Clarksville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1865-1867, 1866-04-20
THE CAVE ADVENTURE.

THE CAVE ADVENTURE.
We suppose, most of our readers have
read the thrilling narrative, Of the expedi-
ton to "Dead Mans Cave" Leayenworth,
Indiana, by party Of gentlemen, mostly
from Louisville, we believe. It presents the
most remarkable incidents of which we
have ever read, and veri6es the truth of the
much quoted passage, truth Is stranger than
6ctiou." For the benefit Of those who may
not have CHANGED upon this narrative, we
will only say, that in the exploration of the
Cave, In question, the party came to q mar
row passage. The smallest gentleman
amongst them passed through II, to large
and magnificent chamber. The very feshy
member Of the party followed and finding
he could not 60 further, attempted to "craw-
FISH," He failed to "back out" He strug-
gled to do this for awhile, amid the Jokes
of his companions. The matter becoming
serious, they set to work to get him out in
good earnest. For three long hours, they
tngged at him without success. When find
ing their lights dying out the thoughts Of
being left In darkness, in such place, seized
upon the whole party, with such fearful sud-
deness, they at once FASTENED to find the
mouth Of the cavern, ere their lights wholly
failed. Their panic was so great, they did
not stop to mark the spot where they left
their two comrades. Soon they returned
with ample supply of lights and tools to ex-
tricate their tasty wedged companion, and
the unfortunate gentleman beyond him.
But they could not find the spoti After
searching for two days, aided by all the
people Of the little town, in the vicinity of
the Cave, they failed to find the place where
they had left these two meni At last &C.
counts, however, the person that was beyond
the one wedgcd in the passage, had been
found, having come out at sink hole! af-
ter being some sixty hours entombedl Be-
fore our paper goes to press we may hear
that the member Of the party left wedged
in the narrow passage, has been discovered.
II he is found, we venture to predict, that II
not dead, he Is hopeless maniac. What
human mind could withstand the unutterabe
horrors of such situation! Let the stron.
gest and most intrepid spirit dwell upon the
uncomfortable awfuiucss Of such position,
and II must feel that no merely human
brain could bear up under IL. When his
friends first left him, his feelings must have
teen such as come to the soul in frightful
dreams. But he was sustained by strong
hope, that they would return and rescue
him. But as hours, days and nights-hours
that were days, and days and nights that
were months wore on and they came not
who can Imagine the untold agony that
must have started the great drops Of sweat
TO his brow, eren iu that chill cavern, where
he realized that he was In living tomb !!
-he thoughts that came to him in that ray
less and narrow prison house, who shall dare
even think Of!
We remember a story Of one of the vic
Tins of the Spanish Inquisition, in which the
prisoner was confined in a cell, so construct
ed that its walls, ceiling and floor were con-
tracted every day until finally the poor vic
tim was crushed by the coming together Of
all these. We could not then conceive of
any torture more appalling thsu this But
this immuiement in the cave, is an exquis-
lite refinement upon the ingenuity of this
Spanish Inquisitorial torture. IL the ac-
couu. of the one that made his way out Of
this horrid living entombment into daylight,
II is stated that he was SO overcome, that he
could say nothing. This we can we'll be-
lieve, but rs soon as he sufficiently RECEIVERS,
we trust the public win be told the full story
OF his subterranean mental experience. And
If DR.. Hawn, the individual just spoken Of,
shonid be rescued, we would 60 many miles
to hear him relate his experience, as chap.
ter Of mental suffering, such as human mis-
cries have never yet offered. We still think
however, that IL he be found alive, Ne will
be eibbering maniac.