Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-08-10

81 aEsc -243S--CZxl 81 r % ~aN ~ s~zi-A "e@S
i yrag7cSS, Szsa ! evgn found myself cal
czlStlns 81 WHIST precise Pasai my lie
n.Ess O. necessity kecgZae 8 s2Szl1ce when
E,y TErl shc1l6 cN-ae.
& The s1rseon- viii little ali from the
I knife rolled lie brain fFaga is bed dexter
< ols1y tn lie palm x as hand. he'd il Up
70 view fog- moment Ard tAen deposited
il Win rsi upaz tbs tAsle- With large
knife be smoothly s!5c4d il II pieces. mich
a. co-ne- Eroceg vo1S3 CIT his cheese,
x-s3 ex&zirs,1 ihe surface exposed, apps
renIly with much interest
. Vessels n hirh state Of veIols con-
eessSoz." ss.i3 The Older phY sicGsn- open
tie vez1-Sc1es GruLL Yes, filed vita
bloody ss-uz Concus sion q the hFsin ].
died . The shock 'Twol't re Necessary 10
proceed farther viii him Cone, close up
and take the Other one
Saving this be wAis,led. put both hands
il his yYzztAlcor packets, turned toward
NE, &a5 seem q 20 Be taking survey OF
my proportions Putting the toe Of his
E booi under one of nv Grrns he raised il &
little distance ard lei il fall Not much
+ ca 1avsr1c Rightly there yet, he remarked.
How fresh lie looks y
Appears IS If he liked drop occasion
ally" said Grunt, IS he glanced toward me
from his work
Ny time seemed now nesr al hand.
I Gruut was hastily replacing the mutt
( lated brain, resdjasting the skull and
I stitching together the divided edges
+ of the scalp. While / felt indignant at
the cool impotence Of the doctor, whose
+ eyes were fixed upon me as if be were
/ IN deep study, | still felt the necessity of
nerving myself for the new trial that was
/ now upon me-
While endeavoring 10 prepare myself
+. for the ssue, the key again clicked il the
I Jock, the door opened and the coroner en-
+ tered, followed by twelve men, who
I seemed 10 be farmers from the vicinity
I The look Of sympathy which was ex-
I pressed on the honest counterances OF
many Of them as they gazed upon the
+ dead before them was peculiarly grateful
/ 20 NE after the exhibition of professional
/ indifference / had Just been witnessing.
+. Some hardly entered within the door, but
gave hasty glance and turned away
Well, jintlemen, hev yez viewed the
/ bodiesy" said the coroner Most of them
1 nodded assent and withdrew. The train
laves in ten minutes, jintemen," said the
coroner, turning TO the physicians. "Hev
We fDished,"
We'll have to leave one of them, if
that's the case" said the older physician
Ii makes no difference, however He no
doubt died from the same cause as the
other: they were found together"
| had received my respite. l was not to
be mangled as had just seen my COM
panion The reaction of my feelings was
so great that wonder it did not rouse me
! from my trance.
The doctors hurriedly finished their
work, left the body upon the table and
took their departure from the room.
In a few minutes four men entered,
bringing door which had been removed
from its hinges. Upon it they tenderly
placed the dead bodies, one after the
other, and bore them out My turn came
last. As j was carried along the platform
| had an opportunity 10 learn something
Of what had happened. An overturned
engine and two or three cars, more or less
shattered, by the side of the track, told
the tale Of a railroad accident Asf
glanced upward the clouds above seemed
perfectly glorious with the last rays OF
the setting sun. Men, women, and chill
dren gazed, some with curiosity, but most
with compassion, upon my apparently
lifeless form as it passed by TO the baggage
Car
The door of the car was closed, and
again l was alone, surrounded by dead
bodies. The whistle sounded, and the
train was soon speeding its way over the
track l had traversed in the morning.
Approaching twilight gradually rendered
indistinct the objects around me until com
plete darkness shut from view my hideous
surroundings, except when they were rem
dered visible for moment by fash Of
light from some station as we hurried past
Thoroughly exhausted by the intense
mental excitement of which / had been
the subject, tried to compose myself and
gain nerve for any new emergency.
think must have become insensible
from sleep, for / remember nothing more
that occurred until l became conscious of
seeing before my eyes the familiar walls
of the coy back parlor of my own house
The bright light of day was streaming in
at the window, the canary was chirping in
| his cage. and the room was as cheerful as
ever. How l had reached my home, or
how long had been unconscious, could
not determine. Still, could not move
muscle. l heard near me conversation in
low tones. and soft footsteps. My wife
and the undertaken were in the room. l
could not see them, for my face was turned
uiiCNtiy uP"0Au. iiphs ttiC ~"
words of the undertaken that he was ex-
planning TO my wife the necessity for put
ting my body in ice.
81 wish it could be avoided If possible:
I cannot believe that he is dead"
The voice was that Of my wife, but sad
and tremulous. A moment after l saw her
face bending over mine as l was lying
upon the sofa The look of hopeless
wretchedness and sorrowful tenderness
depicted on her countenance / can never
forget. l could not but feel selfish salts
faction in the unmistakable evidence of her
intense affection. longed TO comfort her,
but my eyes, which were blankly staring
upward, would not change their expression
nor turn to follow hers
81 am sorry to say that there can be
no doubt that your husband is dead"
said the undertaken with his professional
whine. "They often have that lively
color. remember once when / had
charge of the funeral Of"
Never mind, Mr. Snif. Do what you
think proper without consulting me" said
my wife, struggling to suppress her emo
ton, and turning TO leave the room.
"Come, Tom; now let's get him in the
| ice "a soon "a possible It's high time the