Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1856-12-17

procuring them devolved upon the students,
who, in consequence, watched every funeral
eagerly, and calculated the chances of cheat
ing the sexton OF his charge and the grave of
its victim.
There had been funeral that day. of poor
orphan girl, who had been followed to the
grave by very few friends, and was considered
a favorable chance for the party whose turn it
was to procure the next subject, as the graves
of the poor and friendless were never watched
with such keen vigilance as those of the rich
and influential. Still it was no trifiing risk to
attempt TO exhume the bodies of the poorest
and humblest-for not unfrequently persons
We're found on the watch even over these and
only the year before, one student. while at his
midnight work, had been mortally wounded by
a rifle ball and another, month or two sub
sequently, had been rendered cripple for
life by the same means.
All this was explained to me by party of
six or eight, who accompanied ne to my room
which was in building belonging to the
college, and rented by apartments to such of
the students as preferred bachelors hall to
regular boarding-and they took care to add
several terrifying stories of ghosts and hob
goblins, by way of calming my excited nerves,
but as have before observed old women stand
around weak, feverish patient, and croak out
their experience in seeing awful fatal termina-
tions of just such malades as the one with
which their helpless victim was then afflicted.
ssIs it expected that L should go alone 2''
inquired in tone that trembed in spite of
me, while my knees almost knocked together,
and L felt as if my very lips were white.
.'Well, no" replied Benson, my most dread
ed tormcntor; ssit would be hardly fair to send
you alone, for one individual could not sue
ceed in getting the body from the grave quick
enough, and you, a mere youth, without ex-
perence, would be sure to fail altogether.
No, we will go with you, some three or four
of us, and help to dig up the corpse but then
you must take it on your back, bring it up to
your room here, and spend the night alone
with it 70
1t was some relief to me to find l was to
have company during the first part of my awful
undertaking and CHANGING to look into
mirror, as the time drew near for setting ont,
l fairly started at behoIding the ghastly object
l saw reflected therein.
ssCome boys said Benson, who was always
( by general consent, the leader of whatever
frolic, expedition or undertaking he was to
have a hand in-ssCome, boys, it is time to be
on the move. glorious night for us!'' he
added. throwing up the window, and letting in
fierce gust of wind and rain: ssthe ID him
| selfwould hardly venture out in such a storm!"
| He lit dark lantern, then drew on his long,
/ cln nd 1e1
way down stairs and the rest of us, three be-
sides my tmid self, threw on our cloaks also,
took each spade, and followed him.
! We took roundabout course, to avoid be-
| ing seen by any person that might chance to
be stirring, and in something less than an
hour we reached the Cemetery, scaled the
wall without difficulty, and stealthily searched
for the grave, till we found it, in the pitchy
| darkness-the wind and rain sweeping past us
with dismal howlS and means, that to me,
trembling as L was with terror, seemed to be
the unearthly wailings OF the spirits of the
damned.
.sHere we are,'' whispered Benson to me, as
we at length stopped at a mound Of fresh earth
over which one of the party had stumbled
ssCome, feel round Morris, and strike in your
spade, and let us see if you will make good
hand at exhuming a dead body as you will
some day at killing a living one with physic.'
did as directed, trembling in every limb
but the first spade full threw up, l started
back with yell of horror, that, on any other
but bowling. stormy night would have be-
trayed US. 1t appeared to me as if had thrust
nv shade into a buried lake of fire-for the
first dirt was all glow like living Goals; and
as had fancied the moaning of the storm the
wailings of tormented spirits, l now fancied
had uncovered small portion of the bottom
less pit itself.
"Foolf' Kissed Benson, grasping my arm
with the grippe of vice, as stood leaning on
my spade for support, my very teeth chatter
ing with terror; ssanother yell like that and
I'll make subject of you! Are you not a.
shamed of yourself to be scared out of your
wits, if you ever had any, by a'little phosphor-
escent earth Don't you know that it is of
ten found in graveyards 70
His explanation re-assured me, though was
too weak from my late fright, to be of any as
sistancc to the party, who all fell to with q
will, secretly laughing at me, and soon they
reached the coffir. Splitting the lid with a
Ratchet, which had been brought for the pur-
nose. they quickly lifted ont the corpse and
then Benson and another of the party taking
hold of it, one at the head and another at the
! feet. they hurried it away, bidding me follow
and leaving the others to fill up the grave
i, that If might not be suspected that the body