The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1857-1858, 1857-09-30
How he dug himself out.-.-A Good Story.

Some years since, an eccentric old genius,
whom we shall call Barnes, was employed by
q farmer living some six or seven miles ives.
terly from the Penobscot River, to dig a
well. The soil anu substratum being moat-
ly sand, old Barnes, after having progressed
downward about forty feet, found, one NOR
ming, Oh going out early to his work, that
the well had Essentially cayed in, and was
full nearly to the top. So, having that de.
sire which some men have, of knowing what
will be said of them after they are dead and
no one being yet astir, he concealed himself
in a rank growth of burdocks by the side Of
a board fence, having first left his hat and
frock upon windlass over the we'll. At
length, breakfast being ready, boy was
dispatched to call him to his meal when 10 !
it was seen that Barnes was buried in the
grave he had unconscioIsly dug with his
own hands. The alarm being given, and tho
family assembled, it was decided first to eat
breakfast, and then send for the coroner the
minister, and his wife and children, Such
apathy did not fatter Barnes selEesteem a
bit, but he waited patiently, determined to
hear what was to be said, and see what was
to be seen. ~
| Presently all parties arrived, IND began
q,
Us people usually do in such cases. At length
they drew together, to exchange opinions as
to what should DO DONE The minister at
once gave his opinion that they had better
level up the well, and lot Barnes remain =
"For, said he, 'he is now beyond the tempt
alton to sin; and in the day of Judgment it
will make no difference whether he is buried
Ave feet under the ground or fifty, for he is
bound to come forth in either case" The
coroner likewise agreed that ut would be n
needless expense to his family, or the town,
to disinter him, when he was SO offectually
buried and therefore entirely conceded
with the minister His wife thought that as
''he had left his hat and coat, it would hard
ly be worth while to dig him out for the rest
of his clothes; and SO it was settled to let
him remain.
But poor old Barnes, who had no break
fast, and was not at all pleased with the re-
suit of the inquest, lay quiet until the shade
of evening stole over the landscape, then he
quietly decamped to parts unknown After
remaining incognito for about three years,
one morning he suddenly appeared (hatless
and frockless as he went) at the door of the
farmer for whom he had agreed to dig the
unfortunate well. To say that an avalanche
OF questions were rained upon him as to his
mysterious temperance &c, would convey
but feeble idea of the excitement which
his bodily presence created. But the old
man bore it all quietly, and at length in
formed them, that on finding himself buried,
he waited for them to dig him cut, until his
patience was exhausted, and then he set to
work to dig himself out, and only the day
before had succeeded; for, his ideas being
confused by the pressure of the earth at the
time he was buried, he had dug very much
at random, and instead Of coming directly to
the surface. he came out in the town OF Hol-
den, sir miles east Of the Peno6scot Rirer
No further explanations were sought.