Buzz
The fear of being buried alive stands as one of humanity's most profound terrors. Edgar Allan Poe famously depicted this horror, and it has inspired numerous films. Shockingly, real-life instances of such tragic errors are more frequent than imagined. In earlier times, before modern embalming practices and advanced medical tools, many individuals awoke to the nightmare of finding themselves trapped in their coffins. This compilation highlights 10 such harrowing stories. Sources include historical newspapers, journals, and a 1905 book titled *Premature Burial and How it May be Prevented*, which documents several verified cases.
10. Virginia Macdonald 1851
Virginia Macdonald resided with her father in New York City until she fell ill, passed away, and was laid to rest in Brooklyn's Greenwood Cemetery. Her mother, however, was convinced her daughter had been buried alive and refused to accept her death. Despite the family's attempts to reassure her, the mother's insistence grew so strong that they eventually agreed to exhume the body. To their shock, they found the corpse turned on its side, with hands gnawed and clear signs of a premature burial.
Interesting Fact: During the relocation of the Les Innocents cemetery in Paris, France, from the city center to the outskirts, the discovery of numerous skeletons lying face down led many, including doctors, to believe that premature burials were far more common than previously thought.
9. Madam Blunden 1896
Madam Blunden was presumed dead and laid to rest in the Blunden family vault beneath Holy Ghost Chapel in Basingstoke, England. The vault was located under a boys' school. The day after her funeral, students playing above heard strange noises emanating from below. After a boy reported the sounds to his teacher, the sexton was called. Upon opening the vault and casket, they found Madam Blunden taking her final breath. Despite efforts to revive her, she could not be saved. In her desperate struggle, she had clawed at her face and bitten off her fingernails.
Interesting Fact: Numerous safety coffin designs were patented in the 18th and 19th centuries. These coffins were equipped with mechanisms to allow the occupant to signal if they had been buried alive. One such variation can be viewed here.
8. New York Times article 1886
“WOODSTOCK, Ontario, Jan. 18 – A young girl named Collins was believed to have passed away suddenly. However, when her body was exhumed for relocation to another burial site, it was revealed that she had been buried alive. Her burial shroud was torn to pieces, her knees were pressed against her chest, one arm was twisted beneath her head, and her face displayed signs of extreme suffering.”
Interesting Fact: Dr. Timothy Clark Smith of Vermont, living in the 19th century, was so fearful of premature burial that he designed a unique crypt featuring a breathing tube and a glass window in his tombstone, allowing him to look out into the world above. His grave can be viewed here.
7. Daily Telegraph article 1889
“GRENOBLE, Jan. 18 – A gendarme was mistakenly buried alive in a village near Grenoble. After consuming potato brandy, he fell into a deep sleep. His friends, believing him dead due to the rigidity of his body, proceeded with the burial. As the sexton lowered the coffin into the grave, he heard muffled cries and knocks from inside. Quickly, he drilled holes into the coffin for air and removed the lid. Sadly, the gendarme had already perished, having severely injured himself in a desperate attempt to escape.”
Interesting Fact: The fear of being buried alive is known as taphephobia. The term originates from the Greek words 'taphos,' meaning 'grave,' and 'phobos,' meaning 'fear,' literally translating to the fear of the grave or being interred while still alive.
6. The Sunday Times article 1838
“TONNEINS, Dec. 30 – A horrifying incident of premature burial recently occurred in Tonneins, Lower Garonne. The victim, a man in his prime, had just been buried when faint noises were heard coming from his coffin. The gravedigger, terrified, ran for help. By the time he returned, a crowd had gathered and demanded the coffin be opened. Upon removing the lid, it was clear the man had been buried alive. His face was twisted in agony, and he had torn his arms free from the shroud. A doctor on-site attempted to draw blood but found none; the man was beyond saving.”
Interesting Fact: *The Complete Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook* includes a section on surviving premature burial in a coffin. For those facing such a dire situation, life-saving advice can be found here.
5. British Medical Journal 1877
“December 8 – Evidence revealed that a woman, believed dead, was buried while in a trance. Days later, when her grave was reopened for another burial, it was discovered she had torn her burial clothes and broken her limbs in a desperate attempt to escape. The court sentenced the doctor who certified her death and the mayor who authorized the burial to three months in prison for involuntary manslaughter.”
Interesting Fact: Modern medicine defines death through the concept of 'brain death,' where a person is declared clinically dead when all electrical activity in their brain ceases.
4. New York Times article 1884
“DAYTON, Feb. 8 – A shocking revelation has stirred the city: Miss Hockwalt, a young woman of prominent standing, was buried alive after being presumed dead on Jan. 10. The grim discovery was made days later, sparking widespread discussion. Miss Hockwalt’s death occurred under unusual circumstances on the morning of her brother’s wedding to Miss Emma Schwind at Emannel’s Church. While preparing for the ceremony, she was found slumped in a chair, seemingly lifeless. Dr. Jewett, after examining her, declared her dead. The wedding proceeded somberly. Later, her friends noted her eyes appeared unusually lifelike, prompting her parents to exhume her body. Upon opening the coffin, they found her turned on her side, her hair torn out, and her fingers bitten. The body was reburied, but the truth could not be concealed.”
