The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1857-12-25
The Story of Death.

been. will tell you the story of death.
DIR. Benziah w. Somcs, Of Essex county,
Nd, was my physician. shall not curse
him now. Times has taught me that it is
better to bless than to curse And feel
bitter as my Madison might be, that more
miserable condition We're not possible to him
than the consciousness of his murdcrous
wantonness must bring upon himself, hard
encd as fear bis nature is. But let llla:
pass.
will tell you the story of my death.
died at the age Of %. 4 stalwart man,
who on my farlhcr's farm moved my swa,h
or hoed my row with the best. in an un-
fortunate hour | became the victim of the
practice of medicine which then prevailed,
but which now, happily, is nearly dsuscd.
had some sort OF fever no doubt Was i'll
enough. From my right arm one day the
physician took ounces Of blood-how many
| knew not; certainly, in liquid measure, a
gallon of the red fluid flowed. | did not
mend that day at least | suppose did not,
for on the next day he cut my left arm
and took thence like measure Grim
son measure of half life. l was dead
man then. But shudder or two always
must come before the conscious soul lets
go its hold upon the frame. With me the
shuddcrs were iu the shape of cold sweats.
There were three of them. BY the clock
SO some one at my bedside whispered the
chill and sweat lasted six hours. Six dim,
dark centuries they were to me. The third
its commencement, its fierce chill, its dead
cold, compared with which ice We're plea
sing warlpth-its dread. slow march re-
menbey but nothing more. In the midst
of it lost all sense oI life and its pains.
| The great gates OF the valley Of death rolled
ON their ponderous hinges and shut me in.
do not recollect the circumstances of
funeral and interment. In fact, | do not
deem that WAS buried. The weight felt
above me knew WAS no mere ten feet of
earth, in quiet nook, with daisies spring.
ing from it. The mountains were resting
OH me, realized their weight
Strait up to the Iight-ltlight existed
as under the centre OF the central mountain
| lay, it was many miles through solid
rock. | was not mbedded in the rock, like
Il cold toad caught in during the formative
era of the geologists. 1t lay upon me.
felt all It's weight. Sense had gone, but
consciousness was with me. Forty millions
Of millions Of tons weight was upon me.
Oh, how Isufocated and smoo,hered! But,
dead as | was, CONSCIOUSNESS cruelty cunv
to me. had died-why could | not cease
to be! Time had passed away; there was
no day, no night. But if mortal measure
could indicate the period | lay alone, and
dark, and sutiocate beneath that weight, Zen
turies might have i,own above my head.
The silence was dread as the suflocation
was terrible. There WAS no sound. All
was still, still, dark and hopeless. Had the
mouutain roared as it crushed, it would hav.
been au alienation. But it did its works
without sound, without renorse, like Fate,
grim and silent.
| have said there was no measure of time
to tell how measureless weight pressed me
down. There came relief. A sense OF
hearing came TO me, or the internal fires of
earth had rolled nearer 10 me-. I" heard
their voice, distant as yet, like the wind in
the leaves OF ZEN thousand forests-iike the
surge of thousand unseen oceans. felt
its heat. But it was far away. A new
sense of s,tfooatioir came upon me. This
sufocating force now surrounded me, came
within me, and pressed me out. The suf
| location within was like some vast expand
| ing force, butt did not lift the weight of
the mountain thatwas upon me. That still
held its. awful pressure. Butt heard the
Titans breathing az they fed the fires. This
state lasted--wh6 shall say how longs
Then cane--was ittrne 3-could l believe
at "a dim sense of sight j saw; dimy and
| afar, the forms Of those giants who .:fsd the