The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1869-09-02
/ SEPTEMBER 2, 1869.

and sincerely denominated her dear, dea
brother. Ny reices who were at schoo
where they heard Of the event soon after
happened, did me the honor to hurry home
and look at me lying on the bed, at full length
and with copper cent on each eye. "Oh
my |" "Poor Uncle Jonep p (they always cal
ed me "Unclc Jone,' ssOh dear!" "Ho,
sudden p were about all they said, and / d
not believe they shed tear; at any ratt
they shed it very quietly, and l did not hea
them. Ellen, my favorite, whom had al
ways particularly loved, to- my sorrowfnl sur
prise, remarked that now she supposed the
would all lave to 90 into mourning (Which
she said, didn't suit her complexion,) ant
not be any more at home to visitors for tn
winter Charles, my nephew Charles, t
to whom had left the snug sum Of twent,
thousand dollars, went 50 far as to hint, (bu
/ heard him, how mighty unkind it was Q
aUnclc-Jene to npeg out" rightsat the begin
ming of the opera and party season. Had HI
only postponed his death till Lent, say. how
much less nsazarropos it would have been
Even the chamber maid scolded, and indeed
the whole household appeared $50 far as
could hear, for I could not see) to be greatly
out of sorts on account of my "taking off
just then and there. saHad Uncle Jone, now
been away from home, and died and beer
buried among strangers, whom we should
gladly have paid for their trouble, we would
not have cared so much, had it not been the
Lords will to take him, but, as it is, pshaw
how, etc, was, / am certain in my neices and
nephews hearts, if notion their lip, the IN.
feeling ingrates. 10 But meanwhile there j
lay in all the rigidity and pal!or Of seeming
death, but alive in my right mind. Perfect.
" conscious Of my state, / did not doubt at
first that my yolition would return, and |
should be able to shake the lethargy of. 10
But in very short while they began to lay
me out, ard then, horrors! My situation
fairly appalled, me- To have been able to
utter one word, orlraise finger, or heaye a
sigh by which to have made known my con-
dition I would have given the world dyes,
worlds, thought. But what, alas! could
do? Atone moment would invoke the
good God, and pray him, if possible to let
this cup, only this. bitter, bitter cup, pass,
at another, I would mentally exclaim, "What
have done to merit such a cruel cruel lot
Why am l, the only one Of millions of my
fellow beings, doomed to such an ordeal Of
woe as this? And then, such we're the man
fold phases Of my dreadful experience, |
would even pity myself, there being none, no,
not evcn God in heaven, to do it for me.
As to the people who washed and dressed
me for burial, singular as it may seem II re-
member, up to certain time, very distinctly,
all they said and did, Notwithstanding L had
so much else to occupy my attention. ss
Mrs. Craggs, a women celebrated, in her
day, for staying out" people, was the person
employed to perform that Office for me. She
was vixenish old baggage, and | knew her
we'll alum m-'m," she muttered, ESQ
Young's gone at last, has he? An wonder
if his nephys and neeys down there akear ?
Bigger fools than take 'em if they do
And removing the cents from my eyes, aud
trying to close down the lids, by pressing her
fingers hard upon them. I say trying, for
she left my eyes just wide enough open for
me to see all that was going on in front Of
me. She took folded pocket handkerchief
and tied up my jaws, Next, she directed the
two men she had brought along with her, to
strip me, and give me a good ;.washin', least,
ways, they needn't be VERY pertlckeler, be-
case she didn' t see as it made much difference
any ways fur persons as was goin' to be put
in the groun'. And new" said she to them,
''you clean him, and I'll go and crimp his
shroud, time the coffin come"
The GOODNESS and business like way of this
woman must have made my hair stand on
end !! think if the brutes who commenced
to strip me as soon as she had gone, had no.
ticed my face particularly, they would have
found it was even paler than death. But they
were in hurry to get through their job, and
did not care, one of them said, d-n for
"corpses." lo3 y4sg 5's e aA4sN
By the time the man had got me nearly
ready for Mrs. Caggs, who was to arrange
the further preliminaries for the rites, my
nervous system was completely Frustrated
and fainting, I lost all consciousness b.aia
When I came to my senses, l was in my
coffin, and on the way to my grave! Merei
full heaven How ] felt! The dull, Vibra
ting shake of the hearse /! The clatter, clat-
ter, Of the horses hoofs The cries of the
drivers t, The occasional sound Of voices, as
if in the street The shutting Of feet or
the sidewalks;! The halt at the gate. Of
Greenmount Cemetery The pattering Of
the rain! The going up hill just inside the
enclosure, feet up, and at an angle of fifteen
degrees! ., How yividly re-experienee it all
That ride was indeed my last, for, in my new
will, I have given my orders that undel
pain Of disinheritance, shall be carried, lit.
orally carried to my grave, the next time
The very sight Of a hearse makes me shudder
In just no time l(my readers who have beer
on forlorn hopes, or fought dusis, Or been re
proved at tie foot Of the gallows, will appre
ciate my meaning, when I say in just Nc
time,) after getting again on. level ground
the hearse stopped, and the door being lei
down, I could feel as well as bear myself roll
ed out, and then borne on a bier and placed
upon the supports directly over my grave. ]
was now absolutely in despair, and at this
present writing, I seem to myself to hear thu
horrid ropes seething round my coffin, within
the eighth Of an inch Of my. body. All
how they CRATE, and thump down in the knot
ty heights atop Of me. I. .g.,. ~; ~
But just at this moment, and before + wa
lowered, the rain, which had been falling al
day, came down in perfect deluge, and Il. a.
by an interrosition of Divine Providence
they had to place me, temporarily Oily, as {