Daily Short Stories - Mystery & Suspense The Premature Burial - Edgar Allan Poe
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Sep 23, 2025 Dive into the chilling fears surrounding premature burial, explored through eerie real-life cases. Discover the horrifying tale of a woman who revived in her family vault. Hear about Victorine Lafourcade, who was saved from an untimely grave by her lover. The gripping narrative also includes accounts of an officer struggling in his grave and the shocking resuscitation of Edward Stapleton during a dissection. From personal catalepsy to elaborate burial precautions, this discussion highlights humanity's darkest fears and the ultimate quest for survival.
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The Reality Of Premature Burial
- Premature burial is a real and historically documented human horror that excites profound moral and imaginative dread.
- Poe argues that individual instances of extreme suffering (like being buried alive) are more affecting than mass disasters because they expose private, unimaginable agony.
Baltimore Vault Horror
- Poe recounts a Baltimore case where a woman revived within two days of entombment but likely died from terror after escaping her coffin.
- Her husband found her skeleton three years later, the coffin broken and an empty lamp nearby suggesting futile struggle.
Victorine Lafourcade Rescued
- Poe tells of Victorine Lafourcade, mistakenly buried alive and later rescued by her lover who revived her with restoratives.
- She fled her husband, married her rescuer, and returned decades later to legally resist the husband's claim.
