Year: 1878

NEARLY BURIED ALIVE.


Three Narrow Escapes From an Eternal


Prison.


The lectures which have recently been
delivered on "iving burials" by ply
sician of some eminence, go to prove
that such things happen in countries
where rapid interment succeeds death,
much more frequently than the general


ity of people would deem possible.


We who hold our dead so sacred, and
who err if anything on the side of keep.


ing them too long unburied, must natur-


ally feel kind of horror creep over US


when, from circumstances, We are brought
to witness with what haste and Want Of
reverence the last sad ceremonies are
gone through in some countries where
climate renders speedy interment after
decease an absolute necessity. Ipropose
to relate three marvellous escapes from
living burial which happened to differ
ent members of the same family at differ
ent periods. The scene was in Italy; the
facts wore related by the daughter Of
two of the parties concerned.


"You will scarcely wonder, she said,
cat my horror of being buried alive,
when I tell you that peculiar fate SEEM
ed to pursue our family, or at least did
pursue it in the last generation. My
father was an only son, and from having
beer born several years after his parents
marriage, was an object OF especial de.
votion. His mother was unable to nurse
him herself, and country woman was
procured from village at some distance
from the chateau where his parents re-.
sided, who was not only well calculated
to replace the mother as nurse, but was
of so affectionate disposition that she
seemed to throw her whole soul into her
care for the well-being of the child, and
lavished as much affection on him as did
the real mother. When the age came
for weaving him, it was found impossi-
BILE to accomplish it while the nurse re-
maine1 with him; and so after many
terrible scenes, and the most heart
breaking sorrow on her part, she had to
60. The boy throve very well until he
was about three years old, when he was
attacked by some childish malady, and
to all appearances died.


"It is unnecessary to dwell on the
distracted grief of the parents. The
mother could scarcely beinduced to leave
the body, and even thoughall life was e1-
tinct, grudged every moment as it flew
toward the time when even what was
left of her darling would have to be re-
moved forever. (The time that was al
lowed by the government for bodies to
remain unburied was three days.) The
father had given strict orders that the
child's nurse should~not be informed OF
the death of her foster.son until after
tho funeral, as he felt convinced she
would at once come to see him, and he
dreaded the effect the sight OF her grief
might have on his already broken-heart-
ed wife. However, the order was i'll
kept, and on the morning of the funeral,
after all the guests had arrived and
were grouped round the coffin taking
their last farewell of the lovely boy, in
rushed the nurse, her hair down, her
dress all torn and travel, stained, her
boots nearly worn off her feet. On
hearing the news, she had started off
without waiting for extra clothing,
without word or look to any one, and
had run the whole night in order to be
in time to see her boy. As she entered
the room she pushed past servants and
guests, and on reaching the coffin,
seized the child, and before any one was
aware OF her intention or had presence
of mind to prevent her, she had vanish
ed with him in her arms. 1t was found
she had carried him off to the greaier
orgarret, and had locked and barricaded
the door. She paid no attention to
threats and entreaties, and all attempts
at forcing the door we're equally fruitless.
The guests waited patiently, hoping that
she would before long return to her
senses and bring back the child's body
for burial.


cat the end of an hour or more they
heard the heavy furniture rolledaway and
the door opened. The nurse appeared,
but with no dead child in her arms-the
little things arms we're clasped lovingly
round her neck as she pressed him to
her bosom. The mournful assemblage
was turned into one of joyful congratu-
lation. The woman would never speak
of the means she had used to restore the
boy to life; indeed, although she
became from that hour resident in the
family and a trusted and valued friend,
she steadily forebore ever referring to
the incident in which she played so
important part. She lived to see the
rescued child married and with family
of his own around him.


"The heroine of the second anecdote
was a frst-cousin to the above rescued
child "a young lady of thirteen or four
teen years old. After somewhat pro-
tracted illness she, to all appearance,
died. The mother literally refused to
believe it, although the doctors and the
other inmates of the house saw no reason
to doubt the fact. The funeral was ar
ranged, the grave made, and the speci.
fed three days had come to an end.
The mother had never left her daugh-
ter's body; che had tried every availa.
BILE means to restore her, but to no pur-
pose. AS the hour approached for the
ceremony to take place, she became
more and more distracted, and more
desperate in her efforts to convince her.
self that she still fingered. As a last re-
source she went for some strong elixir,
and taking out of her pocket a fruit.
knife with two blades-one blade of
gold, the other of silver-proceeded by
continual working to force the gold
blade between the teeth; when inserted,
she poured drop of the elixir on the
blade, then another and another, and
tried to make it enter the mouth; but it
seemed only to trickle back again and
down the chin. Still she persevered,
becoming more desperate as the mo-
ments flew on to the hour, now 30 near,
when her child was to be taken from
her. At the very last, when she was
beginning to dread the very worst, she
thought she detected slight spasm in
the throat, and on closer examination
she became aware that the liquor was no
longer returning, as it did at first. She
continued the application, every mo-
ment feeling more excited and more Joy
fully hopeful. Presently the action OF
swallowing became more decided; she
felt feeble Autter at the heart, and
before long the eyes gradually opened
and closed again; but the breathing
became quietly regular and the mother
was satisfied that now no one would
ilisnnte the fact: 80 she called her house.