the doctors at
| Snodgrass House.
After DIR. Vollum was transferred to
| the retired list he went abroad and there
met a wealthy Englishman, who paid
| the expenses of publishing the book
| Vollum wrote some years later on pro-
| mature burals.
! Vollum states that two undertakers in
England told the Englishman and him
self that if what they personally knew
was published it would horrify the
world" He stated that il a person died
in Germany the law required that il be
at once reported to the nearest physician
of the Government. who at once takes
possession of the body, moves 1t to a
mortnary, placing it in comfortable
bed, where it is under constant observa-
ton until decay is shown The mortuar-
les are built in cemeteries. and the at
tendants live in them. 1t is said that the
last mortuary built in Munich cost sew
eral hundred thousand dollars
| Germany is not a wealthy nation and
| that such frugal nation should spend
thousands of dollars every year to pro-
| went any one being buried alive shows
| Mat they consider the precaution neces-
ary. Their doctors say the shock to
| H. 20 solar plexus caused by a gunshoi
wo sind, a fall, blow from fist or club
or a tired and hungry person drinking q
! guam tity of ice-cod water or beer, may
/ caus . apparent death that may last fol
days L ntil the system RECEIVERS from ths
shock nd revives and the person lives
The sam may also occur from weakness
caused b, illness. especially during epi
denies
They seer n to think that American Gus
toms are ra ther brutal To bury withir
two or three days does not give the body
| time to reed yer, and allowing all oni
undertakers 4. once to inject 10 cents
worth of emba Inning fluid into the bod,
kills all chance. of its ever reviving,
would look as IL Americans We're anxiou,
TO get rid of tha r parents and grand
parents. for. of q ,urse. middle-aged ~
i old people are much more liable thar
Ityoung people to q state OF suspended
4 animation.- --RaltinsoNe sun