The Kanzas news., 1857-08-01
a CAPITAL Story.

Some years since an eccentric old genius,
whom, for convenience, we will call Barnes,
was employed by farmer living in a town
some six or seven miles westerly from the
Penobscot river, to dig wei. The soil
and substratum being mostly sand, old
Barnes, after having progressed downward
about forty feet, found one morning, upon
going out to his work, that the well hsd
essentially cayed In, and was full nearly to
the top. So having that desire which men
have of knowing what viii 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 board fence
near the mouth of the well, having first LETT
his froek and hat upon the windlass oyez
the well. At length, breakfast being ready
a boy was despatched to call him to hIs
meal, when loi and behold! it was seer
that Barnes was buried In the grave uncea:
seiously dug by his own hands. Tha
alarm being given, and the family asseg8'
bled, it was decided first to eat Breakfast,
then send for the coroner, minister, and his
wife and children. Such apathy did not
flatter Barnes self esteem bit,i but he
waited patiently, determined to hear what
was to be said, and see what waste 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 opin-
ions as to what should be done. The min
lister at once gave it as his opinion that they
had better level up the well and let Barnes
remain; ssfor,'' said he, she is now beyond
the temptation to sin, and in the day of
Judgment it will make no difference whether
he is buried five feet under the ground or
fifty, for he Is bound to come straight forth
in either case" The coroner likewise
agreed that 1T would be needless ex-
pense to his family or the town to disinter
when he was so effectually buried" and
therefore entirely conceded with, the minis
ter. His wife thought that, as she had left
his hat and frock, it would hardly be worth
while to dig him out for the rest of his
clothes;" and so it was settled to let him
remain. But poor ol Barnes, who had had
no breakfast, and was not at all pleased with
the result of the inquest, lay quiet until the
shades of evening stole over the landscape,
then he quietly departed 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 reappearance, &C.,
would convey but feeble idea of the ex-
citement which his bodily presence created.
But the old man bore it all quietly, and, at
length informed them that, on finding hims
self buried, be waited. a long timefor them
to dig him out, then set to work to do it
himself; and only the day before succeeded;
for, his ideas being somewhat confused by
the pressure of the earth at the time ne was
buried, he had dug very much at random,
and instead of coming directly to the sur
face, he came out in the town of Holden,
six miles east of the Penobscot river. {
No further explanations were asked for
by those who were so distressed and sorl
rowful over his supposed resting place.