A Slight Mistake

            This January 1885 article was reprinted from the Oswego Palladium to entertain the citizen’s of Park County.

            “An amusing incident took place the other night at a house in the Fifth Ward, where a woman lay dead.  At a late hour three young men who had known the deceased went to the place where the body lay for the purpose of attending the wake.  They entered the front door quietly and passed into the front room, where several women were carrying on a conversation in a low tone of voice.  The excellent qualities of the deceased were being rehearsed and all seemed to be bowed down under the great affliction.  On a sofa in the room lay the form of a woman. 

            “The three young men crossed the floor, softly knelt beside the sofa, and uttered fervent prayers for the welfare of the spirit of the departed.  The women in the room ceased talking when the young men knelt down, apparently awed by the solemnity of the occasion. 

            “The prayers were finally concluded, and the young men rose to their feet.  In rising, the skirt of one young man’s coat touched the face of the form on the sofa.  Instantly her eyes opened wide and she raised herself on her elbow. 

            “The feelings of the young men can better be imagined than described.  Their hair stood on end and their eyes bulged out, but they did not move.  Suddenly one of the number gave vent to a piercing yell and ran from the house, closely followed by his companions.  The corpse was in the next room, and the person over whom they had been praying was a relative of the deceased who had laid down for a short rest.”