Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1869-04-23

The Horrors of Being Instantly Killed.

The Horrors Of Being Instantly Killed. =
Count Tosboi's g Sevastopol in May
in course of publication in Hours at
iHome, gives very remarkable descrip-
ton of the death of man who is in
stantly 'killed-as the living say, in
stantly killed by piece Of shell which
strikes him. But to him, the dying man,
his death seems different affair. This
surely,is extremely powerful writing:
Michailof looked behind him. The
shining point of bomb seemed to stand
at the zenith--in that position where it
is impossible to tell its direction. But
that lasted only minute; the bomb
came quicker and quicker, nearer and
nearer, SO that you could see the sparks
from the tube and hear the fatal whist
ling, and directed its course straight at
the middle of the battalion.
"Lie down" cried a voice.
Michailof and Praskukin lay down on
the ground. Praskukin, tightly closing
his eyes, heard only how the bomb fell
heavily somewhere very near on the hard
ground. A second passed--it seemed an
hour--and the bomb did not burst. Pras-
kukin began to be afraid that he had
done a cowardly act without any reason,
that perhaps the bomb had fallen far
away, and that he only thought he heard
the fuzs fzzing. He opened his eyes
and saw with satisfaction that Michailotf
| lay immovsble on the ground near his
legs. But his eyes at that moment met
the sparkling fuse Of the whirling bomb
not yard from him. A horrid-a cold
horror excluding all other thoughts and
lfeelings-took possession of him.. He
covered his face with his hands.
Another second passed. second in
which whole world of feelings, thoughts,
hopes, and recolleciions passed through
his mind.
4, Whom will it kill; me or Michailoff z
or both together2 II it hits me where
will it hit? In the head. Then it's all
over. If it hits my leg they will cut it
off, and / shall ask them to do it by all
means with chloroform--and i can still
get through alive. But perhaps It will
only kill Michallof-then can tell how
we were walking together, and he was
killed and I was spattered with blood.
| No; it's nearer to me, it will kill me y
Then he recollected the twelve roubles
that he owed Michailof; he recollected
Also another debt at Petersburg that he
ought TO have paid long ago a Gypsy air
| that he had sung IN the evening came
into his head. The girl whom he loved
appeared To his imaginatiou in cap
with lilac ribbons, he remembered a
man whom be had insnlted years before
aud who had never paid it back, although
at the same time with these and a.thou.
sand other remembrances the feeling OF
his present circumstauces--the expecta-
lion of death-never for q moment quit
ted him. However, perhaps, it will not
hurst" be thought, and with despairing
decision wanted to openlhis eyes. = But
at that instant, through the still shut lids
he saw a red FIRE, and with horrible
noise aomething hit him in the middle OF
"Tbank God / am only bruised, !"
was his first thought, aud he wanted to
! fael his breast, but his hands seemed to
be bound down, and weight TO keep
down his head. The soldiers shone In
his ewes. and he uneonsciously counted
them: Ore, two, three soldiers, and
tlat one whose lovercoat has slipped
down is an officer" be thought. Then
he saw flashes, and be thought " what prss
ahey, firing .from, uortsrs or. eannce
They are firing again. and there are
more soldiers; five, six, seven soldiers,
and they ali 20 past" He all at once
became afraid that they .woul ID leaye nm
There. He wanted to cry out that be was