Wait! Stop! I'm not dead yet!

by **Moodyblue772** » 26 Nov 05, 8:20 pm

Dead Jockey Rides to Victory (May 8, 1936)

Today in Odd History, Ralph Neves' life was cut tragically short at Bay Meadows Racecourse, near San Francisco, California. The 19-year-old jockey was coming into the final stretch of the third race of the day when his horse, Fannikins, tripped. She and her rider crashed through the wooden fence. Fannikins was unharmed, but Neves, who had not only broken his own mount's fall, but had also been trampled by four other horses, was dead. The track physician, assisted by two doctors who had come down from the stands when they saw Neves fall, loaded the body into an ambulance, and the race announcer called for a moment of silence. But the shocked, grieving spectators had underestimated Neves.

Doctors at the hospital did everything they could think of to revive Neves, but to no avail. By the time his friend Dr. Horace Stevens arrived, he had already been toe-tagged and sent to the morgue. Stevens, though, was not quite ready to give up. He administered a shot of adrenaline directly into Neves' heart. It had no effect. Sadly, he replaced the white sheet that covered his friend's lifeless body, and left him there. Had he waited just a few more minutes, he would have witnessed a miracle. The dead jockey arose from the chilly slab, shirtless, bloodied, shrouded in the morgue sheet and wearing a single boot. He staggered out of the hospital and hailed a cab to take him back to the racetrack.

Pandemonium broke out as Neves sprinted past the grandstand at Bay Meadows, half-dressed and still trailing his toe tag. "At one point," he said later, "I think everyone on the damn track was chasing me." He fought his way through the crowd and burst into the jockeys' room, where his colleagues were conducting a collection for his widow. She fainted at the sight of her newly resurrected husband, standing in the doorway demanding to be allowed to ride. He insisted that he didn't feel dead, but the stewards still refused to let him compete again that day. The following day, though, he rode five winners and claimed the meet's top prize--a $500 watch donated by Bing Crosby.

Neves' dramatic recovery was typical of "The Portuguese Pepperpot," a man whom fellow jockey Charlie Whittington once described as "wilder than a peach orchard boar." Neves rode for 28 more years, racking up nearly 4,000 wins on more than 25,000 horses. In 1960, he was inducted into the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame. He died in his sleep in 1995, at the age of 79. He did not rise again.

by **IslandgurlPatty** » 26 Nov 05, 8:26 pm

OMG, that's one of the strangest things I've ever read. And it's going to make my donor card complex worse....haha... j/k..well okay, truthfully, I have a fear of people harvesting my parts before I'm dead. Stupid I know, lol

by **tiger~lilly** » 26 Nov 05, 9:07 pm

It's not stupid Islandgurl, I have that same fear.

by **Moodyblue772** » 26 Nov 05, 9:39 pm

I do too

by **tiger~lilly** » 26 Nov 05, 11:32 pm

I also have weird feelings that if I die and they do an autopsy and find out that I'm not really dead. :eek:

by **Quercus** » 26 Nov 05, 11:55 pm

Okay, now stop it you guys you're creeping me out here!

I've always just worried that my donated body parts would be given to someone wealthy and prominent over someone poorer but more deserving, I don't need to be worrying about being disemboweled before I'm even dead. :razz:

by **Orange Door Hinge** » 27 Nov 05, 5:04 pm

For a moment, I didnt see the date. I was looking for it in the local news since i live relativly close to Bay Meadows.

BTW.. the're closing it to build condos.

by **Moodyblue772** » 27 Nov 05, 6:48 pm

Of course they would close it. Growth is much more important than history. (sarcasm)

by **Dirtzinert** » 01 Dec 05, 7:27 pm

Fearing all of the above, I went ahead and had them harvest my organs a couple of years ago... Now I'm just a brain in a jar (baby food jar), hooked to to my keyboard, and a tall blonde named Natasha...

by the way MB772:

I have a liberal arts degree. Would you like fries with that?

...so do I, and could you supersize them?

by **ckretmsage** » 01 Dec 05, 7:39 pm

I don't have a fear of my organs being harvested, but my death fear is kinda the same thing. I have a fear of waking up like 3 days after I have been buried and not being able to get out (aka Betrix Kiddo in Kill Bill). . :idea:

I would like to have a eject button installed in my casket, you know just in case.

Although, truthfully, I think I will donate my organs, and just get cremated instead.

by **Dirtzinert** » 02 Dec 05, 7:17 am

ckretmsage wrote: I have a fear of waking up like 3 days after I have been buried and not being able to get out (aka Betrix Kiddo in Kill Bill). . I would like to have a eject button installed in my casket, you know just in case.

Thats why years ago they used to put a small post with a bell attached, in the ground by the grave. There was a string going down and placed in the dead persons hand. If they did wake up, they were supposed to ring the bell, and someone would come dig them up...

by **Sting** » 02 Dec 05, 9:54 am

There has been a number of times when they unburied a closed casket only to find the insides shredded from the person trying to get out. Then they came up with the bell idea which created the graveyard shift job. That person listened for the ringing bells and would reopen the grave. Frightening thought indeed. And that's one of the reasons that they embalm the dead now, so they can’t wake back up.

by **Dirtzinert** » 02 Dec 05, 9:55 am

TMI...thanks tho. :lol:

by **Sting** » 02 Dec 05, 10:07 am

Not ready for the real world D. :lol:

by **tiger~lilly** » 02 Dec 05, 10:39 am

Thanx Sting, Now I don't even want to be embalmed!~ :razz:

by **Sting** » 02 Dec 05, 11:15 am

It's the trendy thing to do these days.

by **Moodyblue772** » 02 Dec 05, 4:15 pm

Dirtzinert wrote:by the way MB772:
I have a liberal arts degree. Would you like fries with that?
...so do I, and could you supersize them?

I can... for a small fee.

After reading all of your comments I have decided that the idea of death kinda creeps me out. I think I will opt out of dying.

by **Dirtzinert** » 02 Dec 05, 5:08 pm

Hell of an idea, if you figure out how to manage that..please let me know how you did it...I'll be happy to pass it on.

I can live with a small fee...you're the one who asked. Extra ketchup too?

by **Lixxy** » 02 Dec 05, 10:58 pm

Ah Man. I havn't even signed my hospital donation card yet! My fear is if i do, i will have a freak accident and die! Stupid isn't it :roll:

Is that being selfish? I don't want to feel this way. I just want to sign the darn card :roll:

Well, i fear death one way or another. I havn't always been like this, i started this fear only about 5 years ago.

Now no more death talk guys! You're creaping me out

by **albert** » 05 Dec 05, 6:58 am

Your gonna die for real ? :eek:

by **Drew** » 06 Dec 05, 1:29 am

I have a liberal arts degree. Would you like fries with that?

I have a computer science degree. Is the deep fat fryer working now?

by **wewe008** » 11 Dec 05, 2:32 am

Wawa,that's so long for me to read~~

by **Moodyblue772** » 11 Dec 05, 10:19 pm

Drew wrote:
I have a liberal arts degree. Would you like fries with that?

I have a computer science degree. Is the deep fat fryer working now?

Sure is!

FRIES ARE DONE!

Wait! Stop! I'm not dead yet!

Wait! Stop! I'm not dead yet!

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