Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1871-08-03

| fact sir as many others of similar nature
at which | had been present without feel
ing the same degree of interest in them.
After my body had been removed from
the ice-box and placed in the ccffin, and
| the chill from The ice began, suppose, to
pass away, l felt myself drawn nearer to
| it, as if were once more a part of it. Sud
denly all was again darkness. / perceived
that was again inha5iting my own body,
with limbs still immovable, and with only
the senses of hearing and feeling at COM
mand My ethereal wanderings were
over, and was again dwelling in the flesh.
1t was a change like that which takes
place when, after wandering in bright
| dreams through places near and distant,
We suddenly awake and find ourselves in
bed amid the darkness of night.
The lid of my coffin was screwed firmly
on ,tand l was deposited in the hearsc. L
heard the Iumbling of wheels as we passed
through the streets, the plash of the pad
dies as we crossed the Jerry, the smooth
| rolling as we left the pavements and en-
tered the drives of Greenwood was left
alone in the family vault The last words
beard from Sniff were an order to his at
tendants to open the vault in the me rning
and place the coffin in the crypt that had
| been assigned to it.
/ was alone for the night, again sur
rounded by dead bodies, and my last op-
portunity for communication with mortals
was to come in the morning. How the
| twelve or fifteen hours passed l hardly
know I think 1 may have been, part of
| the time, in p kind of sleep, for often an
hour would pass, as indicated by the strik-
ing of clocks in the church towers OF the
city, and it would seem but a few minutes.
Hearing was the only one of the senses l
.,A1 -1r,4 g.,
every sound, to assure myself that | was
still in the material world. / could hear
all the katydids on the trees without, the
crosking of frogs in the ponds of the Gem
etery, the music of tree-toads, and once a
whippoorwill poured forth his note with
startling distinctness Just st the door of
the vault.
Near morning new phase in my con-
dition occurred. | began to feel in my
hands and feet sensation as if they were
overrun by an army of ants or spiders. At
first l thought these insects had found
their way into my coffin. They seemed to be
crawling up my legs and arms and over my
body in countless multitudes. Then felt a
sharp tingling, as if each ant were plung-
ing a small needle ia my flesh-then pain,
as if each needle were hook at which
the ants were vigorously tugging. Then
there was a quivering beneath the skin
and tremor of the muscles of the legs
and arms. Finally, with some forebod-
.ings, made an effort to move my hand,
and as l did so heard the rustling of the
stiffened trimming of the coffin The
sweetest note of a Nilsson could not afford
the pleasure that the sound gave me. By
repeated efforts moved my eXtremities
until they were entirely under the control
of my will. tried to articulate, but could
only produce sound which 1 was ambi-
tious enough to call a groan. Still, l
hoped it might be heard without the cof-
| fin.
think it was about seven o'clock in the
morning when heard a rafting at the
grating which constituted the door of the
| vault. The hinges cresked, and a mo-
ment afterward l heard the sound of foot
steps and voices near me; The upper
holes the place to put IN. Take hold of
t'other end, Pete. Little end flst," said q
hoarse African voice.
felt myself lifted some distance from
the ground; the foot of the coffin was
rested on the edge of the crypt, and the
head, l suppose, was supported on the
shoulders OF two men preparatory. to its
being showed into its final resting place.
/ thought my last moment for rescue
had arrived. If could not make myself
heard now, my fate would be finally de-
cided. I concentrated all my energies
upon the effort: "Oh-oh-um-m! oh
| oh-um-mP
"What's datP who's dar? What did
you say, Peter"
Muffin. guess suthin' must be the
matter wild you"
Again l tried, more desperately than be-
fore: "Ahl oh-um-um mi
Il heard suthin', Pm sure, Pete. Who's
dar? say"
Once lore tried: "Oh-um-mp
"Oh, Golly Um's in de coffin. Clar
| out, Petel Dis nigger's gwine, shuah?"
The very next instant | was sensible of
a conclusion as if all Bismark' s
Prussians had planted their batteries
in the head of my coffin and fired them
off simultaneously. Meteors, shooting
stars and sky-rockets, intertwined with
innumerable streaks of lightning of all
sizes, shapes and colors, shot through and
before my eyes. My coffin was standing
upon its mead, with the foot resting against
the edge of the crypt, having been dropped
by the Ethiopians at the sound of my
third groan. The light of day was stream
ing through the broken lid, which had been
split by the force of the fall. Pure air
also was admitted through the aperture,
and, whether from this reason or because
l was reused by the violence of the con-
cussion, l found that was once more
breathing freely. / was also able to see,
through the chink in the coff1n-id, that
the negroes in their flight had left the
door of the vault widely open. 1 now felt
sure of my escape and final safety.
Standing on ones head in ones coffin is
not a comfortable position. By decided
swinging motion succeeded in dislodging
the foot of the coffin from its resting
place, and in bringing it to the floor with
crash not quite equal to the first. The
lid of the coffin had been SO shattered by
the successive falls that I succeeded in
bursting it open after severe struggle.
! l was now free. The conclusion had
fairly aroused my vital power and, though
weak and trembling, climbed the steps
thai led from the vault The first objects
that met my view were the two colored in
dividus1, standing few rods off, and star
ing with dilated eyes and outstretched
necks toward the door of the vault. My
head had just risen above the surface when
with yell they turned their backs, and
flying heels and vibrating elbows remained
before my vision but a moment, and then
were hidden by corner. The view from
Greenwood is at all times beautiful, but to
me, aftermy escape, it seemed glorious be-
yond description. In the beautiful sun
light of June morning, the glittering
dew, the grass, the trees, the bay, the
, distant hills, the neighboring cities, united
to form picture which seemed too charm
ing for this world.
L next thought of home and of the
method of getting there. l had been
attired for the grave in an ordinary suit
of black, but was without hat, shoes o1
purse, which the undertaken had consid
cred useless membranes in taking the
last journey. One or two early visitors to
the cemetery looked at me as if were an
escaped lunatic, as was tottering as rap
idly as possible toward the gate. The gate
keeper stared as if he were witnessing an
apparition when passed. L approached
the nearest hack-driver and asked to be
taken to New York. He surveyed me
from head to foot, and demanded his pay
in advance. l effected a compromise by
offering stud which had been left in my
shirt-bosom as security, and was soon Oh