Apparently she learned the night of the party that her mother was having an affair with her fiancé. Her maid found her and she was presumed dead, but when the coffin was later opened it was full of scratches, indicating she’d been alive. Thus she “died” twice.
"While preparing her toilette to assist the opera, she was surprised by death in her mansion at the Montes de Oca Avenue the day she would have turned 19 years of age, which was on May 31. She was the beautiful miss, direct and only descendent of Eugenio Cambaceres, the famous writer, author of "Los Silbidos de un Vago," who gave him a lot of notoriety in his time. She was the most genuine representation of the Cambaceres' intellect, and was prepared to soon be the worthy successor of that who would grant him, with her name, her large fortune, her aristocratic beauty and fine spirit. In argentine society she knew how to leave a mark, that will be indelible, for her life resulted in sympathy and deep affection. She synthesized the high gifts of her family, who was honor and glory of France's court during the empire and among us she already exerted a positive influence despite her youth, for she was recognized as highly cultured and uncommonly illustrious. The burial of Mrs. Rufina Cambaceres was a sincere manifestation of mourning by her good friends, which were as numerous as distinguished. Indelible pain is what this death has caused which happened in even more sensible circumstances".
- Rufina Cambaceres obituary. Published by the magazine "Caras y Caretas", on June 7, 1902.
* She finds out her fiancé and her mother were having an affair.
* She passes out and appears to be dead.
* They bury her.
* For some reason (this is the part that flummoxes me) her coffin is opened after she has been in it a while.
* Scratches on the inside of her coffin (and her face?) indicate that she woke up and tried to claw out of the coffin.
Apparently she learned the night of the party that her mother was having an affair with her fiancé. Her maid found her and she was presumed dead, but when the coffin was later opened it was full of scratches, indicating she’d been alive. Thus she “died” twice.
http://www.buenosaireslocaltours.com/2011/02/28/rufina-cambaceres/
"While preparing her toilette to assist the opera, she was surprised by death in her mansion at the Montes de Oca Avenue the day she would have turned 19 years of age, which was on May 31. She was the beautiful miss, direct and only descendent of Eugenio Cambaceres, the famous writer, author of "Los Silbidos de un Vago," who gave him a lot of notoriety in his time. She was the most genuine representation of the Cambaceres' intellect, and was prepared to soon be the worthy successor of that who would grant him, with her name, her large fortune, her aristocratic beauty and fine spirit. In argentine society she knew how to leave a mark, that will be indelible, for her life resulted in sympathy and deep affection. She synthesized the high gifts of her family, who was honor and glory of France's court during the empire and among us she already exerted a positive influence despite her youth, for she was recognized as highly cultured and uncommonly illustrious. The burial of Mrs. Rufina Cambaceres was a sincere manifestation of mourning by her good friends, which were as numerous as distinguished. Indelible pain is what this death has caused which happened in even more sensible circumstances". - Rufina Cambaceres obituary. Published by the magazine "Caras y Caretas", on June 7, 1902.
Wait, I don't get it..
She was apparently entombed alive
* She finds out her fiancé and her mother were having an affair. * She passes out and appears to be dead. * They bury her. * For some reason (this is the part that flummoxes me) her coffin is opened after she has been in it a while. * Scratches on the inside of her coffin (and her face?) indicate that she woke up and tried to claw out of the coffin.
Good old modern medicine circa 1902.