Interesting Fact: In 1822, Dr. Adolf Gutsmuth repeatedly buried himself to showcase his safety coffin design. On one occasion, he remained underground for hours, consuming soup, sausages, and beer delivered through a feeding tube in the coffin.
3. Madame Bobin 1901
In 1901, Madame Bobin, who was pregnant, arrived on a steamer from Western Africa showing symptoms of yellow fever. She was taken to a hospital for contagious diseases, where her condition worsened, and she was presumed dead and buried. A nurse later observed that her body was not cold and noticed abdominal muscle tremors, suggesting she might have been buried alive. Upon hearing this, Madame Bobin’s father arranged for her exhumation. To their horror, they discovered she had given birth to a baby in the coffin, both of whom had died. An autopsy revealed she did not have yellow fever but had suffocated in the coffin. A lawsuit against health officials resulted in £8,000 ($13,000) in damages.
Interesting Fact: During the 17th century, when plague victims often appeared dead, there were 149 documented cases of individuals being buried alive.
2. New York Times Article 1885
“ASHEVILLE, N.C., Feb. 20 – A resident of Flat Creek Township in Buncombe County reported that a young man named Jenkins, who had been ill with fever for weeks, was presumed dead. He lost the ability to speak, his skin turned cold and clammy, and he showed no signs of pulse or heartbeat. Believing him deceased, his family prepared him for burial, noting his limbs remained unusually flexible. After his burial, rumors spread that Jenkins might have been buried alive. On the 10th of the month, his coffin was exhumed for relocation to the family cemetery in Henderson County. Upon opening the wooden coffin, his relatives were horrified to find his body face down, with clumps of hair torn out and scratch marks on the coffin’s interior. Many believe Jenkins was in a trance or a state of suspended animation when buried, only to awaken and realize his dire situation. His body was reburied in Henderson County, leaving his family deeply distressed over what they called ‘criminal carelessness.’”
Interesting Fact: To address fears of premature burial, the Society for the Prevention of People Being Buried Alive was established, advocating for slower burial processes to ensure the deceased were truly dead.
1. Mary Norah Best 1871
Seventeen-year-old Mary Norah Best, the adopted daughter of Mrs. Moore Chew, was declared dead from cholera and placed in the Chew family vault in an old French cemetery in Calcutta. The surgeon who pronounced her death had motives tied to her demise, having previously attempted to kill her adoptive mother. Before Mary’s supposed death, her adoptive mother fled to England after surviving a second assassination attempt, leaving Mary behind. Mary was sealed in a pine coffin and entombed. A decade later, in 1881, the vault was reopened to bury Mrs. Moore’s brother. Upon entering, the undertaker’s assistant discovered Mary’s coffin lid on the floor, her skeleton halfway out of the coffin. It is believed she awoke from a trance, forced the lid open, and fainted from exhaustion, fatally striking her head on the vault’s masonry shelf. The surgeon is suspected of poisoning her and falsifying her death.
Interesting Fact: Thomas A Kempis, a German Augustinian monk who authored *The Imitation of Christ* in the 1400s, was allegedly denied sainthood because splinters were found under his fingernails. Church authorities concluded that a saintly figure would not resist death if buried alive.
+ Margorie McCall 1705
This bonus entry may lean more toward folklore than fact. While researching premature burials, this tale surfaced repeatedly with varying names and locations, as detailed in this Wikipedia article. Snopes.com rates a similar story as “True,” suggesting such an event likely occurred but was embellished over time. The most popular version involves Margorie McCall from Northern Ireland, who fell ill, was declared dead, and buried in Shankill Graveyard. Grave robbers later exhumed her body, attempting to steal a ring from her finger. When they tried to cut it off, Margorie awoke, startling the robbers into fleeing. She then walked home, where her family, mourning her death, heard a knock at the door. Her husband, still grieving, remarked, “If your mother were alive, I’d swear that was her knock.” To their shock, Margorie stood at the door in her burial clothes, very much alive, causing her husband to faint.
Interesting Fact: The phrases 'Saved by the bell' and 'Dead ringer' are often mistakenly linked to safety coffins, with the idea that a buried person could ring a bell to signal they were alive. However, both origins are unrelated. 'Saved by the bell' originates from 1930s boxing, referring to a boxer being saved by the round-ending bell. 'Ringer' comes from horse racing, where a horse was swapped with a lookalike to deceive bookies, with 'dead' later added for emphasis, as in 'dead on' or 'dead center.'
