Dealings With The Dead Volume I Part 4

Tombs, not only such as are constructed under churches, but in common cemeteries, are frequently highly offensive, on the score of emanation.

They are liable to be opened, for the admission of the dead, at all times; and, of course, when the worms are riotous, and corruption is rankest, and the pungent gases are eminently dangerous, and disgusting. Even when closed, the intelligible odor, arising from the dissolving processes, which are going on within, is more than living flesh and blood can well endure. Again and again, visitors at Mount Auburn have been annoyed, by this effluvium from the tombs. By the universal adoption of well-made graves, this also may be entirely avoided.

When a family becomes, or is supposed to be, extinct, or has quitted the country, their dead kindred are usually permitted to lie in peace, in their _graves_. It is not always thus, if they have had the misfortune to be buried in _tombs_. To cast forth a dead tenant, from a solitary _grave_, that room might be found for a new comer, would scarcely be thought of; but the temptation to seize five or six _tombs_, at once, for town's account, on the pretext, that they were the tombs of extinct families, has, once, at least, proved irresistible, and led to an outrage, so gross and revolting, in this Commonwealth, that the whole history of cemeteries in our country cannot produce a parallel. In April, 1835, the board of health, in a town of this Commonwealth, gave notice, in a _single_ paper, that certain tombs were dilapidated; that no representative of former owners could be found; and that, if not claimed and repaired, within sixty days, those tombs would be sold, to pay expenses, &c. In fulfilment of this notice, in September following, the entire contents of five tombs were broken to pieces, and shovelled out. In one of these tombs there were thirty coffins, the greater part of which were so sound, as to be split with an axe. A portion of the silver plate, stolen by the operatives employed by the board of health, was afterwards recovered, bearing date, as recently as 1819. The board of health then advertised these tombs for sale, in _two_ newspapers. Nothing of these brutal proceedings was known to the relatives, until the deed of barbarity was done. Now it can scarcely be credited, that, in that very town, a few miles from it, and in this city, there were then living numerous descendants, and relatives of those, whose tombs had thus been violated.

Some of the dead, thus insulted, had been the greatest benefactors of that town, so much so, that a narrative of their donations has been published, in pamphlet form. Among the direct descendants were some of the oldest and most distinguished families of this city, whose feelings were severely tried by this outrage. The ashes of the dead are common property. The whole community bestirs itself in their defence. The public indignation brought those stupid and ignorant officials to confession and atonement, if not to repentance. They pa.s.sed votes of regret; replaced the ashes in proper receptacles within the tombs; and put them in order, at the public charge. A meagre and miserable atonement, for an injury of this peculiar nature; and, though gracelessly accorded,--extorted by the stringency of public sentiment, and the fear of legal process,--yet, on the whole, the only satisfaction, for a wrong of this revolting and peculiar character.

The insecurity of tombs is sufficiently apparent. An empty tomb may be attached by creditors; but, by statute of Ma.s.s., 1822, chap. 93, sec. 8, it cannot be, while in use, as a cemetery. But no law, of man or nature, can prevent the disgusting effects, and mortifying casualties, and misconstructions of power, which have arisen, and will forever continue to arise, from the miserable practice of burying the dead, in _tombs_.

No. XV.

There is, doubtless, something not altogether agreeable, in the thought of being buried alive. Testamentary injunctions are not uncommon, for the prevention of such a calamity. As far, as my long experience goes, the percentage is exceedingly small. About twenty-five years ago, some old woman was certain, that a person, lately buried, was not exactly dead. She gave utterance to this certainty--there was no _evidence_, and ample room therefore for _faith_. The defunct had a little property--it was a clear case, of course--his relatives had buried him alive, to get possession! A mob gathered, in King's Chapel yard; and, to appease their righteous indignation, the grave was opened, the body exposed, doctors examined, and the mob was respectfully a.s.sured, that the man was dead--dead as a door nail. A proposition to bury the old woman, in revenge, was rejected immediately. But she did not give up the point--they never do. She admitted, that the party was dead, but persisted, that his death was caused, by being buried alive.

