<\/p>\n What I found was that being buried alive (on purpose<\/em>) was not novel. Apparently, the great Harry Houdini had planned to do it in the mid-1920s, with more of a magician\u2019s flare\u2026 \u00a0but he did not pursue this stunt for long. A few others were doing it here and there across the country, but things really seemed to ramp up in the 1930s.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And yet again, Chesapeake Beach played its part!<\/p>\n I\u2019m not sure who was burying who elsewhere in the country, but in July of 1932, R.L. \u201cSlim\u201d Jones beat the \u201cburied-alive\u201d record of a man named E.C. Castleberry, in Richmond, VA. This led to an intense rivalry between the two. Castleberry sent a telegram that challenged Slim to a buried-alive duel. Castleberry stated that he would only have an electric light, an army blanket and a pillow. This was taking a jab at Slim\u2019s earlier burial where apparently his coffin was quite large, and he had with him the luxuries of a radio, a light, a shaving kit and magazines. Castleberry on the other hand, was hardcore.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Slim accepted Castleberry\u2019s challenge, and Seaside Park was the lucky location where Slim went to the grave. Castleberry was buried somewhere around Richmond, VA. Slim did address the size of his coffin, and on August 13, 1932, he was buried alive with much fanfare. His coffin was lowered into the ground to a jazzy funeral dirge played by Bernie Jarboe\u2019s Night Hawks (a band that frequented the beach). A small tube was set in place for liquid nourishment to be lowered and allowed people to see and talk with him. Our local doctor, Dr. Ward, visited Slim daily, had a chat to assess his well-being and lowered a thermometer to check his temperature. In one of my Facebook posts about this, someone commented that their grandmother remembered this event and the tube to see him!<\/p>\n It appears that Castleberry might have won this particular battle, but it was far from over. These two men battled on and off for quite a while, going back to the grave over and over again to reclaim their crown.<\/p>\n I followed Slim\u2019s daredevil career in the newspapers from 1932-1934. In 1933, he went 6\u2019 under for over 70 days, having to be exhumed when he became ill. In 1934, he changed gears and went for a different kind of record, but this one didn\u2019t seem to catch on. He had his body frozen in ice and claimed a two-hour \u201cfrozen in ice\u201d record.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chesapeakebeachrailwaymuseum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Untitled-design-8.jpg?ssl=1\")
<\/a>Buried Alive Challenges!<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nChallenge Accepted!<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a>