The Premature Burial by Edgar Allan Poe
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the premature burial

by Edgar Allan Poe

there_are certain themes of_which the interest is all-absorbing, but which are too entirely horrible for_the purposes of legitimate fiction . these the mere romanticist must eschew, if he do_not wish to offend or to disgust . they_are with propriety handled only when_the severity and majesty of truth sanctify and sustain them . we thrill, for example, with_the most intense of " pleasurable pain" over the accounts of_the passage of_the Beresina, of_the earthquake at Lisbon, of_the plague at London, of_the massacre of St . Bartholomew, or of_the stifling of_the hundred and twenty- three prisoners in_the black hole at Calcutta . but in_these accounts it_is_the fact - -- it_is_the reality - -- it_is_the history which excites . as inventions, we_should regard them with simple abhorrence .

I_have mentioned some few of_the more prominent and August calamities on record; but in_these it_is_the extent, not less_than_the character of_the calamity, which so vividly impresses the fancy . I_need not remind the reader that, from_the long and weird catalogue of human miseries, I_might_have selected many individual instances more replete with essential suffering than any of_these vast generalities of disaster . the true wretchedness, indeed -- the ultimate woe - -- is particular, not diffuse . that_the ghastly extremes of agony are endured by man the unit, and never by man the mass - -- for_this let_us thank a merciful god !

to_be buried while alive is, beyond question, the most terrific of_these extremes which_has ever fallen to_the lot of mere mortality . that_it has frequently, very frequently, so fallen will scarcely be denied by_those who think . the boundaries which divide life from death are at best shadowy and vague . who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins ? we_know that_there_are diseases in_which occur total cessations of all the apparent functions of vitality, and yet in_which these cessations are merely suspensions, properly so called . they_are only temporary pauses in_the incomprehensible mechanism .a certain period elapses, and some unseen mysterious principle again sets in motion the magic pinions and_the wizard wheels . the silver cord was not for ever loosed, nor the golden bowl irreparably broken . but where, meantime, was_the soul ?

apart, however, from_the inevitable conclusion, apriori that such causes must produce such effects - -- that_the well- known occurrence of_such cases of suspended animation must naturally give rise, now_and_then, to premature interments -- apart from_this consideration, we_have the direct testimony of medical and ordinary experience to_prove that a vast number of_such interments have actually taken place . I_might refer at once, if necessary to a hundred well authenticated instances . one of very remarkable character, and of_which the circumstances may_be fresh in_the memory of some of_my readers, occurred, not very long_ago, in_the neighboring city of Baltimore, where it occasioned a painful, intense, and widely- extended excitement . the wife of one_of_the_most respectable citizens-a lawyer of eminence and a member of congress -- was seized with a sudden and unaccountable illness, which completely baffled the skill of her physicians . after much suffering she died, or was supposed to die . no one suspected, indeed, or had reason to suspect, that she was not actually dead . she presented all the ordinary appearances of death . the face assumed the usual pinched and sunken outline . the lips were of_the usual marble pallor . the eyes were lustreless . there_was no warmth . pulsation had ceased . for three days the body was preserved unburied, during which it had acquired a stony rigidity . the funeral, in short, was hastened, on account of_the rapid advance of what_was supposed to_be decomposition .

the lady was deposited in her family vault, which, for three subsequent years, was undisturbed . at_the expiration of_this term it_was opened for_the reception of a sarcophagus; - -- but, alas ! how fearful a shock awaited the husband, who, personally, threw open the door ! as its portals swung outwardly back, some white-apparelled object fell rattling within his arms . it was_the skeleton of_his wife in her yet unmoulded shroud .

a careful investigation rendered it evident that she had revived within two days after her entombment; that her struggles within_the coffin had caused it to_fall from a ledge, or shelf to_the floor, where it_was so broken as_to permit her escape .a lamp which had_been accidentally left, full of oil, within_the tomb, was found empty; it might_have_been exhausted, however, by evaporation . on_the uttermost of_the steps which led down into_the dread chamber was a large fragment of_the coffin, with_which, it seemed, that she had endeavored to arrest attention by striking the iron door . while thus occupied, she probably swooned, or possibly died, through sheer terror; and, in failing, her shroud became entangled in some iron -- work which projected interiorly . thus she remained, and thus she rotted, erect .

