REMARKABLE CASE OF RESTORED ANIMATION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 465, 12 November 1869, Page 3

REMARKABLE CASE OF RESTORED ANIMATION.

♦ {From the New York Star.) One of the most remarkable instances of restored animation which has ever taken place in this city occurred on Sunday night last in Varick street, near M'Dougal, the particulars of which are as follows : — Au aged lady, named Rebecca Townsend, who has been ailing for several weeks past, expired, as was supposed, on Sunday 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 belief, 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 grave. Delay arising relative to the preparation of the coffin, the remains were temporarily laid out upon the bed in which 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 attend the body of the deceased during Sunday night. At about 11 o'clocV 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, ensconing herself in an arm chair a short distance from the corpse, soon fell into a doze. She had not slept above an hour when she was awakened by a low, moaning sound, which apparently issued from the couch upon which lay the supposed corpse. Startled by the strange noise, the watcher immediately sprang 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 eyes still set in death, the limbs still rigid, and not a sign of life visible. Believing the sounds which she fancied she had heard were but fancies conjured up by a mind excited by the uncomfortable position in which she was placed, the watcher returned to her seat and resumed her nap. She had 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 eye 3 met the wandering gaze of the supposed corpse. Could it be possible that she was dreaming ? She passed her hands to her eyes to convince herself that she did not sleep. Slowly the eyes of the corpse commenced rolling in their sockets, the muscles of the face relaxed, the jaws contracted, and as the filmy eyeballs rested 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. She attempted to scream for assistance, but her tongue refused her utterance. As she continued to gaze upon the living corpse, the arms began to move, and the right hand was slowly lifted to the mouth, as if the corpse implored drink. The. corpse next commenced assuming an upright position, and finally, after an effort of several minutes, sat bolt upright in bed. This last movement proved too much for the nerves of the fright-stricken watcher, 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 dispatched a servant for the nearest physician, who shortly afterwards arrived upon the scene, and by the application of restoratives, succeeded in reviving the supposed corpse suflicieutly to enable her to respire freely. The watcher, by the administration of proper restoratives, was after much dilficulty, 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 again serve as a watcher of a corpse, and no wonder at it.