The Middlebury people's press. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1841-1843, 1842-07-12

which my gaze had been rivited for so ma.
ny hours, could become dear to me. The
thought that we are viewing any object,
however mean, for the last time, always
raises its importance, and gives it facti.
tious charm and now this spot to me was
the straw to drowning man, the silver
line of sunset in prisoners dungeon-the
last link with this visible earth. | strove
in vain to keep open the eye lids-slowly
they yielded TO the pressure of the fingers,
and gradually the range of vision became
more and more confined, until all was utter
ly out. Never before had the fear of being
buried alive suggested itself, but now it
come over me like a gulphing wave. l
thought that should be laid down in the
charnel house among decaying corpses.and
stIfied from the pure breath of heaven, fam
ish, if indeed | were not dead then. All
the frightful stories Of such occurrences that
| had ever read came to mind, and the hope
of ultimate recovery grew feebler and fee
bier.
The night came, and how dreary and un-
ending it seemed. One after another |
heard the hours struck by the clock, until
at last from pure exhaustion, lost my SEN
sation. 1t must have been late in the
morning when returned to consciousness.
| felt hands upon me-they were lifting me
into my coffin l heard them screw after
screw until the lid was fastened, and only
the narrow space over the face remained
open, felt tn sides of the coffin jar and
rub against my arms, and despaired that
l should ever recover my power of motion.
. The coffin was lifted and placed upon the
table. Some one asked when was to be
buried "This afternoon" was the answer,
she has been now dead two days" | had
then been unconscious for the length of
whole day. Now the time instead of drag
ging weary length, seemed to fly with
lightning like rapidity. The past seemed
endlessly long-the future was foreshorten-
ed to breath, moment. The clock tick
ed faster and faster, and time seemed to
pour itself away in rapid moments, as ri
sing thunder cloud empties its fierce, heavy
drops more and more rapidly.
1t was afternoon-the company gathered
the shutter creaked beside me, and the
window was opened. | felt the warm
breath of the spring air steal over my face
like delicious odor. | heard the birds
singing among the branches, and the gentle
rustling of the swaying trees, as the wind
stirred among the leaves. thought of all
the gladstone earth--of the blue sky of
the ripping brooks, half sunlight, half shad-
ow-of the early evening clouds. whose
hues shift like the colors of doves neck
of the stars, of the moon, of the swelling
and heaving ocean, and chung to the men,
Dry of them with mute despair, loving them
the more the nearer came to losing them.
At last the dim whispering hum about
the room ceased-the clock licked loudly,
and the clergyman's voice repeated those
first sentences in the services for the dead
Il am the resurrection and the life" &c.
His voice ceased-I gave myself up to
despair. tried to resign myself to the
dreadful thought that was to be hurried a.
live. Some one lifted the lid to screw it
down ere should be removed; heard
faint exclamation from some one bending
over mcleod God he must be alive
yet; there are drops of preparation now
upon his forehead Bring a mirror and
place it to his lips, he may breathe yet. -
1t seemed that the extremity of my agony
had wrung out cold dew upon m! skin.
No sooner had the words been spoken, than
there was wild hurry, and suppressed ex-
carnations of fear, and doubt, and surprise
about the room. What a moment of ago.
nv was the next The fearful anticipa-
ton, lest, after all, there should be no sign
of breath, was worse than all before. The
mirrior was brought,and then knew by the
sudden and fearful cry, that my real state,
that of Catochus, was at least known.
was bled instantly: between my lips
few drops of brandy were forced and my
limbs and head were fomented with heated
cloths, with such effect, that in two hours |
regained my power of motion and sat up,
though weak from loss of blood and entire
ly exhausted by the dreadful sufferings
through which had passed as through a
fiery ordeal. Believe me these pains would
not suffer again, if the price should be the
showering of all the wealth and glory the
world can bestow. Such suffering does
!, not leave a man where it finds him. / arose
from my bed an altered man with my
moral and mental constitution completely
changed,
The main melted of this story, however
improbable it may seem, is founded upon
fact, and has occurred within the range of
, the writer's experience Catochus is only a
peculiar form of Catalepsy, in which the
patient retains the use of his various senses,
!, while the power of motion is entirely sus-
/ pended, and presents an appearance which
t may easily be mistaken for death. In re-
. moving some bodies from the vault of a
) church in a neighboring city,on the erecting
, of new church. it was discovered that
! three bodies had assumed such situation
, as could only be accounted for on the sup
position of their having been buried in a
. state of suspended animation or stupor,they
) having turned over in their collins upon the
| return of CONSCIOUSNESS. The occurrence oi
such fact alone, together with the known
existence of diseases which assume the re.
, semblence of death. should induce the extre
NEST caution. and make it matter of duty