REMARKABLE CASE OF RESTORED ANIMATION. (FROM THE "NEW YORK STAR.")

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXV, Issue 3804, 28 October 1869, Page 5

REMARKABLE CASE OF RESTORED ANIMATION. (FROM THE "NEW YORK STAR.")

One of Ihe most remarkable instances of restored animation which have ever taken place in this city occurred on Sunday night last in. Varick-street, near McDougal, the particulars of which are as follows : — An aged lady, named Rebecca Townsetd, who has been ailing for several weeks past, expired, as was supposed, on Suoday morning last. That she really was dead, no one who saw her for a moment hesitated to believe. The set eyeballs, the rigid limbs, and the apparent cessation, of respiration, all pointed to the supposed fact that death had come to the relief of the invalid. Accordingly, on Sunday, the sorrowing household, acting on this bt-Hef, commenced making preparations for the burial of the body. A burial permit was obtained, a coffin ordered, and the remains washed and attired in the habiliments of the «ra»e. Delay arising relative to the pieparatiou of the coffin, the remains were temporarily laid out upon the bed in winch the old lady was supposed to have died, and the services of a watcher (a young female residing in a neighbouring house) were secured to atteud too body of deceased during Sunday night. At about 11 o'clock on Sunday evening the various members of the household retired, leaving the watcher alone at her disagreeable task. As the young lady states she became drowsy about 2 o'clock in the morning, and, enscouaing herself in an arm-chair a short distance from the corpse, soon fell into a doze. 8 he had not slept; above an hour when e>be was awakened by a low moaning sound, which apparently issued from the couch upon whioh lay the supposed corpse. Startled by the strange noise, the watoher immediately Bprang from her chair, and approached the bed for the purpose of ascertaining the cause of the mysterious sounds. At this moment the noise suddenly ceased. There lay the corpse just as the watcher had left it one hour before, the eye still sot m death, the limbs still rigid, and not a sign of life visible. Believing the sounds which she fancied she had heard were but fauciea conjured up by a miud excited by the uncomfortable position in. which nhe was placed, the watoher returned to her seat and resumed her nap. She bad not remained in this condition more than half an hour, when she was again aroused by sounds similar to those which had previously alarmed her. Again she sprang from her chair and approached the bedside, when, horror of horrors, her eyes met the wandering gaz^ of tlie supposed corpse. Could it be possible that she was dreaming ? She passed her bands to her eyes to convince herself that she did not Bleep. Slowly the eyes of the corpse commenced rolling in their sockets, the muscles of the face relaxed, the jaws contracted, and as the filmy eye-balls re^tsd upon the, countenance of the appalled watcher they appeared to entreat the woman to come to her relief. Horror riveted the watcher to the seat, t-he attempted to soreain for assistance, but her tongue refused her utterance. As she contiuued to gaze upon the living corpse, the ai me began to move, andtheri^ht hand was slowly lifted to the mouth,as if the corpse lmplornd driuk. The corpse next commenced assuming an upright position, and finally, after an tffort of several minutes, sat bolt; upright in bed. Thia last movement proved too much for tho nerves of the fright-stricken wat her, and, staggering from the bedside, she fell fainting on the floor. The noise occasioned by the fall awoke the inmates of the house, who hastened to the room. There sat the woman, still upright in bed, at the foot of which lay the convulsed form of the terror-stricken watcher. Discovering the state of affairs, the household immediately despatched a servant forthe neaiest physician, who Bhortly after arrived upon the sceue, and, by the application of rettoratives, succeeded iu leviving the supposed corpse sufficiently to enable her to respire freely. The watcher, by the administiation of proper restoratives, pa«, after much difficulty, also restored to consciousness, but her nerves received a shock which, will probably tell upon her constitution until her dying day. She avows she will never ag.ua nerve as a watcher of a corpse, and no wonder at it.

A Widow in the Pulpit. — New York has had a new sensation in kbe pulpit — the appearance of a woman who has bten licenced to preach as a local preacher. 'I he World says :" The widow, Maggie Von C< tr, the celebrated female Methodist preacheiess, fully iu,v,.. — a — a : "°<1,bv the evangelical powers that be, has at last maae ner aiipearance in the metropolitan field. Last flight the widow, blooming and blushing as a newly made bride, mounted the pulpit of the J)una-neue-street Methodist (Jhu.ch, which, by a theological auachronism, is situat-d in Hudson, near Spring-street. The widow looked her very, very best. Her hair was fixed and frizzled in the most becoming fashion. Her face glowed with a modest hut con'ciou8 splendour as she stood before the congregation in her rich, but tasteful black diesa of bombasine. She wore a neat blask jet orna« merit at her throat, and a handsome gold chain peeped from the t lack belt around her waist. i Her large blue eyes were filled with a holy light, and her massive and finely-formed head was lifted a<* she read the Gospel of Matthew with self-6atisfaction and oiatoncal effect. Every word that 8he uttered waB delivered with unction and telling force. There is considerable power and attraction in the manner in which the widow lifts her smooth wbita hand and nicely rounded fingers to the ceil ing, and thpn brings them down with energy on the wooden shelf of the pulpit. When warmed to her subject her face seems lighted up and full of stirring animation. Her face, in happy moments, contiaefcs and expands, and her handsomely shaped body sways to and fro with the excitement. Her elocution is Datural and florid, and her sentences uttered in a bass tone of voice. Her ill istratiom of the Scripture, last night, wer<s re raarkable for tht-ir force, and sharply to the point in discussion. The widow is about twenty-six years of age, and bears her age well." How Alc can havb Good Vinegar. —It belongs to the genus fungus (penicilnun glaucum), and is ea-uly propagated by following tbe annexed recipe : — Take half a pound of brown sugar and half a pint of molasses, simmer them in three quarts of water till dissolved, then place the mixture in a wooden or stone pot, cover it over and place behiud the stove in a warm situation. In fix or seven weeks you will find floating on the top a tough, fleshy substance ; this is the vinegar plant : the mixture will have turned to vinegar, but of a poorer quality th<m can be manufactured without its aid. Now, prepare a mixture as before, and, when cool, Uy over it the vinegar, plant. A bit of lathing or shingle should be laid upon the mixture before placing the plant over it, as the vinegar is of a purer quality if the plant does not lie wholly upon it. het it behind the stove, covering it closely, and in two weeks or more taste it ; if sliirp vinegar, bottle it, and continue your manufacture. The vinegar is of a dark colour, but of far better quality than is bought generally for cider vinr(»ar, but has never seen apples. It is probaMe that what ts termed the " mother ''in vineyar is closely allied to thia plant, and muht be employed by thoxe who desire to produce a " vinegar plant" without delay. The co-t of the vinegar made in this manner is extremely small, and. as it is a condiment so universally employed in culinary matters, we recommend it to our reader". We do not think there ia anything deleterious in its properties, and it would certainly give many families a large mpply of vinegar who would be unable to procure it in any other manner. A small woodftn butter firkin vyould be an excellent utensil for its preparation, as it could be ooTered very tightly. Opposition Wit.— Rightly fathered or not, thi* 1 child has, says the Court Journal, been affiliated to the Ripht Ron. Benjamm Disraeli &0..&C. :— At a dinner party the other day clw conversation turned to Mr. GlaiBtone. "Gladstone ha3 not a single redeeming— vice." A UnmisiakabIiB Proof of Identity.— a. tradesman thus advatisea his runaway apprentice :— " He can be identified by the fact that ho has not c >mbed hw hair since New •#e-»Vtff>iyyStid cannot speak ten words at Jjy|^^^<«WyuW|^Mg*twenty falsehoods. ' Leverrior.