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


II tell you the plain truth-another
world ITSELF never came into my mind.
They seemed to have died away from
memory, with that extinction of will
of which. ! have spoken. All |
thought of then was, that was lying
there living, and was about to be bur-
led with the dead. 1t was like one of
those terrible dreams in which we
seem grasped by some monster, or
some assassin, and struggle to shrek
or to resist but have neither power
to utter q sound nor to move q limb.
4 will not dwell much upon the far
ther particulars. The coffin was
brought. into the room; l was dressed
in my grave clothes; was moved into
that narrow bed, stiff, and rigid as a
stone, with agony Of mind which i
thought must have awakened some
power in the cold, dull mass which
bound up my spirit. One whole
night | lay there in the coffin-hearing
the tick Of the clock upon the stairs-
filled with strange and wild impress
ions-doubting whether were really
dead, or whether l were living-long-
ing to see and know if my flesh were
actually corrupting-fancying that l
felt the worm. The morning broke;
dim gray light found its way through
my closed eyelids; and about on hour
after, | heard the step of the undertake
er and another man in the room. One
of them dropped something heavily on
the floor, and minute after they came
to close the coffin, and the undertaken
asked his assistant for the screw-dri-
yer. 1t was the last instant of hope,
and all was agony. Suddenly heard
my wife's step quite at the foot of the
stairs. 'Oh, God! she will never let
them!' thought. She who loved
me SO well, who was so dearly loved!'
She came very slowly up the stairs,
and the step paused at the door. |
tancicd | could almost see her, pale
and trembling there. The undertakcr,
asked. in loud voice, forFthe coffin-lid
But the door opened and Isabella's 5
voice exclaimed, halfchoked with tears.
'Oh, not yet, not yet! Let me look
at him once again!'
Love and sorrow spoke in every
tone. My spirit thanked her; and
never had felt such ardent love for
her MS then. But the idea of living
burial was still pre-cmincnt. If she
took that last look and left me, all
was over. My anguish was beyond
all description. 1t seemed to rouse
my spirit to some great, tremendous
effort. | tried to groan. to speak, to
cry, to move, even to breathe. Sud-
denly, i'll that great agony, single
drop Of perspiration broke out upon
my forehead. 1t felt like molten iron
pouring through the skin. But the
deadly spell was broken. My arms
struggled within their covering; part
ly raised my head. and opened my
eyes wide. A loud, long shrek rang
through the room, and my wife cast
herself upon the coffin, between me
and the hateful covering the man held
up in his hands.
i need not tell you all that follow
ed; for here am, alive and in perfect
health. But ! have never recovered
my original color, and have ever re-
maincd as sallow as you see me now.
The event, however, has been warn
ing to me. In many cases previously
had calmly seen people hurried very
early to the grave; but ever since,
wherever | had influence, have pre-
vented the dead from being buried be-
fore some signs Of corruption present
cd themselves; for | am perfectly con
vinced that those signs arc the only
real tests of DEATH
Such was the tale told at my grand
fathers table, in my hearing, by the
Rev. M. il, one of the most
amiablc, pious and exemplary men
ever knew. Though not, am afraid,
ovcr-burdcncd with religion himself
my grandfather never snccred at reli-
gion in others, and your history, my
excellent friend, seems to me, the ex-
tinction, as it were, Of all thought of
u future state, in the terrible condition
to which you were reduced. | might
uliiloSI Ciill IL tllc ehllllCtIOll, Oh TellSlOn
III your mind, which, in one Of your
principles and views, seems almost un-
accountable; for the mere act Of memo
ry, | should imagine, must have recall
ed the ideas in which you had been
brought up"
"lt was very strange statc," said
Mr. Ii, thoughttulIy. "Qne in
which every thing seemed cxtinguishcd,
but perception. You are wrong, how
ever, in supposing that religion was at
an end; for the idea of God and his
mercy through Christ were present to
me all the time; not distinct as thoughts,
and without giving me any power to
will or to do; but rs perceptions, as
boliefs-just as in the midst of a
dream, we very often know that we
are dreaming. cannot explain my
self more clearly; bnt whenever again
meet with another person who has
been in a similar state, will compar..
my sensations in these parliculars--for
cannot call them thoughta--with hia,