Martinsburg gazette and public advertiser. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1826-1833, 1828-05-29

and yet so slowly as 10 intsics upon my
sign, ths. which will aver stand be-
tween II aud the sun Fragment after
lragmen. rushed furiously from the
1901, but yet SO thickly internlngled
that cannol al this moment say whe
Their or not the mass OF the roof was
disunllea at all IN It's descent. Then
the bursting of the walis--,he grating
of the stones and bricks as they were
ground into powder--the repdlng OF
the plaDks and wooden parsIiiOns--lhe
Kissing sound OF the lamps and brass
work The damp crush OF human DO
dies land the yeiis of mortal agony
from hundred hearts, which seemed
wilder and stronger even than the IN.
animate sounds that had called them
into being--to choke, Conquer, and
silence them forever.
All was dark A weight was upon
my shoulder which all Atlas could
not have moved; my left leg was tx
ed between two planks, and as l dis.
covered by feeling with my hand be-
tore the pain announced 1t, 1t was bro
ken and distorted; the side outline OF
the narrow chamber ia which | sat
would nave nearly described right
angled triangle, the hypothenuse lean
ing on my tack; above, could ex.
lend my arm at full length without a
ny obstacle, bot the aperture could
not have admitted any thing thicker
than the arm; before me was wall
apparently OF solid non, and below,
and at the sides, the surface consisting
of iron, brick, stones aud wood, was
broken into narrow lntersticcs.
When the united sounds l have DIES
cribed had subsidized into distant hnm,
single voice rose upon my ear: II was
the voice OF the lady meItiOned above.
i, was one wild ,shriii, unbroken scream.
| do not know now long it lasted; |
do no. kow whether it was hu
man voice at all, it did not stop Tor
breath, its way was not impeded, like
The rest, by the Intervention OF the ru-
ms; minute after minute 1t continued,
and every minute it became wilder and
shri!ler, piercing, like an arrow. lhrO'
my head and heart, ill ny tortured
senses found temporary relief in lnsen
sibility.
My iainting fit probably lasted con-
siderable time; for when recovered
i. was long before l could understand
my situation, or recall any thing that
had happened TO my memory. AT
length, piece by piece, the truth came
before me, and l could feel the cold
sweat trickiing down my brow. The
voice had heard existed probably on
IS in sinatlon, for j. was now silent
A low deep sound was hummlng IN
my ears, which l could at length dis
anguish to be the simultaneous groans
of human beings, separated from me
either by distance or some thick and
lmpeneirable barrier My ear endea
voured in vain TO drive 1t into Its com
ponent parts, aud to recognize the
voices of those / knew; and there was
something more horrible IN this vague,
my sterious monotony than if it bad
been distinctly fraught with the dying
accents of The one i loved best on
earth l felt as ii my lot must be bit
terer than the rest. was aIone-l
was cut off even from the communion OF
suffering; while they, | imagined, were
together aud in the sound OF one ano-
theirs voices, and the touch even OF one
another's cloths, received some relief
from the idea of total abandonment,
OF agony unimagined and unshared.
My senses, believe, began to tot
ter, for l complained aloud of my lonIy
Tate: knew that l was behaving
absurdiy, hut l could not help ii; 1
beat the iron walls of my dungeon
with my clenched hands ill they were
wet with blood, and shrieked aloud
with a voice rendered terrific by the
fury of despair The voices OF the
rest appeared to be startled into silence
at the sound--or perhaps it fell upon
their ears like a cry OF comfort and
hope, an answer TO their groans from
the surface of the earth After pause
l heard another dull, heavy sound like
that produced by muflled drum; it
was in reality a drum and proba