The State Journal (Jefferson City) July 24, 1874 Pg 5
ALIVE IN THE GRAVE
Salt Lake City--- A horrible discovery was made here yesterday, upon exhuming the body of a young man named William Blackhurst, who was buried in the cemetery on the 23rd of June.
On the 20th of June, Blackhurst attended a picnic here, and while here he concluded to take a bath in a running stream nearby, remaining in the water some time. He was then in perfect health and apprehended no ill consequences.
After coming out from his bath, Blackhurst went back to the picnic grounds and got onto a swing. All at once, while in the swing, his head dropped, his muscles relaxed and he fell heavily to the ground. He was picked up and every effort to revive him was vain.
The insensible young man was placed in a carriage and driven home, where restorative agents were again employed, but to no purpose. After some hesitation the physician in attendance pronounced the young man dead, and preparations were made for his internment.
The body presented a singularly life-like appearance, so much so, that the friends felt uneasy about going on with the funeral, until more positive evidence that life had wholly gone had been obtained.
The funeral was indeed delayed one day, but finally the physicians reaffirmed their previous conclusion, that Blackhurst had died of heart disease, and the body was therefore interred June 23.
But one or two friends of the family seemed haunted by the recollections of that life-like face. They went about whispering their fears, and finally these haunting doubts spread throughout the city and led to a proposal to exhume the remains and settle the question forever.
Permission was obtained from the authorities and yesterday a number of the friends of young Blackhurst went to the cemetery and opened the grave.
Upon lifting the coffin and removing the lid, a horrible and sickening sight met their gaze. The body was on its side, the skin and great pieces of flesh had been torn from the face, the hair pulled out in huge patches from the scalp, the grave clothes and coffin lining torn in shreds, and the fingernails worn down by the frantic efforts of the man to burst the cerements of his grave.
The sight was the most terrible ever witnessed, and the stoutest-hearted of the party nearly fainted when the lid of the coffin was removed.
An investigation has been demanded, and will be had at once, to see if there is no way of fixing the responsibility for this horrible blunder and its awful results.
Here is the poor soul's grave.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...iam-blackhurst
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