The Prank Played at the Irish Wake

In 1941, at my son Jack's Christening many old stories were told.

A favorite one was about the wake of a relative in Ireland. Back then, there were no funeral parlors or electricity. Wakes were held in people's homes. This particular relative had a humped back. The relatives had to tie the poor devil down with a rope to keep him in the casket.

My Uncle Bill got the bright idea of playing a trick during prayers. While the mourners were praying, someone locked the doors to the house and someone else cut the rope that was holding the relative in the casket. When the rope was cut, the dead relative popped up. People thought he had come back to life. Then someone blew out the candles. There was a lot of hollering and screaming and running toward the doors, which of course were locked.

Once everyone was told it was a joke, they all had a great laugh.

I thought the joke had gone too far. If I was there, I wouldn't have thought it was funny. People get heart attacks. People get strokes. Someone could have gotten hurt. If someone had a heart condition, it only takes a little bit of excitement.