Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1860-02-04

%tation. When l was myself once more, l called
aloud my wife's name. / prayed, and l fear | bias
phemed, for | knew not what | said and l thus
continued until my strength left me, and nature
once more sought replenishment in temporary in
sensibility.
AT this time / had a vision Of the most undefn-
able character, II ii was one, and not a glance, as |
am induced to think it was, between the portals
Of death and the land of spirits. 1, was all shape
less and formless. Images OF men and women, Of
ten numberless, and in q sort Of shadowy outline,
came before and around me. They seemed as
limbless from decay. Their featurless heads NOV
ed upon trunks hideously vital, in igurc like bod
les that l have seen when drawn forth from burn
ing dwellings, each being rather a misshaped mass
than human resemblance. Thick darkness and
silence succeeded, the darkness and silence of a
too horrible reality. II, as l suspect, l slept about
this timo from weakness it was but to awake again
to a more fearful Consciousness of my dreadful
situation.
Fresh but vain efforts to make myself heard
were now reiterated as far as my strength would
allow. found With great difficulty l could turn
on my side and Their over on my stomach. l tried
by lifting my back, and by a violent strain. to
burst open the coffin lid, bu. the sore VS. resisted
my utmost strength. l could not besides draw my
knees sufficiently high to afford the tenth part OF
the purchase l should otherwise have made to bear
upon it. l had no help but to turn again to the
position of the dead, and reluctantly gain a little
sgonizing repose from my exertions. I was con.
scious how weak my efforts had made me, yet | re-
solved to repeat them. While thus at rest, I wcpt
like q child when l thought of the sunshine and
blue skies and fresh air, which l should never
more enjoy-bow living beings ttronged the
streets, and thousands round me we're JOYOUS and
busy, while | was doomed to die in torlures.
Why was my fate differently marked out to that
Of others? l had no monstrous crime 30 repent
of. Hundreds Of criminal men were in full revel-
ry of life. l fancied | heard the toll of the bell.
Breathless listened. 1t was the clock striking
the hour. | am not iahumed at least, but perhaps
UNMATCHED, Such were my thoughts. Interment
will take place; my coffin will be moved. l shall
easily make myself heard then. This was balm to
me. | shouted anew, struck my prison boards
with all the power left me, and ceased only when
~exertion was no longer possible.
Men may fancy how they would find themselves
under similar circumstances, and on the like try
ing occasion, but it is sci Ion a correct judgment
can be previously formed on such matters. 1t
was only at intervals that l was ~fearfully madden
ed by my dreadful situation as to loose the power
of reason, or 20 overcome as to be debarred TIE fac
ulty of memory. Stretching in q position where
my changes consisted only Of o turn on my side
upon hard boards, the soreness Of the limbs was
excruciatingly painful. When / drew my fee.
up a few inches, my knees pressed the cover,
so that the slight change of position brought no
relief. My impotence of the restraint in which
| was. began at length to drive me veil nigh into
madness. l was fevered. My tenn plies burned and
%throbbed, my tongue became dry, light flashed
across my eyes, my brain whirled around. / am
sure that my existence had been preserved solely
by the diminished strength and subsequent feeble
ness which | experienced, and which from it's
rendering me insensible to the increasing exacer.
baton of my brains heat, allowed nature to re-
sumo her wonted temperature. But this was on
ly that l might revive to encounter again IRENE
diable horror. Who could depict the frenzy, the
unspeakable anguish of my situationf thought
my eyes would start from my head. Burning
tears flowed from my cheeks. My heart was
swollen almost to bursting. l became restless in
feeling, without finding space for q fancied relief
in a new change of position. In my mental an
guish at times. however, l forgot my motionless
bodily sufferings, my rack of immovable agony.
How many hours l lay in this state of active
and passive torture, l cannot tell. My thirst,
however, became intolerable. My mouth seemed
full of hot ashes. l heard again the hollow sound
Of q clock bell, Of no small magnitude, judging
from its deep information. No Granny which /
had hitherto observed in my prison, let in light
though | well knew there must have been some
assure for fresh air, for the continuance Of life so
far. How else bad | existed 1t was night per.
haps. when | first came to myself in the prison of
six dark boards / grouped in vain over every
part of their wooden surface which ! could reach.
| could find no chink, could see no ray. Again |
heard the hollow knell which tended to increase
my fearful agony. 0, what were my feelings
For a long time after this I lay sleeping in my
suferings-or at least for a long time as it seemed
to me. My head was bruised all over-ny lips
were excessively sore-the skin rubbed off in ma
ny places with my struggling--my eyes aching
with pain. | sought relief by turning on my right
side-I had never before turned but on my left
when felt under mt q hard substance which l
had not before perceived. l grasped il with some
difficulty, and soon found it was O knot from the
coffin plank, which had been forced inwards in
all probability after | was placed there. / saw
also a dim light through a hole about as large as
a half crown piece, just before whero my chin
came. ! put my hand to it, and found it covered
with cloth, which l easily imagined was the lining
of my coffin.
soon c%onirived to work my finger through this
cloth, though not without difficulty. Faint enough
was the light it revealed, but it was a MONDAY
sun of joy to me. BY an uneasy strain of my
neck, l could see ~obliquely through the opening,
but everything was confused in my brain. MY
sight was cloudy. heavy and thick. ! at first could
only perceive there was light, but could distin-
guish no object. My sense. however, seemed to
sharpen as new hopes arose.
closed my eyes for a minute together, and then
opened them to restore their almost worn out pow
ar nf viaion Ar langth amid d;st;no,:aL 49,.