The year: 1871. The place: the new tomb at Mount Pleasant Cemetery. The event: Deacon Henry Glass got locked in the tomb. The story, as related by Erma Bentley in March 1970, went like this: "Dr. Ryan's father and a crew of men were working on the new tomb at the cemetery and prepared to leave after a days work. Deacon Glass stayed on after everyone left to finish up when a gust of wind slammed the door shut. There weren't any door handles on the inside because anyone in a tomb wouldn't have any need to get out. Well, Deacon Glass commenced to howl, scream, cry, moan, and shout. Mr. Ryan forgot something and had to go back up the hill. When he approached the tomb he said he heard sounds like he never heard before coming from the small vent at the top of the tomb. When he opened the door the Deacon fell out prostrate on the ground. Mr. Ryan loaded him on his wagon of tools and drove down to the Glass residence on Spring Street near Linclon Street and dumped the Deacon on the lawn. Mrs. Glass came out, saw her husband lying on the lawn still in a state of shock, and proclaimed, 'Why didn't the old fool keep still; I knew where he was.' Rumor has it that the Deacon's hair turned grey that day."
1117