The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1869-04-06
The Buried Alive.

corporeal powers became weaker. |
could see by the looks of the doctor that
he despaired of my recovery and the soft
and whispering sorrow of my friends
taught ne that had nothing 10 hope.
One day towards the evening the crisis
took place. was seized with strange
and indescribable quivering,- rushing
sound was in my ears, ~ saw around my
couch innumerable strange faces; they
were bright and visionary, and without
bodie, There was light, and solemnity,
and | tried to move, but could no, For
a short time a terrible confusion over
wbelmed me. and when il passed off all
my recollection returned with the most
perfect distnctness, but the power Of mo>
ton had departed. Il heard the sound of
weeping at my pillow-and the voice Of
the nurse say, fHe is dead. | cannot des-
cribe what felt at these words. exer-
ted my utmost power of voltion to stir
myself, but could not move even an eye
lid. After a short pause my friend drew
near; and sobbing, and convulsed with
closed my eyes. The world was then
darkened, but I still could hear, and feel,
and suffer.
When my eyes were closed, ! heard by
the attendants that my friend had left the
room. and soon after found the under.
takers were preparing to habit me in the
garments Of the grave. Their thoughts
leasness was more awful than the griefsf
my friends. They laughed at one an
other as they turned me from side to side
and treated what they believed corpse,
with the most appalling ribaldry.
When they had laid me out, these
wretches retired and the degrading formal'
ity of affected mourning commenced. For
three days a number Of friends called to
see me. heard them, in low accents,
speak OF what was; and more than one
touched me witt, his finger. On the third
day. some Of them talked of the smell of
corruption in the room.
The coffin was procured-l was lifted
and laid in--my friend placed my head on
what was deemed its last pillow, and L
felt tears drop on my face.
When all who had any peculiar interest
in me, had for short time look at me in
the coffin, heard them retire; and the
undertaker's men placed the lid on the
coffin, and screwed it down. There were
two of them present-one had occasion to
90 away before the task was done. l
heard the fellow who was left begin to
whistle as he turned the screw-nals; but
he checked himself, and completed the
work in silence.
was then left alone, every one shun'
ned the room. | knew, however. that l
was not yet buried and though darkened
and motionless. had still hope but
this was not permitted long.-Thc day OF
interment arrived-l felt the coffin lifted
and borne away heard and felt it placs
ed on the hearse There was crowd Of
people around some Of them spoke quite
sorroy;fully of me. The hearse began to
move, knew that il carried me TO the
grave. 1t halted and the coffin was taken
out felt myself carried on the shoulders
Of men, by the inequality of the motion.
A pause ensued-I heard the cords of the
coffin moved--I felt it swing as depends
ent by them-It was lowered, and rested
on the bottom of the grave--The cords
were dropped upon the lid heard them
fall Dreadful was the effort then made
to exert the power of action, but my whole
frame was immovabe.
Soon after few handlulls of earth
were thrown upon the coifin-Then there
was another pause--aiter which the shov-
el was employed. and the sound of the rat
tling mould, as it covered me, was far
more tremendous than thunder. But |
could make no effort. The sound gradu.
ally became less and less, and by Il surg
my reverberation in the coffin ] knew that
the grave was filled up, and that the SEX
ton was treading in the earth, slappng
the grave with the fiat OF his spade. -
This too ceased and then all was silent,
had no means of knowing the laspe OF
time AMI the silence continued This is
death tho't !, and am doomed to remain
in the earth till the resurrection. Present
ly the body will fall INTO corruption, and
the epicurean worm, that is only satisfied
with the flesh of man, will come to par
take of the banquet that has been pre-
pared for him with 80 much solicitude and
care In the contemplation OF this though,
| heard low and undersound in tho
earth over me, land fancied that the
worms and reptiles of death were coming
that the mole and the rat Of the grave
would soon be upon me. The sound con"
tinued to grow louder and nearer Can
it be possible that my friends suspect they
have buried me too soon. The hope was
truly like light bursting through the gloom
Of death.
The sounds ceasod, and presently | iclt
the hands of some dreadful being working
about my throat. They dragged me out
Of the coffin by the head. ] felt again the
living air, but it was piercingly cold and
was carried swiftly away thought 10
judgment, perhaps perdition.
When borne to some distance, ! was
then thrown down like q clod--it was not
upon the ground. \ moment after i
found myself on carriage and, by the
interchange of two or three briefsentences,
| found ] was in the hands of two Of
those robbers who live Ivy plundering the
grave, and selling the bodies of parents,
and children, and friends. One of these
men sung snatches and scraps of obscene
songs as the cart ratified over the pave