“An extraordinary affair is reported from Heap Bridge, Heywood. Yesterday a woman was supposed to have died, and she was washed, laid out, and measured for her coffin, a piece of linen being placed over her mouth. Eight hours later, however, as two women were engaged in the room, the supposed corpse blew the linen away, and raised herself up in bed. The two women were terribly frightened, and in their hasty retreat both tumbled downstairs, and are now suffering from slight injuries, as well as shock. Some time elapsed before any one else could be induced to enter the house, but eventually several persons went in together, and found the woman still sitting up in bed. She was exceedingly weak. Later, however, she succumbed, and the doctor expressed the opinion that her death was accelerated by shock. During the night the woman conversed with her son, who had carried her upstairs for dead, and told him of the awful sensation she felt whilst unable to speak during the washing and laying out of her body.” The following letter appeared in the London _Daily Chronicle_ of September 24, 1895:-- [A HUSBAND’S PROMISE.] “BURIED ALIVE. “Sir,--To your interesting correspondence on ‘Buried Alive,’ I would add the following, which I had directly from the mouth of one who but for the faithfulness of her husband would probably have been added to the number. I knew her quite well. She was the daughter of a physician in my native town, and her husband was a professor of music, and I will tell the incident as nearly as I can remember in her own words. She said:--‘I had in my early married life a dread of there being any mistake made about my death, and begged my husband that, should he survive me, he would watch my body himself, which he promised he would do. Some time after this, I was overtaken by a most terrible attack of fever, succeeded by entire exhaustion, and I, as my attendants believed, died, and was accordingly laid out for burial. My good husband was true to his promise, and he, with my sister, watched the corpse, and in the night they perceived some indication of returning life, and of course means were used for restoration.’ “I cannot be quite sure how many years she lived after, but she had brought up at the time I speak of a family of four sons and one daughter, and she lived to a good old age.--Yours truly, “CASSANDRA M----. “September 18.”