Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-07-02
SLEEPS IN OWN
COFFIN To BALK
THE UNDERTAKES
Nebraskan Eccentric Made the
Bed in Which He Proposes
to Take RepOse during
His Eternal Rest.

| Lincoln, Neb., June 26.-Every night
| In the year f. T. Hunger, formerly chief
of police Of Lincoln, sleeps in his coffin
| The homemade box stands on the front
porch of the Hunger residence. at No
2314 Randolph street. and at night. after
the neighbors have gone to bed, "Od
Man" Hunger goes out and climbs into
the box If the weather is cold or If a
shower comes up. he pulls the top of the
coffin over the opening leaves a crac,
through which he can get little fresh
! air, and calmly goes to sleep. Mr.. Hun
ger is now &c years old, and for many
years he has been sleeping in his coffin
And ! made that coffin myself, too"
he says proudly. Costs too much to
die in these days. SO | just thought I'd
play joke on the undertakers and make
my own coffin while I was we'll enough
to do it. So I got me some inch plank
about a foot wide and several pieces
| of 2x4 | put the latter at each corner
to make the box stable. and then
nailed 1t together with eight-penny nails
Whole thing cost me less than s5, but
It's strong enough to hold a man about
my size without any trouble And won't
| those undertakers be mad when / die
and they can't get any of my money!"
The Hunger home sits back from the
street and there are trees all around
II. In the summer these trees shade the
porch and the grewsome object cannot
be seen plainly. But when winter strips
! the limbs and branches Mr. Hunger's
, home made coffin can be seen by all pas
! sershv.
was a constah bile in Lincoln and is one
OF the best known men in the city. But
the TACT that he sleeps in his coffin every
night is fact known TO few others than
his neighbors and close friends
NO UNDERWRITERS FOR HIM
Hope I'll die some night right in that
coffin.' says the ex-chief of police MY
family knows just what 1 want done.
] want them to nail that lid on Just as
quickly as they know I'm dead. and then
haul me to the cemetery: don't want .nv
of those undertakers holding me up for
big bill for funeral expenses. No. sir.
what's good enough for me to sleep in
Is good enough for me to be buried in"
The old man has his sleeping box nicely
arranged. He built the casket little
DIT deeper than usual, and then he fitted
set of springs in the bottom. On these
ne placed small mattress, and then
come his blankets and quilts
Heard of lots of people who've huilt
their own collins, I suppose" saws Hun
ger. Put YOU don't very often hear or \
Fellow who turns around and sleeps in 1t
after he's made 1t, do vou?"
i don't like this thing of putting Jew
elry and expensive clothes in the ground
They are needed here on tn surface.
Thousands of dollars are wasted that va,-
every day. Now. I'm going to die simplv
I've got things fixed so that all the OK
pense will be that of digging the grave.
III furnish the coffin, and my son has q
wagon. We are not going to have a
preacher. And there won't he any fu
heral exercises Of any kind These here
undertakers charge a fellow more than a
hundred dollars. It's outrageous"
But then, I'm only rs years old and 7
don't expect to die Yet for about % wears
My grandmother lived to be one hundred
and three. and In twenty years I will he
seven years younger than she was when
she died But if | live "a hundred wears
more I'm going to sleep In that coffin
every night. | like it,
DO you know that's the most comfort
able bed ever got into In my life Well
1t is. That's one reason why sleep in It
right along"
LAS l SLEEP. so MAY DIE"
Hunger is an interesting character. He
was born In Germany and took part I'm
the Franco-Prussian war After that
confuct he came to America was a
roustahout on a Mississippi river steam
boat for while and then went over
Into South Carolina, but he didn't like
the country, so he drifted around. He
was street car conductor in Philadel-
phia and held different positions in a
dozen cities. In Ohio he married and he
and his bride came West, settling at Lin
coin.
You never can tell just what will
happen said the old man as he sat
on the side Of his box. you see | may
be called upon most any time to occupy
this thing permanently. and I certainly
am ready for that call, | have seen
enough of life, anyway.
AS ] sleep, so may / die and as they
find me, may they let me be-" said
Hunger. Some morning when they come
to wake me they will fnd me sleeping
the long sleep. Then 7 want them not
to disturb me, but to Just nail the lid
on and cart me out to the cemetery.