Some are, doubtless, still living, who remember the affair in the Granary yard. Groans had been heard there, at night. Some person had been buried alive, beyond all doubt. A committee was appointed to visit the spot. Upon drawing near, subdued laughter and the sounds of vulgar merriment arose, from one of the tombs--a light was seen glimmering from below--the strong odor, not of corruption, but of mutton chops, filled the air. Some vagabonds had cleared the tomb, and taken possession, and, with broken coffins for fuel, had found an appet.i.te, among the dead. The occupation of tombs, by the outcasts of society, was common, long before the Christian era.

That the living have been buried, unintentionally, now and then, is undoubtedly true. Such has probably been the case, sometimes, under catalepsy or trance, the common duration of which is from a few hours, to two or three days; but of which Bonet, _Medic., Septentrion, lib. 1, sec.

16, chap. 6_, gives an example, which lasted twenty days. Bodies have been found, says Millingen, in his Curiosities of Medical Experience, page 63, where the miserable victims have devoured the flesh of their arms; and he cites John Scott and the Emperor Zeno, as examples. Plato recites the case of a warrior, who was left ten days, as dead, upon the field of battle, and came to life, on his way to the sepulchre. In Chalmers' Memoir of the Abbe Prevot, it is related, that he was found, by a peasant, having fallen in an apoplectic fit. The body was cold, and carried to a surgeon, who proceeded to open it. During the process, the Abbe revived, only, however, to die of the wound, inflicted by the operator.

The danger of burying alive has been noticed by Pineau, _Sur le danger des Inhumations precipitees, Paris, 1776_. Dr. John Mason Good, vol. 4, page 613, remarks, that catalepsy has been mistaken for real death; and, in countries where burial takes place speedily, it is much to be feared, that, in a few instances, the patient has been buried alive. A case of asphyxy, of a singular kind, is stated, by Mr. Pew, and recited by Dr.

Good, of a female, whose interment was postponed, for a post mortem examination--most fortunately--for the first touch of the scalpel brought her to life. Diemerbroeck, _Tractat de Peste_, _Lib. 4, Hist. 8_, relates the case of a rustic, who was laid out for interment. Three days pa.s.sed before the funeral. He was supposed to have died of the plague. When in the act of being buried, he showed signs of life, recovered, and lived many years. Dr. Good observes, that a critical examination of the region of the heart, and a clear mirror, applied to the mouth and nostrils, will commonly settle the question of life or death; but that even these signs will sometimes fail. What then shall be done? Matthaeus Hilda.n.u.s and others, who give many stories of this kind, say--wait for the infallible signs of putrefaction. It may be absurd to wait too long; it is indecorous to inhume too soon.

The case, recited by Mr. Pew, reminds me of Pliny's account of persons who came to life, on the funeral pile. "Aviola in rogo revixit: et, quoniam subveniri non potuerat, praevalente flamma, vivus crematus est. Similis causa in L. Lamia, praetorio viro, traditur."--Lib. 7, sec. 53.

Old Grossman's stories, in this connection, were curious enough. He gave a remarkable account of a good old deacon, who had a scolding wife. She fell sick and died, as was supposed, and was put in her coffin, and screwed down, and lifted. Everything, as Grossman said, went on very pleasantly, till they began to descend into the tomb, when the s.e.xton, at the foot, slipped, and the coffin went by the run, and struck violently against the wall of the tomb. One instant of awful silence was followed, by a shrill shriek from the corpse--"_Let me out--let me out!_" The poor old deacon wrung his hands, and looked, as Grossman expressed it, "real melancholy."

The lid was unscrewed, as soon as possible, and the lady, less in sorrow, than in anger, insisted on immediate emanc.i.p.ation. All attempts to persuade her to be still, and go home as she came, for the decency of the thing, were unavailing. The top of the coffin was removed. The deacon offered to help her out. She refused his proffered hand; and, doubling her fist in his face, told him he was a monster, and should pay for it, and insisted on walking back, in her death clothes. About six months after, she died, in good earnest. "The poor deacon," said Grossman, "called us into a private room, and reminding us of the sad turn things took, last time, begged us to be careful; and told us, if all things went right, he would treat us at his store, the next day. He retailed spirit, as all the deacons did, being the very persons, pointed at, by the finger of the law, as men of sober lives and conversations."

