| Transcribed by Norma Knotts Shaffer from microfilm of
the Calhoun Chronicle dated 3/21/1899.
T.T. Hodges was in town last Thursday morning discussing horses, hounds,
religion, temperance, and many other living issues, and among other things
he told in the presence of the writer and others, was a case of a dead
man walking, which was substantially as follows, "In 1863," said he, "while
what was known as the Jenkins raid was passing through West Virginia, they
had a battle at Buckhannon, in which a man by the name of Black and several
others were killed and wounded. Dr. Blair, the army surgeon, assisted
by others, dressed the wounds of the wounded and laid out the dead after
the manner of doing such things in war. After having completed the
work, the doctor and several others were sitting in the court room, which
was being used as a hospital, chatting, when about 12 o'clock at night,
to their surprise, the man, Black, who had been laid out for dead for several
hours, suddenly rose up and walked across the court room to and against
the ceiling on the opposite side from where he had been laying, and on
going against the ceiling he fell backward to the floor. All the
visitors and spectators fled from the room except Dr. Blair and a man by
the name of Smith Thomas, who now lives at Weston. Thinking the man
had come to life, a second examination was made, but he was found to be
cold in death." |
