_Funeral Superstition._--A few days ago the body of a gentleman in this
neighbourhood was conveyed to the hearse, and while being placed in it,
the door of the house, whether from design or inadvertence I know not,
was closed before the friends came out to take their places in the
coaches. An old lady, who was watching the proceedings, immediately
exclaimed, "God bless me! they have closed the door upon the corpse:
there will be another death in that house before many days are over."
She was fully impressed with this belief, and unhappily this impression
has been confirmed. The funeral was on Saturday, and on the Monday
morning following a young man, resident in the house, was found dead in
bed, having died under the influence of chloroform, which he had
inhaled, self-administered, to relieve the pain of toothache or
tic-douloureux.
Perhaps the superstition may have come before you already; but not
having met with it myself, I thought it might be equally new to others.