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Show THE (UliTO M IT. A Burial that was Performed Under Most Peculiar and Weird Circumstances, Circum-stances, IT WEIGHED NEARLY 300 POUNDS. Watchers Beside the Casket Were Startled and the Women Screamed and Kan Away. P.epai.ia, Mo., July 23. A burial which was performed mirier the most peculiar and w eird circumstances took place at Spring Fork, fifteen miles from this city, at an early hour yesterday morning. Among the early settlers of Hot t is county was a young (ierman by the name of John Peterson and his bride. Thursday Mrs. Peterson died of dropsy. When it girl Mrs. Peterson was slim aud supple, but as the years passed she grew very fleshy, and at the timo of her death was a remarkably large woman, weighing nearly ;ilHI pounds. Immediately after Mrs. Peterson died arrangements were made for the funeral. fun-eral. The largest casket that could be procured in this city was tho exact' measure required at tho time of her death, but as it was not delivered until Friday morning the corpse had swollen so much that it was crowded into the narrow case with difficulty. The lid was screwed dow n aud tho remains left In that condition for burial. .The funeral fun-eral services were set for Saturday af- ternoon, ami, as Is customary, a number num-ber of neighbors acted as watchers. Friday night, just as the stillness of midnight was approaching, the watchers watch-ers were startled by a loud report in (ho parlor where the coffin was placed. Tho women screamed and ran out of the house, but the men plucked up enough courage to go in tho parlor. The scene presented was a niost horrl-bio horrl-bio one. The gases of the body had accumulated ac-cumulated in tho casket until their force burst the glass over tho face and bosom of Mrs. Peterson. So terrible was tho explosion that tho body was shot forward for-ward and upward, tho'head protruding from tho coffin. A vapor cloud laden with the rankest of putrid odors tilled the room. The men sent for Mr. Peterson, Peter-son, who, after dressing himself, went down stnirs. A consultation was held nnd it was decided that owing to the advanced slate of decomposition of the remains of the deceased the burial should take place at onco. Half a dozen of the male watchers agreeil to dig a grave in the garden near the house, while the others attended to other details of the burial. The grave having been prepared, the coffin w as carried out, and strong ropes were placed under the casket. Just as the crrfKn wa lowered ono of the assistan'.s let go of the rope. This threw the weight to the head of the coffin, cof-fin, nnd the ropes were jerked from the hands of the men stationed there. Tho coffin fell with great force head downward down-ward and was burst to pieces. It was decided to till the grave ill oncn without wniting for another casket, and tho re- mains were inns tnierreii. |