DEAD” MAN'S EXPLOITS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 2302, 14 July 1921, Page 4

DEAD” MAN'S EXPLOITS.

PANIC AT REQUIEM SERVICE,

Grand Guignol plays arc outdone by a drama enacted at Yilna recently, says a Warsaw-message. An inmate of the local asylum died, and the coffin and body was taken into fbe chapel. Another lunatic, who had seen the body of bis comrade carried away, stoic into the chapel, took the body from the coffin, and put it in the cupboard used to keep the church furniture. This done, he lay down in the coffin, covered himself with a shroud, and fell asleep. A few hours later a priest arrived and conducted a requiem service. When it*was finished hearers lifted

the coffin to take it away for the burial. The motion woke the madman, who jumped out, struck one of the hearers a blow on the head, and ran away. The bearer collapsed, and died from fright, while the priest and the .others tied panicstricken. Their cries brought a crowd to the chapel entrance. Eventually some of the bravest ventured inside to ascertain what had happened. They found an empty coffin and a dead man on the floor, and naturally put the corpse into the coffin. They then began to search for the shroud, which the madman had taken away with him. One of the searchers opened the cupboard in the hope of finding something fit to cover the body. Directly, he did so the hidden dead man fell on him head first, and knocked him down. The live man fainted from fright, and panic again filled the chapel, the crowd rushing out and scattering through the city. It was only after several hours’ work by the police that the matter was cleared up and popular excitement subsided.