in_the year 1810, a case of living inhumation happened in France, attended with circumstances which go far to warrant the assertion that truth is, indeed, stranger than fiction . the heroine of_the story was aMademoiselle Victorine Lafourcade, a young girl of illustrious family, of wealth, and of great personal beauty . among her numerous suitors was Julien Bossuet, a poor litterateur, or journalist of Paris . his talents and general amiability had recommended him to_the notice of_the heiress, by whom he seems to_have_been truly beloved; but her pride of birth decided her, finally, to reject him, and to wed aMonsieur Renelle, a banker and a diplomatist of some eminence . after marriage, however, this gentleman neglected, and, perhaps, even more positively ill- treated her .Having passed with_him some wretched years, she died, - -- at_least her condition so closely resembled death as_to deceive every_one who saw her . she was buried - -- not in a vault, but in an ordinary grave in_the village of her nativity . filled with despair, and still inflamed by_the memory of a profound attachment, the lover journeys from_the capital to_the remote province in_which_the village lies, with_the romantic purpose of disinterring the corpse, and possessing himself of_its luxuriant tresses . he reaches the grave . at midnight he unearths the coffin, opens it, and_is in_the act of detaching the hair, when he_is arrested by_the unclosing of_the beloved eyes . in_fact, the lady had_been buried alive . vitality had_not altogether departed, and she was aroused by_the caresses of her lover from_the lethargy which had_been mistaken for death . he bore her frantically to_his lodgings in_the village . he employed certain powerful restoratives suggested by no little medical learning . in fine, she revived . she recognized her preserver . she remained with_him until, by slow degrees, she fully recovered her original health . her woman's heart was not adamant, and this last lesson of love sufficed to soften it . she bestowed it upon Bossuet . she returned no more to her husband, but, concealing from_him her resurrection, fled with her lover to America .Twenty years afterward, the two returned to France, in_the persuasion that_time had so greatly altered the lady's appearance that her friends would_be unable to recognize her . they were mistaken, however, for, at_the first meeting, Monsieur Renelle did actually recognize and make claim to_his wife . this claim she resisted, and a judicial tribunal sustained her in her resistance, deciding that_the peculiar circumstances, with_the long lapse of years, had extinguished, not_only equitably, but legally, the authority of_the husband .

the "Chirurgical journal" of Leipsic -- a periodical of high authority and merit, which some American bookseller would do well to translate and republish, records in a late number a very distressing event of_the character in_question .

an officer of artillery, a man of gigantic stature and of robust health, being thrown from an unmanageable horse, received a very severe contusion upon_the head, which rendered him insensible at once; the skull was slightly fractured, but no immediate danger was apprehended .Trepanning was accomplished successfully . he_was bled, and many_other of_the ordinary means of relief were adopted . gradually, however, he fell into a more and more hopeless state of stupor, and, finally, it_was thought that he died .

the weather was warm, and he_was buried with indecent haste in one_of_the public cemeteries . his funeral took place on Thursday . on_the Sunday following, the grounds of_the cemetery were, as usual, much thronged with visiters, and about noon an intense excitement was created by_the declaration of a peasant that, while sitting upon_the grave of_the officer, he had distinctly felt a commotion of_the earth, as_if occasioned by some one struggling beneath . at first little attention was paid to_the man's asseveration; but his evident terror, and_the dogged obstinacy with_which he persisted in_his story, had at_length their natural effect upon_the crowd .Spades were hurriedly procured, and_the grave, which_was shamefully shallow, was in_a_few_minutes so_far thrown open that_the head of_its occupant appeared . he_was then seemingly dead; but he sat nearly erect within his coffin, the lid of_which, in_his furious struggles, he had partially uplifted .

he_was forthwith conveyed to_the nearest hospital, and there pronounced to_be still living, although in an asphytic condition . after some hours he revived, recognized individuals of_his acquaintance, and, in broken sentences spoke of_his agonies in_the grave .

from what he related, it_was clear that he_must_have been conscious of life for more than an hour, while inhumed, before lapsing into insensibility . the grave was carelessly and loosely filled with an exceedingly porous soil; and thus some air was necessarily admitted . he heard the footsteps of_the crowd overhead, and endeavored to_make himself heard in turn . it was_the tumult within_the grounds of_the cemetery, he_said, which appeared to awaken him from a deep sleep, but no sooner was he awake than he became fully aware of_the awful horrors of_his position .

this patient, it_is recorded, was doing well and seemed to_be in a fair way of ultimate recovery, but fell a victim to_the quackeries of medical experiment . the galvanic battery was applied, and he suddenly expired in one of_those ecstatic paroxysms which, occasionally, it superinduces .

the mention of_the galvanic battery, nevertheless, recalls to my memory a well known and very extraordinary case in point, where its action proved the means of restoring to animation a young attorney of London, who had_been interred for two days . this occurred in 1831, and created, at_the_time, a very profound sensation wherever it was_made the subject of converse .

