Buried Alive: Stories of Remarkable Escapes

In earlier times, when medical science was not as advanced, doctors often struggled to determine the moment of a person's death. Many feared being buried alive, and despite strict protocols to prevent such tragedies, cases were reported where it happened. The German "shoemaker" was one of them.

In 1822, a 40-year-old German cobbler was laid to rest, but questions about his death arose from the start. Although his family confirmed his death because he appeared lifeless, they failed to notice rigor mortis. Despite this, the funeral proceeded. However, as the gravedigger covered the grave, he heard knocking. He quickly dug out the coffin and found the cobbler moving inside. His arms were raised, he was not cold to the touch, and when a senior doctor "bled him," blood flowed over the shroud. Attempts to revive him lasted three days, but were unsuccessful. The cobbler was declared dead again and buried for the second and final time.

In 1915, in South Carolina, USA, a 30-year-old woman named Essie Denver was thought to have suffered a fatal epileptic seizure. After her death was declared, her body was placed in a coffin, with the funeral scheduled for the next day to allow her sister to arrive from out of town. When her sister finally arrived and the funeral was over, she regretted not seeing her sister one last time and ordered the coffin to be exhumed. When the coffin was opened, she saw Essie sitting up and smiling. Essie lived for another 47 years.

In 1867, a 24-year-old Frenchwoman named Philomel Yontra succumbed to cholera. Declared dead after a short illness, she was buried 16 hours later. Like with the cobbler, the sound of knocking was heard from her coffin, and she was promptly exhumed. When a lit candle was placed beneath her nose, no breath was detected, but she showed muscle spasms and eye twitches. This did not last long, and she was officially declared dead the next day and buried again.

The case of Angelo Hayes, a 19-year-old Frenchman, is considered the most astounding premature burial incident of the 20th century. In 1937, Hayes crashed his motorcycle, hurling his body against a brick wall. His face was so disfigured that even his parents were not allowed to see the body. With no pulse found, doctors declared him dead, and he was buried three days later. Due to a local insurance company's investigation, his body was exhumed two days after the funeral. To the astonishment of the forensic institute, Hayes was still warm. He was in a deep coma, and his reduced need for oxygen had kept him alive. After numerous surgeries and a period of rehabilitation, Hayes fully recovered. He became quite famous in France, with people traveling great distances to converse with him.

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