Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1856-06-14
BURIED ALIVE,

| ScIan, says that he has seen, during the last
few months, sundry sketches of persons buried
alive and always feeling deep interest in the
subject, from an occurrence that took place
some twenty years ago, he sends that journal
the following account of it for publication
He adds, that the narrative is true one-un-
adulterated with a particle of fiction 1t was
written out by near relative of his, and is
given in the narrator's own words It should
serve as a warning to those who hasten to
bury their dead out of sight :"
have been subject to epieptic fits from nv
youth upwards, which, though they did not de-
prive me Of animation in the sight of those
about me, completely annihilated my own con-
| seriousness. l used to be attacked at all times
and seasons, but most commonly about the full
| OF the moon. l generally had warning of a
peculiar nature when these attacks were COM
ing on that it would be difficult to describe
1t was sensation that to be known must be
| experienced. My excellent wife, Martha
mean my first wife, who has been dead now
for the best part of forty years-used to say
that she always observed an unusual paleness
over my complexion, otherwise ruddy, for a
day or two before the fit came on. Bless her
soul! she never let me be one moment out of
her sight, from the instant she had suspicion
of my approaching malady. This benevolence
on her part was great means of enabling her
to subdue the violence of the fit when it came,
for which purpose her experience had pointed
out to her several useful applications
| married again after her decease, because
| was oppressed beyond bearing by my loneli-
ness, which none but persons in such a situa-
toni mean widower's-can tell. NV Sc
cond wife, whom | have also buried, was not
SO penetrating in the faculty of observation
She was woman of an admirable thrift, and
to her economy it was that / owe my preser-
vation in the terrible event that | am about
to detail. Had / been inferred in lead it
would have been all over with me. Willing
to save as much money as possible at my fune-
ral she had my body with all the usual and
proper grief attendant on the ceremony, put
into stout wooden coffin, the weight of which
was increased by a couple of old hundred
weights, placed one at my head, the other at
my feet Thus the thing passed off well, and
money was saved to my heirs | hereby cast
no reflection on my dear departed wife's re-
gard for me. l was convinced, as I told her,
that her motive was good and well did it
turn out for me that she was so thrifty and
conSidcrate She was q true woman and was
plain in her person-but wander again from
my story.
| had made a most excellent dinner-of
this have perfect recollection. Of more
than this l can recolect nothing until coming
out of my fits, as [ suppose-for l quickly
imagined, feeling the usual sensations that |
was recovering from one of them. say that
on coming to myself | was surprised to feel
pinioned and in utter darkness. I had no
space to stir if would, as l soon found, while
| struggled to loosen sheet or some such
thing, in which | was scantily enveloped-
My hand would not reach my head when at
tempted to make it do so, by reason of my ell
bow touching the bottom and my hand the
top of the enclosure around me.
1t was the attempting to do this, and find
ing myself naked, except with the aforesaid
covering, that struck me that had been en-
tOmbed alive. The thought rushed suddenly
upon me. My first sensations were those of
simple surprise. | was like a child aroused
out of deep sleep, and not sufficiently awake
to recognize its attendants. When the truth
flased upon me in all its fearful energy, Inever
can forget the thrill of horror that struck
through me. 1t was as if bullet had pene-
trated my heart, and oil the blood in my body
had gushed through the wound. Never, new
er can hell be more terrible than the sensa-
tons of that moment.
lay motionless for time, petrified with
terror. Then calm dampneSs burst forth
from every part of my body My horrible
doom seemed inevitable and so strong at
length became my impression, so bereft of hope
appeared my situation, that | ultimately re-
covered from it only to plunge in the depth of
a calm, resolute despair AS not the faintest
ray of hope could penetrate the darkness
around my soul, resignation to my fate follow
ed began to think of death coolly, and to
calculate how long might survive before fa-
mine closed the hour of my existence Ipray-
ed that | might have fortitude to die without
repining. Calmly as | then felt, l tried if |
could remember how long man could live with
out food. Thus the tranquility of my despair
made me comparatively easy, if fcontrastcd with
the situation in which felt myself afterwards
when hope began to glmmer upon me. My
days must in the end be numbered | must
die at last-I was only perishing little soon
er than | otherwise must have done Even
from this thought derived consolation and
| now think life might have closed calmly up
on me, if the pangs of hunger had been at all
bearable-and l had been told that they are
much more so than is commonly believed.
1fmy memory serves me correctly, this calm
state of mind did not last long. Reason soon
began to whisper to me that if l had been
buried, and the earth closed around my coffin
| should not be able to respire, which / could
now do with case. | did not, of course, dream
of the vault in which was placed, but con-
sidered at first | had been buried in the earth
The freedom of respiration gave me the idea
that after all was not carried forth for inter-
ment, but that | was about to be borne to the
grave, and that there | should be suffocated
inevitably.
Such is the Inconsistency of the human mind
that |, who had just now resigned myself to
die bY faminc imagined this mnmentarY mode