The Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1834-184?, 1846-09-10


boar frost over the earth, and made the dry
branches OF the elms and beeches creak, OIL
rather, when put in the chimney, its sounC
resembled long and mournful groans, thu
good danes pretended that i. wa:
Peter who had come TO ask their prayers anc
last asylum. They used TO say that they
recognised his voice in the bowling of the
storm; when the snow no longer hid the
smiling aspects OF the fields, and when the
sun clothed the wheat and the vine-leaves on
the hillside with golden hue.
The cry of the night-raven, the murmur OF
the wind among the leaves. the noise of the
adder, concealed in the thick grass, the dis
tant bowling of the wolves, all carried fear
TO The breasts of the inhabitants, when they
were obliged to leave their cabins.
The woodman when these sinister warn
ings met his ear, would bring down his axe
with greater vigor, and would work on in ST.
lence, knitting his brows. and ever and anon
casting troubled glances around him. The
mother gathered her children about her, as
if she feared that the cold hand ofPete. was
going TO descend from above and harm her
innocents.
Peter was everywhere, prayers were offer
ed 10 him, tapers were burned in honor of
him. The terrified imagination of the poor
peasants led them to look upon him as always
busy in plotting harm for them. In this man
ner did they fear him, who, during his short
career, had no other desire but to do good
TO those about.
AT lastft happened that, after much labor
all the veins of the mine were exhausted,
and 1t was necessary TO commence upon new
ones. For this purpose the master came,
and his arrival was signal for holidays and
pleasure.
He was only man. yet was adored by the
miners as sort of divinity. He assembled
them TO communicate the projects of the en-
gineers who had come with him. They
made plans, drew lines, pointed out the new
routes, and soon the dull sound of the pick
was heard against blocks, and the blows of
The mattock and the rumbing of barrows
told that the work had commenced. The
work had gone on for four days and the COM
pany that had came with the master were
much diminished The young girls and the
youth, who had came TO attend the miners
holiday, at the opening of the work, had
returned 10 the city: and all had gone home
except few intimate friends and the engi-
neers. They were necessarily calculating,
for they wished TO increase their masters
fortune and provide for the safety of the
miners.
Suddenly an unusual noise was heard. Ii
was dull .--------zi:t- sz--z-zs-A--
of storm. 1t increases-Cries are heard,
and painful cries--The earth trembles-The
master is soon at the mouth of the NINE
The bell is rung with all haste, all the ropes
are put in motion. He wishes TO leap into
one of the baskets to go TO the aid O. the I'M
fortunate miners, whose death, he believes,
is inevitable. All come up. The miners
have escaped. They are pale, trembling and
the sweat rolls down their faces.
fWhat is the matter? cried the master, as
pale and as tremulous as the living spectres
before him.
ga man!-death!-a mircle!-a appar-
ition !"-Such were the words, the exclama-
lions, which escaped from their mouths
which were cold through fear. and horribly
s'orted.
Soon, however, the masterwas able to col
ect few words, TO form an ineligible sen
tence, of the EXPLANATIONS dictated by fear
While engaged in opening communica
lion between the new mine and the ancien
ones, the workmen had discovered stratum
less hard than any they had before me
with Stones and earth were not its onl!
ingredients, but the foreign substances
which they found in great abundance, seem
ed to indicate that in times gone by, an i'm
mense sinking had suddenly happened il
that place.
The work was not difficult. A mine
loosened large masses of earth and stone
by single blow of his pick. All of SUD
den, very large mass, which had nothing +
support it, slid down, gas escaped from tn
aperture which it left, it took fire, and Will
il was burning, what was the asstonshmer
of the miners to see descending by its ligf
a young man 10 appearance asleep!
His brow is smooth, his cheeks iresi
9 even retaining the color of life; but his eye'
his mouth are molionless. Instead of goin
: to him, of endeavoring to recognise his fe;
lures, of aiding him, for perhaps he ha
need of aid, overseers and miners, all Il
, with the utmost precipitation from this une.
r. pected appari.ion. Fear, in the. short di
lance they have to pass through 10 me-
y their comrades, supplied their imaginatic
). with enough for tale.
1t is no longer man, it is an intern
= spirit, who has come to show himself
= them, in the midst of lightning and thunde
> 1t is that divinity who has his home in II
! mines, and who often appears to lnterru
> the miners in their labor. His form IS colo
% sal. They saw him move, rise up, STREET
- out his powerful arm. 1t must be that
d is now walking through the gloomy char
:, bers of the mine, threatening TO burn Il
70 props of the new vaults, 10 destroy ever