THE LATE CAPTAIN BAILIE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1789, 13 September 1888, Page 4

THE LATE CAPTAIN BAILIE.

STATEMENT BY FATHER CASSIDY,

The Rev. Father Cassidy, one of the spectators who stated that they saw the eyes of the late Captain Baillie open, writes as follows to the Taranaki News: sufficiently cut away the zinc to permit the slide covering the glass breastplate to be moved back, we moved it. At this time Mr Dickie was standing at the left, near the head of the coffin. I was opposite. He looked through the glass, and immediately exclaimed,' My God, he is alive! Send for the doctor.' I looked then, and I certainly saw the right eye of deceased fixed, as it were, pleadingly upon me. It opened wide in an instant, and closed. It flashed a light upon me that certainly I never saw coming from any dead eyes I before; and a strange feeling seized ime that I never, until then, experienced in the many hundred cases of the dying and the dead that I have attended. This was all the work of a few seconds. The eye, when we removed the lid, was half open again, but it no longer had the same look ; that light seemed to have left it, and its fixed sternness told its own story. When I saw all this, no oth'er was looking in, as it was impossible to see distinctly through the glass on account of the heavy moisture that covered it on the inside. This moisture, which was very watery, covered all the inside of the glas ; but a rim of about two inches right across it toward the head of the coffin, was perfectly clear. No moisture had gathered there, and through this rim a most distinct and clear vision of the face could be seen. I held the candle in my hand, saw clearly what I saw, and felt then what I could not express. There was perspiration on the forehead of deceased, and I then thought it strange that no moisture should have gathered on this part of the glass that covered from the eyes upward, or no moisture should have covered or gathered anywhere but on the brow pf our dead friend. While I looked anxiously in, the others were j standing round, and when I lifted myself up, after the eye half opened again and assumed its now stern, ! glassy gaze, some of the others had a look, but they noticed no change |in the eye, but were strangely sur- ; prised at the wonderful lifelike look and freshness of the face. We seut a messenger for the doctor, aDd another for a screwdriver. The doctor was away; the screwdriver came; and in a few minutes the lid was off. We were surprised, and all astonished, at the absence of all signs of decomposition, at the red freshness of the cheeks, and placid face before us. There was nothing-on the body but the shirts, which were certainly on when the aecident happened; tbey were wet. We removed the sleeve links from the outside one; it apparently had not been opened, and Ihe inner ones were certainly not removed after the body came ashore. We lifted up the limbs >f the deceased, and shook them about; they were stiff, spotlessly white, and Bhowed no signs of scars or marks whatever. We examined the heart, put bur hands along the spine, lifted him up, shook him, called him, moved his hands to and fro. They were quite Jimp; one was jammed tight along the side, the other was resting on the breast. We got the looking-glass and held it for a few seconds, but it was not moistened. We opened the mouth; one thought he. felt a very slight odour. I remarked it was impossible, and tried my best to find it; but, no, everything seemed quite fresh, The ears were ai little blue tinged, but did not look half so blue as hundreds of strong,] healthy people do during these frosty evenings. On the right frontal bone there was a little skin cut, about an inch long, and the flesh for an inch round it looked red. No sign of the inner or outer skull being injured, nor does it seem possible there could have been with such Blight traces of injury on the outer surface. A slight scratch on' the nose, another behind the right ear and loin, were all thatwere noticeable. The body had not been knocked about much, as had been asserted, but quite the reverse. The body was not then taken out of the coffin, but next morningi to be becomingly attired. After these things had taken place, after expressing very strong thoughts on all the strange cir? cumstances of the case, and after fully convincing ourselves that then at least the nobler part had passed out into eternal sunshine, we temporarily put on the lid. The relatives and friends came in, and all again felt the strangeness of that life-like face. The glass | was cleaned before replacing. Next S day the face had changed. It was then a dead face without doubt. But decomposition was not visible nor noticeable anywhere, and I have seen hundreds look more ghastly and deadworn a few hours after their demise. L felt uneasy, and Dr Blundell was sent for. He came and convinced me that all was over, no matter how it happened and where. I considered it advisable to furnish you with these particulars, as _ the case has excited considerable interest, and the public are, no doubt, anxious to know the true facts of the case, and from them they can form their own conclu ions, be they what they may."