St. Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1845-1863, 1861-08-08

minus to the Temple.
TIE BURIED ALIVE.
Perhaps none of you have ever met
with more extraordinary adventure than
what have now to relate. 1t happened to
myself do not therefore ask or expect
you to believe 1t, nor can the feelings with
which l was affected be imagined without
experiencing the impression Of the same
awful circumstances.
l had been for some time i'll of a low
and lingering fever My strength grad
ually wasted, but the sense of life seem d
to become more and more ucute us my cor
poreal powers became weaker. | could
see by the looks of the doctor that he des-
paired of my recovery; and the soft and
whispering sorrow of my friends taught
me that had nothing to hope.
Que day towards the evening. the
crisis took place. was seized with q
strange and indescribable quivering. a
rushing sound was in my ears-I saw
around nay couch innumerable strange
faces, they were bright and visionary, and
without bodies. There was light and
solemnity. and I tried to move. tut could
not. For short time a terrible confusion
overwhelmed me. and when it passed of.
all my recollections returned with the
most perfect distinctuess. but the power
of motion had departed. heard the sound
Of weeping at my pillow, and the voice Of
th., ,,,r.a co ,,;,v ..ho 90 Jo,l a.~.ot
describe what l felt at these words.
excrted my utmost power of volition to
stir myself, hut could not move even an
eyelid After short pause, my friend
drew near. and. sobbing aud convulsed
with grief. drew his hand over my face
and closed my eyes. The world was then
darkened, but l could still hear, and feel
aud suffer.
When my eyes were closed, heard by
the attcnt:ants that my friend had left the
room, and soon after found the UNDER
takers were preparing te habit me in the
garments Of the grave. Their thought
lcssness was more awful than the grief of
my friends. They laughed at one another
as they turned me from side to side. and
treated what they believed a corpse, with
the most appalling ribaldry.
When they had laid me out. these
wrctcl.es retired. and the degraded for.
mality Of affected mourning commenced.
For three days number of friends called
to see me. | heard them, in low accents,
speak of what was, and more than one
touched me with his finger. On the third
day some of them talked of the smell Of
corruption in the room.
The coffin was procured--was lifted
and laid in--my friend placed my head
on what was deemed its last pillow, and
l felt bis tears drop on my face.
When all who had any peculiar interest
in me had for short time looked at me
in my coffin, I heard them retire; and the
undertaker's man placed the lid on the
Coffin and screwed it down. There were
two Of them prcsent-onc had occasion to
90 away before the task was done. |
heard the fellow who was left, begin to
whistle as h. turned the screw-nails; but
he checked himself, and completed the
work in silence.
l was then left alone; every one shun-
ned the room. | knew. however. that
was not buried; and though darkcncd, mo-
tionlcss. l had still hope; but this was not
permitted long. The day of interment ar
riyed-I felt the coffin lifted aud born
away-I heard and felt it placed in the
hcarsc. There was crowd of people
around; some Of them spoke sorrowfully of
the. The hcarse began to move-I knew
that it Carried me to the grave. It hal
ted and the coffin was taken OUT felt
myself carried on the shoulders of men,
by the inequality of the motion. A pause
eusued--I heard the cords of the coffin
felt it swing as dependent by
then--it was lowered and rested on the
bottom of the grave. The cords were
dropped upon the lid heard them fall
Dreadful was the effort then made to ex-
ert the power Of action. but my whole
frame was ilnlnovable.
Soun sitter, few handfuls of earth we're
thrown upon the coffin. TLen there was
another pause-after which the shovel
was employed, and the sound Of the rat
Ting mould. as it covered me, was far
more tremendous than thunder. But l
could make no effort. The sound grad
ually became LEES and less. and BY sur
gins reverbration of the cofiin. I knew
that th. grave was filled up. aud that the
sexton was tresding in the earth. sispping
the grave with the Cat Of his spade This
TOO ceased; and then all was silent
i,si no means of knowing she lapse
of time; and the silence continued THE
% death. thought I. aud / am doGned to
remain 10 the earth till the resurrection.
Presently the body viii fsll into corrup-
ion. and tie episurean worm. th.i IL on
y sssisfiei With the 1esh Of ma,,. viii