Democratic Sentinel, Volume 13, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 March 1889 — SURPRISES. [ARTICLE]

SURPRISES.

On the 7th insi the widow Porter, mether of all Porters, but Wils and Cal, had a birthday surf rise, being the 77th anniversary, t was of large dimensions. Seventy persons partook of the dinner which consisted of all the bounties of Providence —meats, cakes, <fec., almost without number —ls kinds of cake, as pound, marble, jelly, &«., Ac., whiih no man, or hardly a woman on earth could describe. on the Bth there was a similar surprise given to Peter Wasson, 40 years old. The same number (70) partook of the dinner. Alter feeding t e 70 both days no one could tell the baskets full that we v e carried home to feed the ohiidren left there to hunger for a time; but still well oared for.

Enough on the eatables. Now for a few outside facts, which, I suppose, those who appointed me at both meetings expected me to give in this report. , ,A good elder in onr Presbyterian church, in Fountain county, in one of his ‘fur ny streaks', thinking no doubt of the oommon question at big eating tables* ‘are yon ready for pie?’ which used to mean, ‘have yen filled every nook and corner of the stomach jam fall', aaid be had thought they had beter eat the dessert or ‘nickpacks’ Irst, because ‘life is uncertain’, ihat they might fail to get the good things. Poor fellow, ne died suddenly, and at the funeral my wife and the preacher both said to hemselves, ‘he is not dead ’ Had I known this I could have had iiim preserved as was Rev. Wm. Tenant and others. No doubt many are buried alive. I read in “Greek and Roman Antiquities’’ that for a short time in Roman history they were allowed to ‘cremate’ the dead. They w-*re laid on a large pile of logs, aid when the fire burnt up around the corpse some showed signs of life, but too badly burned to live. A number of instances is given where the heat brought them too, and they got up and walked down from the pile and lived for years, These are e tablished facts of history not known by the masses. The thought of dying is horrid enough for most people, but the idea of being buried al ve is aw-

full!

S. W. RITCHBY.

N. B. —I was requested to state that Miss Bell Hervey had the same birthday as Mr. Wasson and was seated beside him at dinner with a significant boquet of flowers, though it was not her surprise. All Lad a nicetim \ R.