A HORRIBLE DEATH IN A COFFIN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6667, 31 March 1883, Page 2 (Supplement)

A HORRIBLE DEATH IN A COFFIN.

J'hk Times Geneva correspondent writes as follows : — " A Swiss, settled in Kussia, gent's to the Kunil .1 Btrauge BtorJ* taken from a paj er published at Samara, of a man being buried alive, for the. accuracy of which the writer nays ho can personally vouch. The story, besides the horror of it, shows how helpless the Russian system of Government r-.iiders the ueoplu fur whose benefit it is designed, and how utterly bureaucracy has crushed in thi-mall spirit of initiative and independ encc. The other day, so runs theaccount, a man was buried alive in Samara. His name was TiehonulF, and he had employed aa writer in a machine depot. fclo drank heavily on a holiday and had an epileptic fit. For a long time thereafter he lay quite still and showed no sign of life, which led his wife and kinsfolk to conclude that he was dead. This happened on -St. Silvester's Day, and to av, id keeping the supposed r-orpse m the house three days (for on a Saturday preceeding a festival no body can be buried), it was dcciucd to lay him in tie ground thut very night after vespers, and arrangements were loado accordingly. The hotly was removed to the cemetery church, where the pope (priest) read "he service for the dead. While this was i;oing on (the cofliu being uncovered) some uf the bystanders noticed what seemed to be drops of sweat on the dead ma.x'a I face ; but this appearance being attributed to a few snow-flakes that l ad fallen during the passage to the cemetery, he was laid in the grave without more ado, and the hour j being late, very little earth was thrown over ' him. When the gravc-dipger went early next morning to complete his work he heard a souud as of groauir:g aud struggling in the newly-made grave. Instead 'of forthwith releasing the poor wretch, the nun ran to the priest to ask leave to diseuter him. This request the priest refused, on the ground that he daro not touch a b.nly once buried without the permission of the police. On this this the sexton informed the man's wife of what had come to pass, and they went together to tha chief of tho local police. This gentleman said it was quite out of his power to givu tho required authorisation, and referred him to the archimandrite, who also, professing to be equally powerless, referred them to 'he procurator. In the end the agonised wife procured the authorisation without which nobody would act, and returned to the cemetery. <sut it was too late ; live hours had elapsed since the gravedigger first heard the groaas, aud the supposed corpse was now dead beyond the possibility of doubt. The poor fellow succumbed only after a mortal struggle. He had turned quite round in his coffin, and in his despair bitten his lingers, torn his flesh, and rent hia clothing. This fatality is due to no other cause than tho senseless formalities which prevail in every branch of Kussian adminstration. Madame Tichonotr is suing the priest who refused to let the gravediggc-r disinter her husband for damage?, on the ground that he caused the latter's death by too slavishly obeying the letter of his instructions."