Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1867-04-26

ssensasisn u = Drewning Man
A few days aeo workman employed at
enc ofthe tanners % the west aide Of the
river. but living on the east side, named
Grace. attempted 70 cross to his work upon
the ice. When part way over the river.
the ice broke beneash Grace, and he fell
through lie sank immed lately to the bot
tom, but VS. taken up BY one Of those
hooks employed for the purpose and ~
strong eGosts, the tpask Of life which had
apparently departed Was brought back, and
Grace still lives, although having been a.
near deaths door % . man could very well |
20. and return to this suounary sphere.
Yesterday che reporter Of the Wisconsia
met Grace and had conversations with him
relative to his narrow escape During the
conversation the man gave sketch 81 the
sensations which he experienced while IN.
der tho water, y hich We vii endcavor 20
give - ,hsssWosds fell from the lips. Said
Grace: I thought chat norning. - Il bed
6sen stidsning over night that the ics would
b. still snosgh to ben mo end . wss .
little late that worning. and % il was long
way round By the bridge would save ti"c
BY going acsoss The ics instead q eo.ng
around y the bs.dgs. ven, o. thinking
What should say to The fo,''"-" 20 sAse
bsine docked quarter Of day ard wasn't
think;ns buN vhst oil Vas safe enough
vhen | trod on wsak spot ana went right
do,va through. Il ives % sudden like. and
the water wss 40 cold. and suppose l wss
so frishtened. that oil my senses went away
Ia q Assh. hit ny hsad on edges Of ice,
and Il mads ne stepid, aud thats what
made II seem 30 like dream perhaps. II
seemed like kept sinking, sinking oil The
sime-not going down like a man naturally
would ia the water, but going down fast
90 fast that il took all my breath away. AL,
though knew | kept my eyes shut oil the
time it seemed: like | Icould see oil
about me, and like was in the midst, Of q
great Geld Of blackuess which came up oil
around me. and WA very thick. As went
down this kept growing lighter and bright
or and from being sort Of gloomy at first
soon began TO grow pleasantcs and nv head
! which seemed eli stuffed up and stupid be-
gen TO b clearer and clearer. have heard
: great deal about paradise. end oil sudden
. Ike Il sesmsd had come to that place.
{ didn't feel like I was s.y body else, bus oil
/, nv senses came 10 me, and the 6sst knew
, I va, wondering whore was and how l
came there | felt % il wac jest 20 full oI
happiness - could &c. Every thing had
done in my life seemed like il vas written
} on little page, and bad Il right before me
, and could tell M oil even dsWn 70 The little
things. Before me I could ses green and
purple and red clouds floating alens and
would hear angles and fsisiss singing, and
knew they were happy, and whom l tried
to helpe then, fels - happy - they we're
! tried 10 think Il was dream, but couldn'l
and I didn't feel % ifit WAS q Ill like
death, end while every thiug seemed no eleai
u me, even 10 what the foreman would cay
wnen he found did not come, wondered
il ever should 90 back again and II did
What time should have telling the boy
. whore had been and what I had seen
Every good action had done came up and
AID looked NJ IN the face and although
come Of The bed scsion oil Of which could
o zee staading q my back tried to come VI
they could not. I cannot tell you how hap
~ Sslt. and hsv lsos fels and bow lon
= fblt %. Il YES deswine know and if
Il usn snly knew absuA q, and there WASH
4 any danger Of being brought back again, /
would b. The happisscs way 70 de that svo
was invented. But the cumming back, Oh
While ] was feeling Of good Is tried &
9 tell you about, and It didn's seem % il
: was a little while. but like it Was years ant
:, years, while was thinking It seemed lik
- one Of the bad actions crowded away one o
;. the good ones and come up and looked m
i ia the face and instantly all Of the good &C
tons aud al. the angels and the fairies be
:. came devils Of the worst kind, and all tn
- IL -. blsxG
+ closed round me and they yelled in my ear
d and pushed me this way and that, and the
r all the clouds became precipices and cave
r, aud holes, and il seemed as II the evil one
were trying 10 push me into all Of these q
once. yelling and bowling all the time, All
"a when | resiste J, tearing whole hands fu
y Of flesh of my bone and hair out Of my hes,
!. And they seemed 20 90 into my mouth On
my nose and my ears, and tear away insid
= OF INC until I waa so full Of misery that
- prayed shsy might kill me Ut once nj
10 ~hsn tried to tell them 50, it was like q
b. if my head would burst asvndss. As | can
tell you how happy MAS before 90 can
near tell you how suffered SOW. l h
heard great deal about he'll, and though
. was there for certain. Sometimes III
Z. devils inside of ms would bsGrs and bur
r. ms, anu tnen tney WOuiu DC IN ocean, IN
=. | would strangls and be drowning. An
y whom | seemed TO DO suffering the most. .
y Of . sudden came sort Of out Of il. ar
ID the boys were standing about me, and tr!
.. to bring me to life. and then knew that
; had heen nearly drowned, but they ha
saved me. But | tell you ~ | told then
i! should ever come so near drownin
- again. don't Try to save me, for had tc
thousand times rather die feeling like di
y when | seemed in paradise, than to
T. brought to aud suffer all the.torments di
afterwefd