Grossman told another story. We could scarcely credit it. He offered to swear to it; but we begged he wouldn't. It was of a woman, who was a cider sot. Her husband had tried all sorts of preventive experiments, in vain.

His patience was exhausted. He tapped a barrel, and let her drink her fill. She and the barrel gave out together. She was buried. The coldness of the tomb brought her to life. She felt around the narrow domicil, in which she lay. Her consciousness, that she was in her coffin, and that she had been buried, was clear enough; but her other impressions were rather cloudy. It never occurred to her, that she had been buried alive. She imagined herself, in another world, and, knocking, as hard as possible, against the lid and sides of her coffin, she exclaimed, "Good people of the upper world, if ye have got any good cider, do let us have a mug of it." Luckily, the mouth of the tomb had not been closed, and, when the s.e.xton came to close it, he was scandalized, of course, to hear a thirsty corpse, crying for cider; but the woman was soon relieved from her predicament. The Mandans, whose custom of never burying their dead, I have alluded to, may possibly be influenced, by a consideration of this very contingency. In some places, bodies have been placed in a lighted room, near the charnel house, there to remain, till the signs of corruption could no longer be mistaken. The tops of the coffins being loose; and a bell so connected with the body, as to ring on the slightest movement.

No. XVI.

My profession is very dear to me; and nothing would gratify me more, than to see my brother artists restored to their original dignity. It is quite common to look upon a s.e.xton, as a mere grave-digger, and upon his calling, as a cold, underground employment, divested of everything like sentiment or solemnity.

In the olden time, the s.e.xton bore the t.i.tle of sacristan. He had charge of the sacristy, or vestry, and all the sacred vessels and vestments of the church. At funerals, his office corresponded with that of the Roman _dominus funeris_ or _designator_, referred to by Horace, Ep. i., 7, 6--and by Cicero to Atticus, iv., 2. He was, in point of law, considered as having a freehold, in his office, and therefore he could not be deprived, by ecclesiastical censure. It was his duty to attend upon the rector, and to take no unimportant part, in all those inestimable forms, and ceremonies, and circ.u.mgyrations, and genuflections, which render the wors.h.i.+p of the high church so exceedingly picturesque. The s.e.xton of the Pope's chapel was selected, from the order of the hermits of St.

Augustine, and was commonly a bishop. His t.i.tle was _prefect of the Pope's sacristy_. When the Pope said ma.s.s, the s.e.xton always tasted the bread and wine first. And, when the Pope was desperately sick, the s.e.xton gave him extreme unction. I recite these facts, that the original dignity of our office may be understood.

The employment of s.e.xtons has been rather singular, in some countries. M.

Outhier states, that, when he visited the church of St. Clara, at Stockholm, he observed the s.e.xton, during the sermon, with a long rod, waking those, who had fallen asleep.

I fully believe, that the s.e.xtons of this city are all honorable men; and yet it cannot be denied, that the solemn occasion, upon which their services are required, is one, upon which, pride and sensibility forbid all higgling, on the part of the customer. However oppressively the charge of consigning a relative to the ground may bear, upon one of slender means, the tongue of complaint is effectually tied. The consciousness of this furnishes a strong temptation to imposition. The same desire to promote the public good, which induced Mr. Bentham to give his body for dissection, has led distinguished individuals, now and then, to prescribe simple and inexpensive obsequies, for themselves.

Livy says, book 48, sec. 10, that Marcus Emilius Lepidus directed his sons to bury him without parade, and at a very small charge. As he was the Pontifex Maximus, possessed of wealth, and of a generous spirit, the promotion of the public good was the only motive. Cheating at funerals was as common at Athens, as at Rome. Demades, as Seneca relates, book 6, ch.

