Monsieur Mercier, in his Tableau de Paris, relates the following extraordinary Fact.
About seventeen years ago (i. e. 1765) an innocent young country girl, of handsome and engaging person, was hired as a servant by a man[1] at Paris, who was unfortunately for her contaminated with almost every vice incident to human nature. This wretch was so struck with her beauty, that he left no means untried to seduce her; but she was innately virtuous, and resisted all his wicked attempts. Being a stranger at Paris, and without any friend to receive her, she dreaded to quit the house of her persecutor, and with equal reluctance continued. At length her virtuous resistance so inflamed this wretched being, that not being able to gratify his desires in the manner he wished, he formed the most diabolical plan of vengeance that ever entered the human mind. He privately conveyed a quantity of plate, marked with his name, into the box where the girl kept her clothes, and then declaring he had been robbed, sent for an officer of Police, had her taken into custody, and made his report to the magistrate of the things that were missing. The officer on opening her box, and finding the articles supposed to be stolen, communicated the information to the magistrate, who, being fully persuaded of her guilt, committed her to prison. Here she fell on her knees, and supplicated the monster, but in vain; her tears were the only proof of her innocence, in opposition to the apparent fact, laid to her charge, which appeared to be incontrovertible. She was shortly after brought to trial, where, with the aid of the master’s circumstantial evidence, she was found guilty, ordered for execution, and in short was hanged. But mark the secret workings of Providence in behalf of an innocent victim! The executioner was a novice in his profession, and in adjusting the rope round the neck of this poor creature, he fastened it so awkwardly, that respiration was not entirely stopped. After hanging the usual time, the body was cut down, and sold to a Surgeon, (formerly in France, the bodies of criminals after execution, were a part of the hangman’s perquisites, who had liberty to dispose of them as he thought proper) who ordered it to be removed to his house for dissection. In the evening, when about to commence the operation, he thought he discovered an unusual warmth in several parts of the body. On holding a glass close to her mouth, he perceived a dulness and humidity on its surface, which led him to conclude, that the action of the lungs had not entirely ceased. The almost fatal knife immediately fell from his hand, and with great humanity he had the body put in a warm bed, where, after applying the usual remedies in cases of suspended animation, he had the satisfaction to find his efforts effectual, in restoring to life this unfortunate innocent. The Surgeon then sent for a Priest, to whom he was known, and in whose prudence and secrecy he could confide, and after telling him the particulars of this strange affair, requested him to be witness of his conduct, and to further aid him with his advice. When this poor unfortunate creature opened her eyes, and beheld the priest standing near her, she believed herself in the regions of the blest, clasping her trembling hands together, she exclaimed,—“Eternal and heavenly Father, you know my innocence!—Have mercy on me!”—Nothing could be more moving and expressive than the supplications of this much injured girl, who being roused from a death-like state, fancied herself in the presence of the Supreme Judge, and, in fact, could hardly be prevailed upon to desist from her invocations to the priest as to the Almighty: and so strongly was the idea of her late dreadful sufferings impressed upon her, that it was with much difficulty she could be persuaded she was again an inhabitant of the earth.
[1] Note—Celibacy in men was very common in France before the Revolution, and it was there no disparagement to a girl’s character to have lived in the house of a bachelor as servant.
XII.
Remarkable Resuscitation in Sweden.
On the 23rd of March, 1756, a peasant, about sixty years of age, of the province of Scheeren, in Sweden, having been made very drunk with brandy, was, in his way home, thrown down by the violence of the wind: and as he was too far gone in liquor to recover his legs again, he soon fell asleep where he lay. Not being discovered till the next morning, he was found then frozen stiff, and taken up for dead. He was put into a shell in order for interment, when fortunately Mr. Nauder, a physician of the province of Gothland, being on a journey, arrived on the spot where the accident happened. He examined the body; the face, and all the extremities, were cold as ice, and the cheeks of an extraordinary red colour. The joints were immoveable, the eyes were fixed. Not the least motion of the heart or pulse, or the smallest signs of respiration were left; and the feet were so completely frozen, that the toes were all become black, except the great toe on the right foot. After some time contemplating on these unfavourable circumstances, Mr. Nauder imagined he could perceive some warmth at the pit of the stomach, which encouraged him to hope the poor object might be recovered; but there being no Apothecary, or medicines of any kind to be had in the place, he was induced to try the following methods. He begun, by ordering the arms, legs, and loins of the patient, to be rubbed with coarse woollen cloths. He put on the stomach and belly warm cloths of the same kind, which were frequently changed, increasing their warmth by degrees. At the same time, the patient was laid on a mattrass on the floor; no care being as yet taken about his feet, which the physician supposed it was impossible to save. On reflecting afterwards, however, on the custom of putting frozen meat into cold water, in order to thaw it, without prejudice, he had a mind to try the same expedient. But, as the joints were as yet inflexible, he could not find means to immerse the feet in water, so was obliged to content himself with ordering wet linen cloths, frequently changed, to be wrapped round them.
By these means, the region of the heart began to recover warmth, but not till after four hours constant rubbing, there was the least appearance of respiration. This was about two o’clock in the afternoon. No pulse, however, was to be perceived till near half an hour after three, when the muscles began to lose their rigidity; the cheeks relaxed, and before five, a silver spoon might be got between his teeth. At this time they strove to make him swallow some hot wine, which with much difficulty was effected: after which, his face was covered with sweat, and his cheeks began to return to their natural colour. Soon afterwards he began to move his eye-brows, and at six o’clock his arms and hands. He was now placed in his bed; before a good fire; his arms, and legs being well covered with warm blankets. He took also two more spoonfuls of hot wine; and, about eight o’clock, began first to talk, but in a manner very confused and unintelligible; being delirious, and fancying himself still in the forest. By degrees the cold had almost left his feet, and the blackness of the toes in a great measure disappeared, although the free motion of the joints was not as yet restored. About ten o’clock, however he began to bend his back, and complained of a violent pain in his legs. He now took a little beer made hot, with an egg beat in it, and soon after went to sleep. In the morning, his feet were warm, and without pain, and his toes recovered entirely their natural colour, but both were extremely tender. His pulse beat quick and strong, and together with a burning thirst indicated bleeding necessary; but as no lancet could be procured, Mr. Nauder ordered him some water gruel, which he drank of at intervals plentifully, till noon; when he was relieved farther by a stool. He went again in the evening to sleep, and was the next morning capable of sitting up, and being conveyed home in a carriage, not indeed entirely free from pain, but in a fair way of a perfect and speedy recovery.
XIII.
Peter Zacchias, a celebrated physician of Rome, relates the following appropriate story.
There was a young man in the hospital of the Holy Ghost, who being attacked with the plague from the violence of his distemper fell into so perfect a syncope, as to be imagined dead. His body was placed among those who, having died of the same malady, were waiting for interment. Whilst these carcases were transporting across the Tyber in a bark destined for the purpose, the young man exhibited some signs of life, upon which he was immediately carried back to the hospital, where he recovered. Two days afterwards, however he relapsed into a like syncope, and his body once more numbered with the dead, was again transported across the Tyber for burial. Again, however, he came to himself; new cares were bestowed upon him, and the assistance of suitable remedies, not only completely restored him to life, but even cured him so completely, that he lived for many years afterwards.