The southern enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1854-1870, 1857-07-09
A Capital Story.

Some yeats since, an eceenific old ge
MUS, whom, for convenience. we will call
Barnes, was employed by farmer living in
Il town some six or seven miles westerly
from the Penobscut river, to dig well.
The soil and substratum beiEg mostly sand.
old Barnes, after having progressed down
ward about forty feet, found one morning.
upon going out To- his wo'k. that he we'll
had essentially caved in and was full nestly
to the top. So having that desire. which
men have. Of knowing what will he said Of
them after they are dead, aud Nv ono being
vet astir, he concealed himself in rank
growth Of hur'!ocks hy The sile "f board
fence near the mouth Of the well. having
first left his hat and frock up"n the wind
lass over the we'll. A, length breakfast h-
ing ready. boy was despatched tucali him,
To MS meal, whe 10! aud behold it MAS
seen that Barnes was buried in the grave
nnronsciously dug hy his own hands. The
alarm being given, and the family assem-
bied. il was decided first To eat br-akf4-,
aud then seud for the corpuer. the minister.
aud his wife and children. Such apathy
lid not fla'ter Barnes self esteem bit. but
he waited patiently, determined To hear
What sas to be said, and see what WAS Ia
lie seen. ...... .: .. e.. ........
Presently. all parties arrived and began
prospecting the scene Of the catastrophe.
as people usually do in such cases. Al
length they drew together to exchange opin.
ious A. to what should he done. The min
i>ier at once gave it ~ his opinion that they
had better level mp the well aud let Barnes
remain for. said he, I" he is now beyond the
temptation 10 sin, and in the day Of judg
men, it will make no difference whether he
is buried five feet under ground or fifty, for
e is bound To come forth in either case"
The coroner likewise agreed that E.. !, would
he n needless expense to his family or the
town to di>inter him when he was so etfcr
tually buried" and therefore entirely coin.
cided with the minister. His wife thouyhl
that as q" he had left his hat and frocI, it
would be hardly worth while to dig hin.
out for the rest nf his clothes :" and so il,
was settled To- let him remain. But pnor
old Barnes. who had no breakfast, and was
not AT ali pleased with the result of the in
quest, laid quiet until the shade of evening
stole over the landscape, then he quietly de
camped to parts unknown.
After remaining ineognito 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 All
avalanche Of questions were rained upon him
a. to his mysterious re.appearauce, &c.,
wound con, ,ey bu, feeble i,lea of the excite
ment which his bodily presence created.
But the old man bore il all quietly, and al
length Informed them that on tnding him
self bliie,l, he waited for them to dig him
out. until his patience was exhausted, when
he set TO work 10 dig himself out, and only
the day before had succeeded for, his idea,
being somewhat confused by the pressure Of
the earth at the time he was buried. lie had
dug very much at random. and. instead OF
coming directly to the surface. he came ont
in the town of Ho!dne, sir miles east of the
PenobScot river
No further explanations were sought for
hy those who we're ~ distressed All! sorrow
ful over lis SUPPOSED final resting place.
... ...... Bangor J..6ersonian.