33, _de beneficiis_, condemned an unprincipled Athenian s.e.xton, for extortion, in furnis.h.i.+ng out funerals. The friends and relatives are so busy with their sorrow, that they have neither time nor taste, for the examination of accounts, and, least of all, such as concern the obsequies of near friends. I was never more forcibly impressed with the truth, that, where the carca.s.s is, there the vultures will be gathered together, than in the little island of St. Croix, during the winter of 1840. I was there with a friend, a clergyman, who visited that island, for the restoration of his wife's health. She died. Her remains were never buried there, but brought to this city, and here interred. In that island there is a tribunal, called the _Dealing Court_, a.n.a.logous to the court of probate, or orphan's court, in this country. In less than forty-eight hours, a bill was presented, from this court, for "_dealing_" with the estate of the deceased. She had no estate; no act had been done. "True, but such is the custom of our island--such is the law of Denmark." After taking counsel, the bill was paid. The Danish Lutheran is the established religion of the island. The Episcopal lives, by sufferance. A few days after this lady's decease, a bill was presented, from the officers of the _Danish Lutheran_ church, for granting permission to dig her grave, in the _Episcopal_ ground. It was objected, that no permission had been asked, that no burial had been intended, that the body had been placed in spirits, for its removal to the United States. It was replied, "Such is the usage of the island; the permission is granted, and may be used or not; such is the law of Denmark."

Shortly after this, a bill was presented, for digging the grave. It was in vain to protest, as before, and to a.s.sert, that no grave had been dug. The answer was the same; "the grave must be paid for; it will be dug or not, as you wish; such is the usage of the island; such is the law of Denmark."

In due time, another demand was made, for carrying round invitations, and attendance upon the funeral. It was useless to say, that no invitations were sent--no funeral was had. "Such is the custom of the island; such is the law of Denmark." The reader, by this time, will be satisfied, that something is rotten in Denmark; this narrative appears so very improbable, that I deem it right to a.s.sure the reader the circ.u.mstances are stated faithfully, and that the clergyman referred to, is still living.

In commending a respectable frugality, in our dealings with the dead, not only with regard to their obsequies, but in relation to sepulchral and monumental expenditure, I oppose the interest of our profession, and cannot be accused of any selfish motive. A chaste simplicity is due to the occasion; for surely no more illy chosen hour can be given to the gratification of pride, than that, in which the very pride of man is humbled in the dust. How often have my thoughts descended from the costly, sculptured obelisk, to the carnival of worms below!

A well-set example of comely modesty, in these matters, would be productive of much advantage to the community. The man of common means, if he happen to be also a man of common sense, will not imitate the man of opulence, in the splendor of his equipage or furniture. But he will too readily enter into what he deems a righteous rivalry of funereal parade, and leave his debts unpaid, rather than abate one cubit, in the height of his monument, or obelisk. It is not now the custom to bury with the dead, or deposit with their ashes, as in urn burial, articles of use and value to the living. We have been taught, that those graves are the least likely to be violated, in which are deposited little else than mortal remains.

But, in a certain sense, the dead can no longer be said to carry nothing with them. The silver and its workmans.h.i.+p alone, which are annually buried, furnish no inconsiderable item.

The outer coffin of Nathan Meyer Rothschild "was of fine oak, and so handsomely carved and decorated with ma.s.sive silver handles, at both sides and ends, that it appeared more like a cabinet, or splendid piece of furniture, than a receptacle of the dead. A raised tablet of oak, on the breast, was carved with the arms of the deceased." The arms of the deceased! Very edifying to the worms, those cunning operatives, who work so skilfully, in silence and darkness! The arms of the deceased! Matthew Prior had some shrewd notions of heraldry. He wrote his own epitaph--

Heralds and n.o.bles, by your leave, Here lie the bones of Matthew Prior; The son of Adam and of Eve; Let Bourbon and Na.s.sau go higher.

No. XVII.

My attention has been called, by a young disciple of the great Pontraci, "a s.e.xton of the new school," to an interesting anecdote, which I have heard related, in days by-gone, and which has, more than once, appeared in print. It is, by many, believed, that the remains of Major Pitcairn, which were supposed to have been sent home to England, are still in this country, and that those of Lieutenant Shea were transmitted, by mistake.