the patient, Mr Edward Stapleton, had died, apparently of typhus fever, accompanied with some anomalous symptoms which had excited the curiosity of_his medical attendants . upon his seeming decease, his friends were requested to sanction a post-mortem examination, but declined to permit it . as often happens, when such refusals are made, the practitioners resolved to disinter the body and dissect it at leisure, in private .Arrangements were easily effected with some_of_the numerous corps of body-snatchers, with_which London abounds; and, upon_the third night after_the funeral, the supposed corpse was unearthed from a grave eight feet deep, and deposited in_the opening chamber of one_of_the private hospitals .

an incision of some extent had_been actually made in_the abdomen, when_the fresh and undecayed appearance of_the subject suggested an application of_the battery . one experiment succeeded another, and_the customary effects supervened, with nothing to characterize them in any respect, except, upon one_or_two occasions, a more than ordinary degree of life- likeness in_the convulsive action .

it grew late . the day was about to dawn; and it_was thought expedient, at_length, to_proceed at once to_the dissection .a student, however, was especially desirous of testing a theory of_his own, and insisted upon applying the battery to one_of_the pectoral muscles .a rough gash was_made, and a wire hastily brought in contact, when_the patient, with ahurried but quite unconvulsive movement, arose from_the table, stepped into_the middle of_the floor, gazed about him uneasily for a few seconds, and then -- spoke . what he_said was unintelligible, but words were uttered; the syllabification was distinct .Having spoken, he fell heavily to_the floor .

for some moments all were paralyzed with awe -- but the urgency of_the case soon restored them their presence of mind . it_was seen that Mr Stapleton was alive, although in a swoon . upon exhibition of ether he revived and was rapidly restored to health, and to_the society of_his friends -- from whom, however, all knowledge of_his resuscitation was withheld, until a relapse was no longer to_be apprehended . their wonder -- their rapturous astonishment -- may_be conceived .

the most thrilling peculiarity of_this incident, nevertheless, is involved in what Mr S . himself asserts . he declares that at no period was he altogether insensible -- that, dully and confusedly, he_was aware of everything which happened to him, from_the moment in_which he_was pronounced dead by his physicians, to_that in_which he fell swooning to_the floor of_the hospital ." I_am alive," were the uncomprehended words which, upon recognizing the locality of_the dissecting- room, he had endeavored, in_his extremity, to utter .

it were an easy matter to multiply such histories as_these -- but I forbear -- for, indeed, we_have no need of_such to establish the fact that premature interments occur . when we reflect how very rarely, from_the nature of_the case, we_have it in_our power to detect them, we_must admit that_they may frequently occur without our cognizance . scarcely, in truth, is a graveyard ever encroached upon, for any purpose, to any great extent, that skeletons are_not found in postures which suggest the most fearful of suspicions .

fearful indeed the suspicion -- but more fearful the doom ! it may_be asserted, without hesitation, that no event is so terribly well adapted to inspire the supremeness of bodily and of mental distress, as is burial before death . the unendurable oppression of_the lungs -- the stifling fumes from_the damp earth -- the clinging to_the death garments -- the rigid embrace of_the narrow house -- the blackness of_the absolute night -- the silence like a sea that overwhelms -- the unseen but palpable presence of_the conqueror worm -- these things, with_the thoughts of_the air and grass above, with memory of dear friends who_would fly to save us if but informed of_our fate, and with consciousness that of_this fate they_can never be informed -- that_our hopeless portion is_that of_the really dead -- these considerations, I_say, carry into_the heart, which still palpitates, a degree of appalling and intolerable horror from_which the most daring imagination must recoil . we_know of nothing so agonizing upon earth -- we_can dream of nothing half so hideous in_the realms of_the nethermost Hell . and thus all narratives upon_this topic have an interest profound; an interest, nevertheless, which, through_the sacred awe of_the topic itself, very properly and very peculiarly depends upon our conviction of_the truth of_the matter narrated . what I_have now to_tell is of_my own actual knowledge -- of_my own positive and personal experience .

for several years I had_been subject to attacks of_the singular disorder which physicians have agreed to term catalepsy, in default of a more definitive title . although both the immediate and_the predisposing causes, and even the actual diagnosis, of_this disease are still mysterious, its obvious and apparent character is sufficiently well understood . its variations seem_to_be chiefly of degree .Sometimes the patient lies, for a day only, or even for a shorter period, in a species of exaggerated lethargy . he_is senseless and externally motionless; but the pulsation of_the heart is still faintly perceptible; some traces of warmth remain; a slight color lingers within_the centre of_the cheek; and, upon application of a mirror to_the lips, we_can detect a torpid,

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