The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-09-02

zts
was new gave my own; which led me
to believe that u had seldom been
used OF late years, except, perhaps
as o place pf s tentp pofery deposit IT,
was a strange light to see BY, tie
lphosph phorescence OF dead mems.
bones; and, when I take everything
t'into conAide eration, my return to con-
sciousness. the horrible snspicions.
.certainties and diseeserieg which
followed In appSl ding order, i am
lcompelled to won der koSS itSswas e NJ as pos
I,sibls for me TO keep my senses, and
to continue my effort to escape With
the coolness,I did, asii ~,
/ soon found the door to the vault.
It was a wooden one,' and seemed
much, deoayed on the inside, like the
coffins i have mentioned. ! tried
it with trembling eagerness; but dis
covered, alas! it was fastened on the
outside-probably secured by heavy
iron bolts. oh! for the use Of an
axe for half an hour! ] would will
lingly have given for it all I was
worth in the world. I struck against
the door with my fist, and threw my
body heavily against; but only to
discover its massive solidity, and to
know that, without some implement
to work with, all my, efforts to escape
would be worse than vain. -
searched everywhere, as we'll as I
could by the dim, ghastly light, but
found only two things that could
possibly use-a large spiked nail and
a pebble stone. weighing over q
pound. How precious did even these
seem. -
There was portion of the door SO
decayed that, with the use of the nail
and the stone, I believed I could
work hole large enough, perhaps,
to admit my arm; and as this place
was near where the bolt, if single
one. would naturally be, 1 had great
hope that I might be able to reach
and slide it back. With this idea, I
commenced at once, with all the
energy of man in my situation, and
for hours [ labored unremittingly-
hammering, prying and getting off
splinter by splinter, till at last I
found / could pass my hand through
the aperture. o! what wild emotions
of hope and fear thrilled me then! 1
trembled from head to foot, my re-
spiration became gasping and diff
cult; large beads of perspiration
seemed to start from every pore, and,
sinking down on my knees, I prayed
God to have mercy on me, and re-
store me to the world of life. Then
[ arose slowly, thrust my arm through
the aperture, and felt around for the
bolt. My hand touched it. With
trembling eagerness 1 worked back;
and then the heavy door came slowly
open, harshly grating on its hinges.
Oh, Heaven! What q moment was
that! Perhaps was to be delivered
from that awful sepulchre! The very
thought was an overpowering Joy,
which my nervous system, SO long
wrought up to the most intense ex-
citement, could not bear, and I faint
ed, and fell at the foot of the stairs,
which led upward from the charnel
vault.
When consciousness and strength
again returned to me, I went, slowly
and tremblingly, up the damp, dim
and narrow stairs, till I came to the
flag that shut in the whole. On nv
power to raise this, depended every
thing! L put my shoulder against
it, and pressed upward with all my
might. Gracious heavens, it did not
move! was doomedI I uttered O
wild, piercing shrek, and fell back
in despair, the most wretched being
in existence. AS sat there, on one
of the cold, shiny steps, in an agony
of mind that must soon have de-
prived my burning, throbbing brain
of reason, I fancied I heard steps
above me. What! human life above,
and I to be doomed to death in O
sepulchre? No, no! never, never!
I sprang to my feet, with the deter
mination and strength of madman.
and again, putting my shoulder to
the stone, sent it upward, with
force that turned it over with crash!
Fresh air and light burst in upon
me! I saw I was beneath the roof of
church, and, leaping up from my
pit, yelled forth my Joy.
Il was an early hour in the morn
ing, and the sexton had come into
the church to put certain things to
rights. Seeing me spring upward
from the tomb, with an appalling
yell, he instantly fed, with q shrek
Of forror Ho cooD