The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1853-03-29

IiLc was Sohc. oue 'iieso "o" AooVSu
also to fatigue, and | went quietly
to bed. During the night however,
intense pain in the back and in the
forehead succeeded; burning heat
spread all over me; my tongue be-
came parched and dry; my mind wan
dcred slightly; and instead Of rising to
preach, as intended, / was obliged to
lie still, and sond for o physician with
the first ray of the morning light: His
visit is the last thing recollect for sew
eral days. | remember his order
ing all the windows to be opened, not
withstanding the coldness of the day,
and causing saucers, filled with some
disinfecting fluid, to be placed in diff:
erent parts ftl,e room, in order to
guard my wife and children against the
Injection. | then, for tho first time,
discovered that had caught the fever.
| remember little morc-for violent de-
lirlum set in soon-till suddenly, af
ter a lapse of several days, | regained
my consciousness, and with it convic-
tion that | was dying. My wife was
kneeling, weeping, by my bedside; two
physicians and nurse were present;
and it was strange after the dull state Of
perfect insensibility in which | had
lain during the last twenty-four hours,
how completely all my senses had re-
turned, how keen were all my per-
ceptions, how perfect my powers of
thought and reason. In my very health
lest days, never remember to have
had SO complete comm and Of all my
mental faculties as at that moment. But
| was reduced to infant weakness; and
there was sensation of sinding faint
ness, not confined to any one part or
organ, but sprea ling over my whole
frame which plainly announced to me
that the great event was coming. They
gave me some brandy in tea-spoonfuls;
but it had no other effect than to ena-
bic rue to utter few words of attec.
ton and consolation to my wife; and
then the power orspoech departed al.
to5cthnr- The sensation that succce-
dcd | cannot describe. Few have felt
it; but | have convcrsed with one or
two who have experienced the same,
and never found one who, either by a
figure or by direct language, could con-
vcy any notion of it. The utmost |
can say is, that it was feeling of ex-
tinction. Painting is very different.
This was dying; and a single moment of
perfect Inconsistencies succeeded.
Every one believed me dead. My
eyes were closed and weights put upon
them. The lower jaw, which remained
dropped, was bound up with a black
ribbon. My wife was hurried from
the room, sobbing sadly; and there
lay, motionless, voiceless, sightlcss;
growing colder and more cold, my
limbs bcnumbcd, my heart without
pulsation, dead, all but in spirit, and
with but one corporal faculty in it's or
iginal acutcncss. Not only. did my
hearing remain perfect and entire, but
it seemed to be quickcncd and render
ed tcntold more sensitive than ever.
| could hear sounds in the house, at n
distance from my chamber, which had
never reached me there before, The
convulsive sobbing Of my wife in q
distant room; the murmurcd convcrsa-
tion of the physicians in chamber be-
low; the little feet ofIny children tread
ing with timid steps as they passed
the chamber Of death; and the voice of
the nurse, saying, ''Hush, my dear,
hush % as the eldest wcpt aloud in as
ccndng the stairs.
"Thcre was an old woman left with
a light, to watch with the dead body :;
and can not tell yon how painful to
me was her moving about the room,
her muttering to herself, and her heavy
snoring when she fell asleep. But
more terrible anguish was in store
On the following morning the under
takcr came to measure me for my
coffin. Although, as | have said,
was all benumbcd, yet had faint
remnant Of feeling, which made me
know when any thing touched me, and
n consciousness as perfect rs in the
highest days Of health. You can fan
cy, better than can tell, what | en-
durcd, as | felt the mans measure
run over my body to take the precise
size for the awful receptacle that was
to carry Rhe to the grave. Then came
the discussion ofhalfan hour between
him and the old crone in the chamber,
in regard to black gloves and hat
bands. ] am really ASHAMED Of mi
when remember the sensations | cx-
pericnoed never felt SO unchristian
in my life, rs did then, when lying
to all appearance, dead and the worst
of it all was, | could not master those
sensations. Will seemed to bo at an
end, even when consciousness remain.
Cd entire. After that, what | most
distinctly remember was, long, dull
blank. fancy the room was left va
cant, for ! had no perceptions. The
spirit was left to itself. lit only re-
naming organ of communication with
the material world had nothing to act
upon, and thought was oil in all
But thought was intensely terrible.
True, thought WAS concentrated alto.
gctlcr upon one subject. Every man