Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1858-06-04


round. Morris, and strike in your spade,
and let us see if you will mako as good
a hand at exhuming dead body, as you
will some day at killing living one
with physic.'
l did as directed, trembling in every
limb but tho first spadeful I threw up
| started back with a yell ofhorror, that
on any other but q bowling stormy
night, would have betrayed us. II ap-
peared to me as if / had thrust my spade
into buried lake Of iire--for the first
dirt was all aglow, like 1.-Two Goals and
as | had fancied the moaning Of the
storm the wailings Of tormented spirits,
| now fancied I had uncovered small
portion Of tho Bottcmlcss Pit itself.
7" Fool y Kissed Benson, graspiug my
arm with the grippe of vice, as | stood
leaning on my spade for support, my
very teeth chattering with terror; "an-
other yell like that, and I'll make sub
ject Of you! Are you not ashamed Of
yourself. to be scared out of your wits,
if you over had any, by little pospho-
resent earth ? Don't you know that it
is often found in grave yards ?"
His explanation re-assured me, though
| was too weak, from my late fright, to
be Of any assistance to tho party, who
al fell to with will, secretly laughing
at mo, and soon reached the coffin
Splitting the lid with Ratchet, which
had been brought for the purpose, they
quickly lifted out the corpse; and then
Benson and another Of The party taking
hold of it, one at tho head and another
at the feet, they hurried itaway, bidding
me follow, and leaving the others to fill
up the grave, that it might not be sus-
pected that the body had been exhumcd.
Having got tho corpse safely over the
walls of the cemetery, Benson now call
ed on mo to perform my part of the hor-
rible business.
" Hero, you quaking simpleton," he
said, IL want you 10 take this on your
back, and make the best of your way to
your room, and remain alone with il all
night. If you do this bravely, we will
claim you as one of US tomorrow and
the first ono that dares to say word
against your courage after that, shall
find foe in me. But bark you! if you
make any blunder on the way, and lose
our prize, it will be better for you to quit
this place before / set eyes on you again
| Do you understand me p
| "Y-yc-yc-yes!" I ssammcred, will
chattcring teeth.
| Arc you roadyi"
| " Y-ye-ye-yes," | gasped.
"Well. come here, where are you p
| All this time il was 80 dark that
could not see anything bu. faint line Q
white, which I knew to DO the shroud o
the corpse; but I felt carefully rount
till l got hold of Benson, who told mt
to take off my cloak; and then rearing
the cold body up against my back, hs
began fixing its cold arms about my
neck, bidding mo take hold of thcm, and
keep them concealed, and DO sure and
not let 60 of them, on any consideration
whatever, as l valued my lifo.
All, the torturing horror I expert
enced, as mechanically followed his d.
rections! Tongue cannot describe it.
At length, having adjusted the corpse
80 that ! might bear il off with compare
tive case, no threw my long black cloak
over it and over my arms, and fastened
it with cord about my mock, and then
inquired:
"Now, Morris. do you think you can
find tho way TO your roomT'
eli do-do-don't know" 1 gasped,
feeling as if would sink to the earth at
tho first step.
We'll, you cannot lose your way il
you go straight ahead" he replied
"Keep in the middle of tho road, and II
will take you to College Green, and then
you are all right. Come, push on, be-
foro your burden grows too heavy; the
distance ia only good half mile"
set forward with trembling nerves,
expecting to sink to the ground at every
step; but gradually my terror, instead Of
weakening, gave me strength; and was
soon on the run--splashing through mud
and water--with the storm bowling about
mo to fury. and the cold corpse, as / fan
cicd, clinging TO me like hideous YAM
pire.
How I reached my room, I do not
know-but probably by sort Of instinct,
for | only remember Of my brain being
in wild fevcrish whirl, with ghostly
phantoms oil about me, as one sometimes
sees them in a dyspcptic dream.
But reach my room | did, with my doad
burden on my back; and | was after
wards told that / made wonderful time /;
for Benson and his ow-students, fear
ing the loss of their subject--which, on
account Of the difficulty Of getting bo-
dies, was very valuable--followed close
behind mo, and were obliged to run at
tho top Of their speed TO keep me within
hailing distance.
The FIRST I remember distinctly, after
getting to my room, was finding myself
awake in bed, with dim consciousness
Of something horrible having happened
though what, for some minutes, could
not for the life Of mo recollcct. Gradu-
ally, however, the truth came upon mo /;
and then l felt cold perspiration start
from every pore, at the thought that per-
haps I was occupying room alone with
a corpse. The room was not dark there
were few c:nbcrs in the crate which
threw out rudy light; and fearfully
raising my head, / glanced quickly and
timidly around.
And there-therc on the floor, against
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