The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-05-28
A Capital Story.

Some years since an eccentric old genius.
named Barnes, was employed by a farmer liv-
ing in town some six or seven miles westerly
OF the Penobscot river, Maine, to dig WE'LL
The soil and substratum Being mostly of sand,
Old Barnes, after having progressed down
ward about forty feet, found one morning up
on going to work that the well had essentially
cayed in, and was full near to the top So,
having the desire which men have of knowing
what will be said OF them when they are dead,
and no one being astir, he concealed himself
in rank growth of burdocks by the side of a
board fence near the mouth of the well, hay
ing first left his frock and hat on the windlass
of the well. At length breakfast being ready,
boy was despatched to call him to his meal,
when 10! land behold! it was seen that
Barnes was buried in the grave unconsciousy
dug by his own hands. The alarm being Civ
en-, and the family assembled, it was decided
to first eat breakfast and then send for the
coroner, the minister, and his wife and chill
dIen. Such apathy did not flatter Barnes
sell-esteem bit, but he waited patiently de-
tel1nined to hear what was to be heard and
see what was to be seen. ...
Presently all parties arrived and began
prospecting" the scene of the catastrophe, as
people usually do in such cases. At length
to what should be done. The minister at
once gave his opinion that they had better lev
ell up the well and let Barnes remain; "for,"
said he, she is beyond the temptation of sin,
and in the day ofjudgment it will make no
difference whether he is buried five feet under
ground or fifty, for he is bound to come forth
in either case" The coroner likewise agreed
that it would be a needless expense to his
family or the town to disinter him when he
was eiiectually buried, and therefore coincid-
ed with the minister
His vile thought as she had left his hat and
irock it would hardly be worth while to die
him out for the rest Of his clothes.o and SO Il
was decided to let him remain But moor old
Barnes, who had no breakfast and was not
at all pleased with the result of the inouest.
lay quiet until the shades of evening stole oy-
er the landscape, when he departed to narts
unknown. After remaining incognto for
about three years, one morning be suddenly
appeared lhatless and frockless as he went) at
the door of the old farmer, for whom he had
agreed to dig the unfortunate we'll To saw
that an avalanche OF questions were rained
upon him as to his mysterious re-appearance,
etc, would convey but feeble idea of the
excitement which his bodily presence created
But the old man bore it quietly, and at length
informed them, that Oh finding himself buried
he waited to be dug out again, until his pa
tience was exhausted, when he set to work to
dig himself out, and had only the day before
succeeded, for his ideas being much confused,
ne mad dug very much al random, and instead
OF coming directly to the surface, he came out
ln the town ct Holden, six miles east of the
Penobscot river
=, NO further explanations were asked for by
.nose VINO were SO distressed and sOrrowful
over his supposed final resting place.