The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-02-22
BURIED ALIVE.
Concluded.

The first thing for me to ascertain was
the dimensions of my sepnlchre. Wheth-
er it was day or night could not tell,
for / could see nothing whatever-not
even nv hand when l held IL close up
before my eyes. Everything must be
done by feeling, and thought-shudder-
| ing with horror at the thought of what
| might discover. | knew that delay
could avail me nothing, and l resolved
to set about the work before me. rose
up in my coffin and stretched my hands
above my head, but they came IN con-
tact with nothing. l felt on either side,
but felt no object. | put them down be-
low the coffin, and found 1T rested on
slab that was supported some distance
above the ground, could not tell how
much. | got ont of the coffin carefully,
stretched down my feet till they
touched solid basis, and then slowly
and cautiously began to grope around
| the vault. | soon touched the wall on
one side, and carefully felt of the stones,
/ found them, as feared should, large,
solid, and evidently put together with
cement. There seemed little hope OF
my ever finding my way through them.
| followed the wall along till / came to
pile of coffins, one upon the other
reaching up as high as my head. They
had evidentlybeen there for a long time,
and fancied, from the slippery feeling,
were mildewed and decayed. After
passing these. came TO another pile of
coffins, not so high as the first, but even
more decayed. In turning from these
my feet slipped, / feel against them,
and the upper one came down with a
crash. burst open and the bones fell out
with a phosphorescent glare, lighting
ut the darkness, and locking like so
many orbs of fire. l staggered back
with an involuntary yell of horror-the
thing was so sudden and the spectacle
so awful.
Ny reason returned in moment, and,
though my nervous system had received
shock that for long time kept ME
weak and trembling, yet | saw at once
how much was tho gamer by the acci-
dent, since by this means l now had a
dim view If the ckarnel house, which
had become my prison, if not my grave.
The vault was not large, but contained
quite a number of cSitins, not one of
which was new save my own, which led
Inc TO believe that it had seldom been
used of late years, except, perhaps, as q
place of temporary deposit. 1t was Il
strange light to see by, the phoSphOres-
cencc of dead mems bones; and, when !
take every thing into consideration, my
return to consciousness, the horrible sus-
piciOns, certainties, and discoveries
which followed in appalling order, |
am even Row compelled to wonder how
il was possible for me TO keep my senses,
and to continue my efforts To escape
with the GOODNESS | did.
soon found the door to the vault, 1t
was wooden one, and seemed much
decayed on the inside, like the cOflins l
have mentioned. | tried it with trem-
bling eagerness; but discovered, alas II
was fastened on the Outside-prObably
secured by heavy iron bolts. Oh for
the use of an axe for half an hour! /
would willingly have given for 1t all /
was worth in the world. struck
against the door with my fist, and threw
nv body heavily against 1t; but only TO
discover its massive selldity, and to
know that. without some implement TO
ork with, all my efforts to escape
would be worse than vain-that might
as well sit down and wait my appointed
time.
But D, rhaps some tool might be found
in the vault, left there by mistake Z!
Some hatchet, hammer, pick, crowbar-
something. searched everywhere, as
we'll as i could by the dim, CHASTITY
II. ,,,l,- t,,-n thinnS hnf |
could possibly use--a large spike nail
and a pebble stone weighing over a
pound. How precious did even these
seem! No miser ever clutched his gold
and diamonds with such intense ard
heartfelt joy as did these possible keys
to the living world.
There was a portion of the door so
decayed that, with the use of the nail
and the stone, ! believed ! could work
a hole large enough, perhaps, to admit
my arm; and rs this place was near
where the bolt, if single one, would
naturally be, had great hope that /
might I've able to reach and slide 1t back
With this idea, | commenced at once,
with all the energy of man III my sit
uation, and for hours | labOred unrc-
mittingly-hammering, prying, and
getting off splinter by splinter, till at
last | found | could pass my hand
through the aperture. ., what wild
emotions of hope and fear thrilled me
then trcmbled from head to foot, my
respiration became gaspiTg and difficult;
large beads of pcrspiratlOn seemed to
start from every pore, and, sinking
down Oh my knees, Iprayed God to have
mercy on me, and restore me- To the
world of life. Then arose slowly,
thrust my arm through the aperture,
aud felt around for the bolt. ltOuched
it. With trembling eagerness | worked
it back: and the heavy door came slowly
open, harshly grating on its hinges. Oh,
Heaven! What a moment was that
Perhaps | was to be delivered from my
awful sepulchre! The very thought was
an overpowering Joy, which my nervous
system, so long wrought up TO the most
intense excitement, could not bear, and
tainted, and fell at the foot of the
stairs which led upward from tue char
mel vault.
When consciousness and strength
again returned to me, l went slowly
and tremblingly mp the damp, dim and
narrow stair. till / came to the flag
that shut in the whole. On my power
to raise this depended everything! |
put my shoulder against it, and pressed
upward with all my might. Gracious
heavens! 1t did not move! | was
doomed! / uttered a wild, piercing
shrek, and fell back in despair, the
most wretchea being in existeDse. As
| sat there, on one of the cold, Shiny
steps, in an agony of mind that must
soon have deprived my burning, throb-
bing brain of reason, i faneied heard
steps above me. What! Human life
above and to be doomed to death in a
sepulchre Never! Never! Never! ]
sprang to my feet with the determine
ton aud strength of a madman, and
again putting my shoulder to the stone,
sent il upward with force that turned
1t over with q crash. Fresh air aud
light burst in upon me. | saw that /
was beneath the reof ofs church, and,
lcaping mp from my pit, | yelled forth
my joy.
II was an early hour in the morning,
and the sexton had come into the
church to put certain things TO rights.