Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1848-12-14
EVERY THURSDAY MORNING.
Mltstellnncnus.
THE DYING FORESTER.


THERE are some scenes in forest life tc
which have not yet introduced you, and
which | will try to make somewhat familiar
to you, begging you to understand, when
describe one, give it as fair illustration
of class of scenes which are found here.
As YOU have learned from my letters be-
fore, death does not spare the forester, but
he dies as do all men. il would seem that
living in the clear air and drinking the pure
water, and wandering over the mountains
day by day, his iron frame would never lose
its strength. To you who are surrounded
with msmatic vapors, with plaques number
less as those which came from Pandora
box, reading in your weekly reports the list
of hundreds of victims of this or that COM
plant which flesh inherlts---to you, | say,
the idea of death must be inseparably con-
nected with the form of clay. But here, it
is.vastly different. Disease is almost I'M
known, and it is only when the matchless
= machinery of life is quite worn out, that
the wheels stop and the dust is dust. True
. 1t is, that it wears out very soon, in the heavy
work to which some men put in here, and
have known many instances of strong men,
who, by insane exposure of themselves, have
met with injuries that resulted in death.
l am reminded of an instance of this kind
which occurred in the upper bend Of the
river The small cabin on the north side,
was at that time occupied by man who
had lived Il better life i'll his earlier years.
lie was sometimes peculiarly attractive in
his manner of conversing about forest mat
tiers, and once when he was half drunk, |
was quite sure | detected him utterng to
himself one of the odes of Anacreon. |
looked closely at him, but he eyed me sus-
piciously, as thought, and raised his voice
So that | could hear him distinctly, but he
was now talking English in his usual rough
style and dialect. | might have been mis-
taken. lie was hard drinker, but per-
haps was never actually drunk. He could
drink more than any man have ever known
without being on the floor. and yet, when
in that condition, which vas consequently
on his rotations, if not really drunk, he was
usually insane, and it was dangerous to be
as write, that these fits were periodical,
but whether caused by his visits to the Post
Office, being quarterly, at which time he
carried down a canoe load of skins, or
whether he was able to restrain himself
three months at time, and then was i'm
PEELED by his thirst to make the trip to the
settlement, | am unable to say
Such habits as these, you need not be
told, would wear out the frame of giant.
Such indeed was his. lie was at least six
feet one inch high, and proportionaly broad
shouldered and heavy limbed. / have seen
him shoulder two deer, Which must have
weighed over two hundred and eighty, (they
were very large ones) and carry them thro'
the woods as easily as | would have carried
one Had you been with me that morning
in the forest, you would have shrunk as |
did, from the idea that that gigantic form
could be in short time handful of dust
Yet, so it was, and ! watched the struggles
of the destroyer with the stout man, as
never watched battle before | need not
tell you that the victory was complete at
last, and when | took his brawny hand in
mine, there was no pressure, not the slight
est touch of recognition in the limb which
had possessed the strength of Hercules.
1t was cold autumn night, three year:
ago the fifteenth of October. Black wa
sitting at the hearth, and heard a call OIL
the opposite bank of the river 1t was re-
peated, and the second cry coming with
gust of wind, that made loud wall in the
branches Of the oak, woke Willis and my
SELF
1t proved to be the neighbor of "Bi.
Ben" las he was called, although believe
his real name was unknown TO any one. y
BE had come down Give miles, to beg some
of US to 90 up and see Ben, who, from hi:
account, it appeared, was laboring unde
one of his fits of insanity.
We went up and found him raying in de
lrium tremens. To attempt any descrip
ton of such fit would be folly in me, ant
only disgust you. Those who have neve
seen the victim Of intemperance in such al
hour of madness, can obtain from words m
idea Of the scene. 1t has always SCENE,
to me to approach, nearest of anythin,
earthly, to the agony of the damned. Bel
continued in this condition, with interval
of stupid silence, until the day; alternate
ly moaning in a low, agonizing tone, ant
shrleking until the forest in which his cab
in stood, rang as if with the laughter c
fiends. 1 stood outside of the door for al
instant, and believe was actually scare
at the unearthly sound that filled the air.
Towards morning he appeared to be exhaust
ed, sank into sort of stupor or sleep, fror
which it was impossible to rouse him.
| afterwards learned, that this was tn
fifth day of his madness, and was not SUI
prised to see that he was nearly worn on,
In the course of the day he was almost mo
tonless, and it was only by the most pow
erlul exertions that we could force anythn
into his mouth, so tightly were his jaw
clenched. In the early part of the ne,
night, | was sleeping on the floor not ia
from him, when felt the grasp Of his stor
hand on my arm, and waking Instant,
found his eyes wide open and staring fxet
ly at me. His grasp tightened until it wa
painful, and ! confess to momentary tie
ror, but his eye had no madness in it, an
when not in the fits have spoken of, BE
was a kind-hearted, and really gentle fe
low
"There, Ben, there not quite so tight,
said mildly, laying my hand on his.
4" thought-it was you--choking me,
said he, in husky, broken voice, speakin
with great difficulty.
"Why should choke you, my dear fe
lowl You were dreaming. Pm glad I
see you're awake"