Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1857-09-03
A Capital Story.

DcniS ySdIS eiHoO "h SS"e'io "
1genius, whom for convenience we VII
call Barnes, was employed by alarm
Ier living in town some six or sevel
miles westerly from the Penobseot rlv
/ er, to dig we'll The soil and sub-stra
Itum being mostly sand, old Barnes, at
ter having progressed downward abou
/ forty feet, found one morning upoi
going out to his work, that the wei
had essentially caved in and was fal
nearly to the top. So having the
desire which men have of knowing
what will be said of them after they
are dead, and no one being yet astlr
| he concealed himself in rank growth
| of burdocks by the side of a board
fence near the mouth of the we'll
Az length breakfast being ready,a boy
was dispatched to call him to- hls
meal, when 10! and behold! it was seen
that Barnes was buried In the grave
unconscieusly dug by his own hands.
The alarm being given, and the tam
.ily assembled, it was decided first
to eat and then to send for the coro-
.ner, the minister, and his wife and
and children. Such apathy did not
aatter Barnes selfesteem bit, but be
waited patiently, determined to hear
what was to be said and see what was
to be seen.
Presently all parties arrived and
began prospecting the scene of the
catastrophe as people usually do.in such
cases. At length they drew together
to exchange oplnionsas to what should
be dane. The minister at once gave
it as his opinion that they had better
level up the we'll aud let Barnes re-
main;a ;afor, said he, ,''he is now beyond
the temptation to sin, and in the day
of Judgment it will make no differ
ence whether he be buried five
feet under the gound or fifty,
for he is bound to come forth in
either case.r The coroner likewise
agreed that lit would be needless ex-
pense to his family or the town, to
disinter him when he was so effectu-
ally buried,'' and therefore entirely
conceded with .the minister. His
wife, thought that as ''he had left his
hat and frock, it would be. hardly
worth while to dig him out for the rest
OF his clothes;N and SO it was settled
to let him remain: But poor old
Barnes, who had no breakfast and was
not at all pleased with the result Of
lhe inquest, laid quiet until the shade
of evening stole over the landscape;
then be quietly decamped to parts
unknown. -
After remaining incognito for about
three years, one morning he sudden
ly appeared (hatless and frockless
as he wenD at the door of the far
mer for whom he had agreed to dig
the unfortunate well. To say that
an avalanche of questions was rained
upon him as to his mysterious re-
appearance, ETC., would convey but a
faint idea of the excitement which his
bodily appearance had created. But
the old man bore it all quietly, and at
length informed them that on 6ndin
himself Bsried, he waited for them %
dig him out, until his patience was
exhausted, when he set towork to dig
himself out, and only the day before
had succeeded for his ideas being
somewhat 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 Holden, stg miles east of tie Peno6'
scot zirer!
No further explanations were sought
for by those who we're so distressed
and sorrowing over his supposed
final resting place.