South-eastern Independent. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1871-1871, 1871-08-04

kind pastor offered the remarks usual on
such occasions, and ascribed to me virtues
which l fear l never possessed. The
whole proceeding had the same matter Of
fact air as many others of a 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 coffin, and
the chill from the ice began, suppose, to
pass away, felt myself drawn nearer to
| it, as if were once more a part of it. Sud
denly all was again darkness. Iperceived
| that was again inhsbiting 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,
ve suddenly awake and find ourselves in
lsbed amid the darkness of night.
The lid of my coffin was screwed firmly
on, and l was deposited in the hearse. l
heard the rumbling of wheels as we passed
through the streets, the plash OF the pad
dies as we crossed the ferry, the smooth
rolling as we left the pavements and en-
tered the drives of Greenwood. l was left
alone in the family vault The last words
heard from Sniff were an order to his at
tendants to open the vault in the morning
and place the coffin in the crypt that had
been assigned to it.
1 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 hardly
know. 1 think may have been, part of
the time, in p kind of sleep, for often an
hour would psss, as indicated by the strlk-
ing of clocks in the church towers OF the
city, and it would seem but few minutes.
Hearing was the only one of the senses L
could exercise, and listened eagerly to
every sound, to assure myself that l was
still in the material world. 1 could hear
all the katydids on the trees without, the
croaking of frogs in the ponds of the Gem
etery. the music of tree-toads, and once
yhippoorwill poured forth his note with
startling distinctness Just at the door OF
the vault
Near morning q new phase in my con-
dition occurred. l began to feel in my
hands and feet sensation as if they were
oyerrun 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
sharp tingling, as if each ant were plung-
ing small needle 10 my tiesh-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 did so heard the rustling OF the
stiffened trimming of the coffin Ihe
sweetest note of Nilsson could not afford
the pleasure that the sound gave me. By
repeated efforts l moved my extremites
until they were entirely under the control
of nv will. tried to articulate, but could
only produce a sound which ] was ambl-
tious enough to call groan. Still,
hoped it might be heard without the cof-
fin.
think it was about seven o'clock in the
morning when heard q rattling at the
Grating which constituted the door of the
vault. The hinges creaked, and mo-
ment afterward ! heard the sound of foot
steps and voices near me; "The upper
holes the place to put m. Take hold of
t'other end, Pete. Little end fust," said a
hoarse African voice.
1 felt myself lifted some distance from
the ground; the foot of the coffin was
rested on the edge of the crypt, and the
head, / suppose, was supported on the
shoulders of two men preparatory to its
being showed into its final resting g-place.
/ thought my last moment for rescue.
had arrived. If l could not make myself
heard now, my fate would be finally de-
cided. / concentrated all my energies
upon the effort: "Oh-oh-uih-ml oh
oh-um-mP
What's datg who's dar' What did
you say, Peter"
Muffin. guess suthin' must be the
matter wild you"
Again tried, more desperately than be-
fore: "Ahl oh-um-um-
"I heard suthin', I'm sure, Pete. Who's
dar? 1 say"
Once rlore tried: Oh-um-mI"
"Oh, Gollyi Um's in de coffin. Clar
out, Petei Dis nigger's gwine, shuah 2
The very next instant l was sensible OF
a conclusion as if all Blsmarks
Prussians had planted their batteries
in the head of my coffin and fired them
off simultaneously. Meteors, shootlng
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
bv Nv tbe Ethiopians at the sound of my
third groan. The light of day was stream
inc through the broken lid, which had been
spIit by the force of the fsll. Pure air
also was admitted through the aperture,
and. whether from this reason or because
I was reused by the violence of the con-
cussion. 1 found that / was once more
breathing freely. l was also able to see,
through the chink in the cofin-lid, that
the negroes in their flight had left the
door of the vault widely open. Inow felt
sure of nv escape and final safety.
Standing on ones head in ones coffin is
not 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
a crash not quite equal TO the first. The
lid of the coffin had been go shattered by
the successive falls that l succeeded in
bursting it open after severe struggle.
/ was now free. The conclusion had
fairly aroused my vital powers, and, though
weak and trembling, l climbed the steps
thai led from the vault. The frst objects
that met my view were the two colored In
dividua standing few rods of, 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 a veil they turned their backs, and
fying heels and vibrating elbows remained
before my vision but moment, and then
were hidden by corner. The view from
Greenwood is at all times beautiful, but to
me, after my 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. had beer
attired for the grave in an ordinary sui
of black, but was without hat, shoes o.
purse, which the undertaken had consld
cred useless membranes in taking thu
last Journey. One or two early visitors t
the cemetery looked at me as II l were al
escaped lunatic, as l was tottering as rap
idly as possible toward the gate. The gate
keeper stared as if he were witnessing al
apparition when passed. approaches
the nearest hack-driver and asked to b.
taken to New York He surveyed M
; from head to foot, and demanded his pa.
in advance. 1 effected compromise 2.
In