Rensselaer Union, Volume 1, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 December 1868 — A Curious Life and Double Funeral. [ARTICLE]

A Curious Life and Double Funeral.

(From the New Orieani Heaywne, November Sth.) The eumouncement of tho death, in this city, on Wednesday last, of John Henry Martinstein, recalls to. mind an incident ■ connected with his , life which many respectable qitizens can vouch for. Martinstein was a most peculiar and eccentric old gentleman,' and nis little hardware store became in the bourse of years, a perfect old curiosity shop, filled with adds and ends, stuck m shelves without regard, to order; but few of the bundles graced with strings and none of them marked, for so wouderf .1 was the old man’s memory that he never forgot the amount paid for an article, or made an error as to tho price. His head was his day-book, journal and ledger, and the astonishing retentiveness of his memory was only equaled by his want of order. If his bump of memory was large, "his bump of order must have been diminutive. Bundles wore thrown around loosoly, and any one else would have been absolutely nt sea In his store, while ho, no matter how much time had elapsed since he had seen or used an article, could find it at once, and recall instantly every circumstance connected with its purchase. He camo to Now Orleans more than half a century ago, and has always lived a quiet, sober life, attending closely and strictly to his businejw, and realizing, inconsequence, a handsome fortune.

Long years ago, dining a terrible financial crisis which swept over tho country, ruining many a man who had counted himself safe from nil possible contingencies, this singular poison conceived tho ides that he was a bankrupt, and insisted upon a surrender of his property to his creditors. They protested against such a measure, but ho would listen to no argument, and the result was that his stock alone being sold was found to realize immensely more than enough to cover all his indebtedness. Some time after this, Mr. Martinstein was taken quite sick and went off into a trance which so nearly resembled death that his demise was announced, and all the preparations made for the burial. On the appointed day the coffin containing tho body wits placed in a handsome hearse, which, followed by a long train of mourners, "was proceeding toward the cemetery, when the horses suddenly took fright, and ran away, the coffin being thrown violently to the .ground, and burst open. The surprise anti fright of the spectators may be imagined when from the coffin was seen to arise Mr. Martinstein himself, still instinct with hie, and present ing in his burial robes a sight from which many ran headlong away. Hevery quietly walked home, pretested against being put away in ho summary a manner, . and declared his intention to live for mauy a long day. This promise he kept religiously, as his lengthened hold upon life sufficiently proves. Not the least curious incident connected with the attempted burial of Mr, Martinstein, was tho fact that the undertaker who had been engaged had no ides of being cheated of what he fancied was his just dues, and upon being refused payment for his partially performed service, brought suit for the amount and actually obtained judgment in his favor in the lower court. Mr. Martinstein, however, took an appeal, and tho judgment was reversed—the court ruling that as he had not performed the service for which he had contracted, he was not entitled to pay for the same. There were those who followed the remains of tho old gentleman to the grave on Thursday, who were also in the cortege when a fortunate accident restored him to his family and friends.

Pebsecution of the Fbxnoh Pbess-—An affair called the Baudin aflair is exciting great interest in Paris. Baudin was a deputy, killed at a barricade on Deo. 3d, 1851, resisting tho coup d'etat, and the republicans have opened subscriptions to provide him a monument. Tho liberal papers publish these subscriptions, and are to be prosecuted for exciting hatred and contempt of the government. The journalists say that it is not legal; fifty-three barristers coincide in this opinion, and the lists are issued daily, the government on its side bringing actions. The trial is considered a sort of duel, and will bo watched by all Paris with an interest which the republicans hope will deepen till a popular movement becomes possible. They, of course, care nothing about M- Baudin, a worthy but obscure person, forgottefi for seventeen years, but they care much for the chance of a victory over the government. —The latest novelty from Paris is an artificial bunch of grapes, each filled with perfumery. The stem of each grape constitutes its cprk. - •'