Whether _he_ or _Shea_ will ever remain doubtful. Major Pitcairn was killed, as is well known, at the battle of Bunker's Hill. Shea died of inflammation on the brain. They were alike in size. On the top of the head of the body, selected by the s.e.xton of Christ Church, as the remains of Major Pitcairn, it is stated, there was a blistering plaster; and, from this circ.u.mstance, the impression has arisen, that the monument in Westminster Abbey, however sacred to the memory of Pitcairn, stands over the remains of Lieutenant Shea. There is not more uncertainty, in relation to the remains of Major Pitcairn, than has existed, in regard to the individual, by whose hands he fell; though it is now agreed, that he was shot by a black soldier, named Salem. Fifty men, at the lowest estimate, have died in the faith, that they killed Pitcairn. He was a man of large stature, fearless, and ever in the van, as he is represented by Marshall, at the battle of Lexington.

He was a palpable mark, for the muskets and rifles of the sharp-shooters.

It is not improbable, that fifty barrels were levelled at his person, when he fell; and hence fifty claimants, for the merit of Pitcairn's destruction. Upon precisely similar grounds, rest the claims of Col.

Johnson, for the killing of Tec.u.mseh.

When the flesh has gone and nothing but the bones remain, it is almost impossible, to recognize the remains of any particular individual, buried hastily, as the fallen commonly are, after a battle, in one common grave; unless we are directed, by certain external indicia. In April, 1815, I officiated at the funeral of Dr. John Warren, brother of the patriot and soldier, who fell so gloriously, at Bunker's Hill, and whose death was said, by the British General, Howe, to be an offset, for five hundred men.

Dr. James Jackson delivered the eulogy, on Dr. John Warren, in King's Chapel. General Warren was buried in the trenches, where he so bravely fell; and, when disinterred, in 1776, for removal to Boston, the remains were identified, by an inspection of the teeth, upon which an operation had been performed, the evidence of which remained. This testimony was doubtless corroborated, by the mark of the bullet on his forehead; for he was not a man to be wounded in the back. "The bullet which terminated his life," says Mr. A. H. Everett in his memoir, "was taken from the body, by Mr. Savage, an officer in the Custom House, and was carried by him to England. Several years afterwards, it was given by him at London, to the Rev. Mr. Montague of Dedham, Ma.s.sachusetts, and is now in possession of his family."

These translations of the dead, from place to place, are full of uncertainty; and hence has arisen a marvellous and successful system of jugglery and priestcraft. The first translation of this kind, stated by Brady, in his Clavis, is that of Edward, king of the West Saxons. He was removed with great pomp from Wareham to the minster of Salisbury. Three years only had pa.s.sed since his burial, and no error is imputed, in the relation. In the year 359, the Emperor Constantius was moved, by the spirit, to do something in this line; and he caused the remains of St.

Andrew and St. Luke to be translated, from their original resting-places, to the temple of the twelve apostles, at Constantinople. Some little doubt might be supposed to hang over the question of ident.i.ty, after such a lapse of years, in this latter case. From this eminent example, arose that eager search for the remains of saints, martyrs, and relics of various descriptions, which, for many centuries, filled the pockets of imposters, with gold, and the world, with idolatry. So great was the success of those, engaged in this lucrative employment, that John the Baptist became a perfect hydra. Heads of this great pioneer were discovered, in every direction. Some of the apostles were found, upon careful search, to be centipedes; and others to have had as many hands as Briareus. These monstrosities were too vast to be swallowed, without a miracle. Father John Freand, of Anecy, a.s.sured the faithful, that G.o.d was pleased to multiply these remains for their devotion. Consecration has been refused to churches, unprovided with relics. Their production therefore became indispensable. All the wines, produced in _Oporto_ and _Zeres de la Frontera_, furnish not a fourth part of the liquor, drunken, in London alone, under the names of Port and Sherry; and the bones of all the martyrs, were it possible to collect them, would not supply the occasions of the numerous churches, in Catholic countries. Misson says eleven holy lances are shown, in different places, for the true lance, that pierced the side of Christ.

