Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1854-05-24
Bur;Cd Alive.

An English sailor named Jackson spent
two years among the natives of abe FeJee
Islands in the South Sea. From the mar
rative Of his adventures, we quote one
passage describing burial alive. "A
Young Feiec man was ailirg he had lost
his appetite. and fearing to be reproach-
ed by the Fejeee beauties for being ske-
leton-shame being an uncomfortable emo
tion-resolved to be buried alive. Jack
son tried to dissuade him from the sacri-
fee in vain, and the scene now to be de-
scribed, followed:
"By this time all his relations collect
ed around the door. His father had
kind of wooden spade 10 dig the grave
with, his mother had new suit OF taPPa,
his sistsr some vcrmillon and a whale S
tooth, as an introduction to the great god,
Rae RAGE. He arose, took up his bed
and walked, not for death, his father, mo-
ther and sister following after, with seVe-
raj distant relations, whom accompanied.
noticed that they seemed to follow some
thing in the same way that they follow
a corpse in Europe TO the grave, That is
as far as relationship and acquaintance
are concerned, but. instead otlamcnting.
they were, if not rejoicing. acting and
chatting in very uncOncernGd way. At
last, we reached a place where several
graves could be seen, and spot was soon
selected by the man who was TO be buried.
The old man began digging his grave,
while his mother assisted her son in put
ting on a new tapa, and the girl his sis
teri was besmearing him with vermIllon
and lamp black, su as to send him decent
70 the invisible world, he delivering mes
saUes that were to be taken by his sister
to people then absent. His father then
announced to him and the rest that the
grave was completed, and asked him. IN
rather a surly tone, if he was not ready
nv this time. The mother then nOSed
him, and likewise the sister He SAID.
before | die, | should like a drink Of wa
ter His father made a surly remark, and
said, as he ran to fetch it in Il leaf doubled
up, "You have been considerable
trouble during your life, and 1t aP-
pears YOU are going to trouble US equal
ly at your DEATH" Tie father returned
with the water, which the son drank off,
and then looked up into tree covered
with tough vines. saying he should pre-
fer being strangled with IL vine TO being
smothcred i'll the grave. His father be-
came excessively angry ,and spreading the
mat at the bottom of the grave. told the
son to die "faka tamaqua," (ljke a MANI
when he stepped into the grave, which
was not more than four feet deep, and
Law on his back, with the whales tooth In
his hands, which were clasped across his
belly. The spare sides Of the mat were
Tapped over him, SO rs to prevent the
earth from getting to his body. and then
about n foot of earth shovced in upon
him as quickly as possible. His father
stamped it Immediately down solid, and
called out in a loud voice, "Sa tko, sa IL
ko," You are stopping there you are
stopping there, meaning good'Oye'
good bye" The son answered with Il We
nv audible grunt. and then about two feet
more earth were Shovclcd in and stamp
cd as before by the loving father and
"Satiko" called out again, which was an
swcred by another grunt. but much faint
er. The grave was then completely filled
up, when for curiosity's sake. | said my
self, "Sotiko," but no answer was given,
although fancied or really did see the
earth crack, a little on the top OF the
grave The her and mother then turn
ed back to, back on the middle of the
grave, and having dropped some KIND OF
leaves from their hands, walked away In
opposite directions TO a running stream Of
water hard by, where they and all the
rest washed themselves, and made me
wash myself, and then we returned to
the town, where there was a feast prepa-
red. AS soon AS the feast was over, il
being then dark, began the dance and
uproar which are always carried on Ell
ther at natural or violent deaths. All
classes then give themselves up to excess,
especially at unnatural deaths of this sort,
and create all manner of uproar, by
means ofilarge bambooS. trumpet shells.
&c, which contribute to the general
noise which is considered requisite to drive
the spirit away, and deter him from desi
ring to dwell or even hover about his
late residence"