The native Virginian. [volume] (Orange Court House, Va.) 1867-187?, 1870-02-18
UNDERGRoUND-A SINGULAR ADvEN-
TURE.

The Muskegan (Michigan) Enterprise
relates the following singular adscn-
ture:
when we were publishing paper in
Lewisburg, ". Va, several years ago,
a very singular accident befel a young
man there, which we narrated briefly
at the time. A lew daysage Nc chanc-
ed to meet him here in Muskegan, and
he narrated his adventure at cur re-
quest. Ii occurred on the farm of Gen.
A. w. q. Davis, in Grsenbrier county,
in 1856. We give his story in his own
words, as near as we can recollect them:
81 was plowing on General Davis farm
in 1885, said he e,<.'unsuspicious of be-
ing on insecure ground, when sudden
ly the earth seemed to fall beneath me.
/ saw the horses descending, but WAS
too frightened to let go the plow har-
dies. The pitch of the horses viii. the
earth gave my fall Al impetus, and
somehow l caught the name of one.of
them in my fall. S.d so held on instinc,
lively. What thought wnSn falling
can hardly tell. At any rate diu
some rapid thinsing. When / landed
| fell on the horse whose name had
hold of, and, although the horse was in
stsntly killed, | was merely stunned
and confused. On recovering my self |
looked up, and the hole through which
had fallen looked so small that | con-
elnded | must have fallen full loo feet.
My first thought was to cali tor aid. but
| instantly recalled the fact that was
at least mile from General Davis
house, and that there was not the re-
motest probabilitythat any one had seen
my descent into the earth. 1t was then
early morning. and, rs L had brought
out my dinner with me, no one would
miss sie until nightfall. While going
over these facts in my own mind,
heard the rush Of waters near at hand,
and it occurred to me that | must have
fallen upon the bed of Sinking creek
which, rs you know, falls into the earth
above + rankfort, and does not come out
but once till it reaches the banks of the
Greenbrier river. To say where | was,
or attempt to follow the subterranean
passage, was the next question.
sometimes took the team to my own
tenant stable, and therefore might not
be missed for days; so determined to
follow the stream. waded into 1t, and
Judging from its depth of from one TO
three feet, concluded it must be the
ldenti al Sinking creek spoken Of
Leaving my dead companion behind
me, | followed the stream. For the
most part | nad pretty easy work OF 1t,
| but sometimes | came to deep place,
where | was forced to swim tor a con-
siderable distance; sometimes l ran a.
gainst Jagged rocks. andsthen again WAS
often precipitate headlong into deep
water by the precipitous nature of the
| rocky bed of the stream. Talk about
the darkness of the grave A grave it.
self could not have been more impalpa-
bly, dark than the passage was follow.
ing. The occasional ripping of the
waters was an inexpi essibly dear sound
J to ny ears. Day and night was the
same TO me. At last, wearied with my
efforts, laid down on u comparatively
dry rock to rest, and must have SLEPT
for hours. When Iawoke again toeE
to the water, carefully --ascertaining
which way it iail, so as not to lose my
labor by retracing my steps. 1t seem
ed to me that the farther | went ths
more difficult progress became. Wher
had gone perhaps 4 mile | came to 1
place where the archyay narrowed Sc
much that | had to crawl on my hands
and knees in the water. Here was {
dilemma l had not looked for. trieC
either bank OF the river. but found Ia
passage youru a,sta n' u"pT "ase, 1;stao, ,o
M sco;lsiue.av .p. ns ,,nrnowr ~. snS , Tsi.e,
pelore ,ne "Ss ,.i,, tha y, au
long oeioiG NS .hu aan ",o,sr NO 'e,'
ture. i"ss sVJ'uu.u LII ~ .ns ny ,a;'
was equaiiy uoso.iui I 'li lcsui,'iis nims ds , :,
procesanlg, anu piungeu oep,i!, LIZ III
the swllI cuireht anu sooi i9uhu INA
it was so sWlit IN ,ts IoIIliileu passag'
that ohly hseueu w noiu my o.eaen y
go tnrougn. IN lne eoui sc oi swent,
or thlrty ieee l asain sos ny hsau 'oos'