After
warming up over hot coffee in a local diner, we drove to the Cumberland
Town Hall so that I could show Nick (and the film crew) an intriguing
report of the Town Council meeting of 8 February 1796 that was
entered in the Cumberland Town Council Records (vol. 4, p. 1).
The entry reads:
"Mr
Stephen Staples of Cumberland appeared before This Council and
Prayed that he Might have Liberty Granted unto him to Dig up the
body of his Dofter [sic] Abigail Staples Late of Cumberland Single
Woman Deceased In order to Try an Experiment on Livina Chace Wife
of Stephen Chace Which Said Livina Was Sister to the Said Abigail
Deceased Which being Duly Considered it is Voted and Resolved
that the Said Stephen Staples have Liberty to Dig up the Body
of the Said Abigail Deceased and after Trying the Experiment as
aforesaid that he bury the Body of the Said Abigail In a Deasent
Manner."
While
there is no direct reference to consumption, heart burning or
vampires, I cannot imagine what other "experiment" might be referenced
here. To date, this is the only explicit, official permission
to exhume a body for the purpose of saving a life that I've uncovered
in my extensive research of New England's vampire tradition.
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