The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1866-02-20
Buned Alive

ssr BY she looks II tbe doctor that he, des.
paired oi my rvcovsrYi and the soft ahd
whispering sorrow of my friends, taught
me that had nothing 10 hope.
One day towards the evening. the crisis
tcok place. was scired with q strange
ard Bndmefibablc qaivering--A rushing
sosnd was in my eaFa,--l saw around my
cosch Innumerabls strange faces they
wete bright and visionary, and wislsou,
bodies. There was light, and solemnity,
and tried 70 move, but could not For
short time terrible confusion overwhel-
mrd me, and when il passed Of, all my
/ recolleclioH returned with the most perfect
dsiipctness, but the power Of motion had
departed. beard the sound Of weeping
st my pillow--and the voice Of the nurse
say, "iie is dead eanno, discribe what
/ ! frli ai these words / exerted my IT.
! most power Of volition 10 stir myself, but
could not even an eyelid. After short
pause my friend drew near; and sobbiog.
and eonvulsed with grisi, drew bis hand
over my fmce, and closed my eyes, The
world was then darkened, but still could
hear. aud feel, and suffer.
When my eyes were closed, heard by
the attendants that my friend had left the
room, and soon after found the undertak-
ers were preparing to habit me in the
garments ol the grave. Their thoughlless.
meas was mere awful than the griet of my
friends, They laughed at one another rs
they turned me from side TO side, and trea-
ted wha, they believed corpse, with The
most appalling ribsldry.
When they laid me out, these wretches
retired, and the degrading formality Of az
fecied 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
oi them talked Of the smell OF corruption
Ia the room.
Tho cofIin was procured--I was lifted
and laid in--my friend placed my head on
villa, was deemed its last pillow, and felt
his tears drop on my face.
When all who bad any peculiar inter-
est in me had for short time looked at
me in the coffin, heard them retire and
the undertaker's men placed the lid on the
coffin, and screwed il down. There were
two OF them prescnt--one had occasion 10
20 away before the task was done. l
heard the fellow who was left begin TO
whistle as he turned the screw nails but
he checked himself, and completed his
work Ia silence.
was then lefl alone every one shun-
ned the room. knew, however, that
was not buried yet and though darkened
and motionless | still had hope--but this
was not permitted long. The day Of in
terment arrived-l felt the coffin lifted
and borne away heard and felt it
placed in the hearsc. There was a crowd
of people around--some OF them spoke
sorrowtully Of me. The hearse began to
novel knew thatit carried me to the
grave. 1t halted and the coffin was taken
out--I felt myself carried on the shoul-
ders OF men by the inequality of the mo-
tlon---a pause ensued--I Leard the cords
of the coffin mooyed--l felt il swing as de-
pendent by them---it lowered, and rested
on the bottem Of the grave--tle cords
we're dropped upon the lid heard them
fall. Dreadful was the tfiort then made
TO exert the power of action, but my frame
was immovable.
Soon after, few handiuls Of earth we're
thrown upon the eotiin--then there was
another pause--alier which the shovel
was employed--and the sound of rattling
mound as it covered me was far more tro-
mendous than thunder. But could make
no effort The sound gradually became
less and less, and by a surging reverber-
alton in the coffin, knew the grave was
filed up, and the sexton was trcading in
the earth, slapping the grave with the fiat
OF his spade. This too ceased, and then
all was silent.
had no means of knowing the lapse OF
time and the silence continued. This is
death, thought |, and am doomed to re.
main in the earth till the resurrection
Presently the body will fall into corrup-
ton, and the epicurean worm, that is only
satisfied with the flesh OF man, will come
to partake OF the banquet that has been
prepared for him with so much solieilude
and care. Ia the contemplation Of this
hideous thought, heard low undersound
in the earth above me, and | faacied that
the worms and the reptiles Of death were
coming--and the mole and the rat Of the
grave would coon be upon me. The sound
continued TO grow louder and nearer. Can
il be possible, thought, that my friends
suspect they have buried me too soon p
The hope was truly like light bursting
through the glOo Of DEATH
The sound ceased and presently | ielt
the hands Of some dreadful being working
about my throat. They dragged me out
OF the colin by the head. telt again the
living air, but it was piercingly cold; and
! was carried swiftly away--l thought 10
judgement perhaps perdiclion.
Nhen borne 10 SONS distance, / was
then thrown down like a clod--it was not
upon the ground. Amoment after found
myself on a carriage and by the inter-
change Of two CT three brief sentences,
discovered that was IN the hands Of Two
ot iho-e robbers who lived By plundering
tbs grave, and selling The bodies Of parents,
and children, and friends. One Of the
men surp snatrhes and scrang ~ chxrens