Walks In Upon His Own Burial: Man Appears As His Supposed Body Is Lowered Into Grave
Bristol, Tenn., Special – In the midst of a solemn burial service, when members of the family were seeing lowered into the grave what they believed to be the body of their husband and father, James Swecker, the man supposed to be dead, suddenly appeared upon the scene to the utter amazement of the funeral party. This happened yesterday in the village of Timber Ridge, near Greeneville, Tenn.
Swecker is a veteran of the Civil War, and a somewhat eccentric character. Last fall he announced himself as a candidate for Congress in the First Tennessee District, canvassing every county. He disappeared from his home a few days ago.
The body of a man answering Swecker’s description was found by Southern Railway employees. Death resulted either from murder or from being struck by a train.
In a pocket of the dead man were found papers containing the name of Swecker, and this, together with marked resemblances, led to a positive identification.
The coffin was raised from the grave and further examination leads to the conclusion that the body is that of a man named Mellengore, who recently disappeared from his home at Morristown, Tenn.
from The Chatham Record, 19 April, 1911
