Girl Buried Second Time
The body of Miss Elizabeth School exhumed
Eau Claire Leader | May 26, 1910

Eau Claire- The body of Miss Elizabeth School, aged 25, exhumed after having been in the grave for twenty-four hours because neighbors believed that she had been buried before life was extinct, had been reburied.

Chad’s Take: Saved by the bell

It was common during this time period for people to fear being buried alive. I have discovered hundreds of cases where people that had been pronounced dead simply popped back to life during the funeral or right before being buried. Perhaps they were in a coma or suffering from diabetic shock, but their doctors and family believed they were dead. The fear of being buried alive was so prevalent that several inventions were created to avoid this dreadful fate. The first invention was spring loaded coffin that had a lever installed inside that once pulled would open the casket door. Therefore if you were buried alive you could pull the lever and escape to safety. The other main invention was what was called a cemetery bell, and it was exactly what is sounded like, a bell that would sit on top of your grave with a sting going down into the casket. If you awoke and found yourself buried alive you could simply pull the string and the bell would ring and alert the cemetery caretaker that you were still alive and needed to be rescued. The only problem with these cemetery bells is that on many occasions the wind would set off the bells giving the caretaker quite a scare thinking everyone had been buried alive. However, this invention did lead to the old saying “saved by the bell.”

Unfortunately when the neighbors of Miss Elizabeth School had her body dug up, they discovered that she was truly dead and no inventions could save her. Once the doubters were convinced of her death, her body was then placed back into her grave for a second time. No harm would have been done as the digging up of “dead” people was a common occurrence in these times, and since being cremated was not yet a popular burial option, digging up a person was the only way to prove that they were really dead.

Keep this article in mind the next time you pass through a cemetery, as you might just hear the cries of help from those who have been buried alive.

Keep an eye out.