Many egregious sinners have undoubtedly been dug up, and their bones wors.h.i.+pped, as the relics of genuine saints. Though not precisely to our purpose, it may not be uninteresting to the reader, to contemplate a catalogue of some few of the relics, exhibited to the faithful, as they are enumerated, by Bayle, Butler, Misson, Brady and others;--the lance--a piece of the cross--one of Christ's nails--five thorns of the crown--St.

Peter's chain--a piece of the manger--a tooth of John the Baptist--one of St. Anne's arms--the towel, with which Christ wiped the feet of the apostles--one of his teeth--his seamless coat--the hem of his garment, which cured the diseased woman--a tear, which he shed over Lazarus, preserved by an angel, who gave it, in a vial, to Mary Magdalene--a piece of St. John the Evangelist's gown--a piece of the table cloth, used at the last supper--a finger of St. Andrew--a finger of John the Baptist--a rib of our Lord--the thumb of St. Thomas--a lock of Mary Magdalene's hair--two handkerchiefs, bearing impressions of Christ's face; one sent by our Lord, as a present to Aquarus, prince of Edessa; and the other given by him, at the foot of the cross, to a holy woman, named Veronica--the hem of Joseph's garment--a feather of the Holy Ghost--a finger of the Holy Ghost--a feather of the angel Gabriel--the waterpots, used at the marriage in Galilee--Enoch's slippers--a vial of the sweat of St. Michael, at the time of his set-to with the Devil. This short list furnishes a meagre show-box of that immense ma.s.s of merchandise, which formed the staple of priestcraft. These pretended relics were not only procured, at vast expense, but were occasionally given, and received, as collateral security for debts. Baldwin II. sent the point of the holy lance to Venice, as a pledge for a loan. It was redeemed by St. Lewis, King of France, who caused it to be placed in the holy chapel at Paris. The importation of this species of trumpery, into England, was forbidden, by many statutes; and, by 3. Jac. i., cap. 26, justices were empowered to search houses for such things, and to burn them.

It is pleasant to turn from these shadowy records to matters of reality and truth. There was an exhumation, some years ago, of the remains of a highly honorable and truly gallant man, for the purpose of returning them to his native land. Suspicions of a painful nature arose, in connection with that exhumation. Those suspicions were cleared away, most happily, by a venerable friend of mine, with whom I have conversed upon that interesting topic. I will give some account of the removal of Major Andre's remains, in my next.

No. XVIII.

Major John Andre, aid-de-camp to General Clinton, and adjutant general of the British army, was, as every well-read school-boy knows, hanged as a spy, October 2, 1780, at Tappan, a town of New York, about five miles from the north bank of the Hudson.

In June, 1818, by a vote of the Legislature of New York, the remains of that gallant Irishman, Major General Richard Montgomery, were removed from Quebec. Col. L. Livingston, his nephew, superintended the exhumation and removal. An old soldier, who had attended the funeral, forty-two years before, pointed out the grave. These relics were committed to the ground, once more, in St. Paul's church-yard in New York; and, by direction of the Congress of the United States, a costly marble monument was erected there, executed by M. Ca.s.sieres, at Paris. Nothing was omitted of pomp and pageantry, in honor of the gallant dead.

Still the remains of Andre, whose fate was deeply deplored, however just the punishment--still they continued, in that resting place, humble and obscure, to which they had been consigned, when taken from the gallows.

The lofty honors, bestowed upon Montgomery, operated as a stimulus and a rebuke. Mr. James Buchanan, the British consul, admits their influence, in his memorable letter. He addressed a communication to the Duke of York, then commander-in-chief of the British army, suggesting the propriety of exhumating the remains of Andre, and returning them to England. The necessary orders were promptly issued, and Mr. Buchanan made his arrangements for the exhumation.

Mr. Demarat, a Baptist clergyman, at Tappan, was the proprietor of the little field, where the remains of Andre had been buried, and where they had reposed, for forty-one years, when, in the autumn of 1821, Mr.