Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1857-11-16
STATE DEMOCRAT.
DAVENPORT -NOvEMBER 10. 1857
A Capital Story

n SuPlt0A oSOIJ
Some years since, AN coccntrie Ole
genius, whom for convenience We vii
call Barnes, was employed by farmer
living in town some six or seven
miles westerly from the Penobscot riv-
er seven miles westerly from the PEN
obscot river to dig well. The soil
and substratum being mostly sand, old
Barnes having progressed downward
about forty feet, found one morning
upon going ont ear y to his work, that
the well had essentially caved in and
was fall nearly to the top. SO having
that desire, which some mon have, Of
knowing what will be said Of them af
ter they arc dead, and no one being
yet astiT, lac conscalcd himself IN
rank gr,wth Of burdocks, by the side
of board fence, near the mouth Of the
well. At length, breakfast being ready,
a boy was dispatched to call him, when
10 it was seen that Barnes WAS buried
In the grave unconciouslv dug by his
own hands. The alarm beng given,
and the family assembled, it was decid-
ed first TO eat breakfast and then send
for the coroner, minister ard his wife
and children. Such apathy did not
flatter Barnes sclf-estccm 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 and be
gan prospecting the scene of the cat
astrophe, as people usually do in such
cases. AT length they drew together
to exchange opinions as to what should
be done. The minst at once gave
it as his opinion that they had better
level up the well and let Barnes re-
main; 'for he is now beyond the temp
tation of sin, and in the day of Judge
mcnt it will make no difference whcth-
cr he is buried five feet under the
ground or fifty, for he is bound to
come forth IN either case. The cor
oner likewise agreed that it would be
a needless expense to his family or the
town to disinter him when he was so
eticctually buried, and therefore en-
tirely coincldcd with the minister. His
wife thought that, as 'hc had left his
hat and frock, il would be hardly worth
while to dig him out for the rest ofhis
Clothes 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 the inquest, laid |
quiet until the shades OF evening stole
over the landscape and then he qui-
city decamped to parts unknown. az !
ter remaining incogntto for about three
years, one morning he suddenly APP
pcared (hatlcss and frocklcss as he |
VENT at the door Of the farmer for
whom he had agreed to dig the unfor-
tunatc well. To say that an avalanche
of questions were raincd upon HIM As
to his mysterious rcappcaranc, DC,
would convey but feeble idea of the
excitement which his bodily presence
created But the old man bore it all
quietly, and at length informed them
that on finding himself buried he wait
cd for them to dig him out, until his
patience was exhausted, when he set
to work to DIG himself ont, 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
OF coming directly to the sur
face he came out in Tie town Of Uoi-
land, SIC males cast q tie PenobScot
rioert
No further explanations were
sought for by those who were distress
ed and sorrowful over bis supposed final
resting placc.-Banqor Jc6trSo"ian.