Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-01-20

A Sick, DelirtOus Woman Leaves
Her bed at MidnighG Hour, De-
scends a Well 81 Feet Deep, and is
Rescued Therefrom in safety.
From the Muncis Qnd Times.
A strange occurrence took place on last
Friday night at neighborhood two miles
southeast Of Granville, the details of
which are more strange and startling than
the widest flights of fiction could pos
sibly be. r... -...-. -.... ... -.--- b..
Among the families residing in the
neighborhoOd mentioned above Is that of
George Stafford, among the most respee-
table In that section. Mrs. s. has a
young babe, and since its birth has been
in very poor health, suffering of late
most intensely from gathered breast.
On the night in question, a number of
friends and neighbors had gathered at the
residence of her husband, as it was feared
that night would be her last on earth. In
the fore part of the night, she suffered
the most excruciatiDg pain, but about
midnight she became so much better, and
felt so much easier, that all retired. Du-
ring the evening, however, there was
some conversation about well one of the
neighbors had been digging, and after
events showed that the conversation had
deeply impressed itself on her mind.
After all had been asleep for two hours,
or perhaps more, some one awoke and
made the astounding discovery that the
patient was missing-gone when or where
no one could tell. The household were
at once aroused, and the entire neighbor-
hood was searched without finding the
least trace of her. The night was bit
ter cold one, and nothing less than a
speedy death was anticipated unless she
was speedily rescued. -....
At length some one suggested that she
might be in the well already mentioned.
Scarcely expecting it to be the case, and
fearing that if it was they would only
find her mutilsted corpse, they proceeded
thither. A pumpstOck had been put
in the well. In the bottom of the
well a barrel had been sunk, which
was full of water and some
eighteen inches of water above that.
A rope with lantern attached to it was
let down into the well. As it neared the
bottom one of the party saw hand reach
out and clutch at it. A larger rope, which
had been used in drawing dirt out of the
well was procured, and one of the party
descended to her rescue. This person
found her in her night clothes, standing on
the edge of the barrel, in about Is inches
of water. She was speedily brought to
the surface and taken home. Subsequent
investigation showed that she must have
left her home and bed in state of delir-
ious inconsistencies, made her way to
the well spoken of in her hearing, and
descended to the bottom of it by means
of pump. 1t is simply impossible that
she could have jumped into the well
without meeting horrible and speedy
death.
A subsequent examination showed two
severe wounds, one below each knee, and
both penetrating TO the bone, and both
looked as if they had been made by the
edges of the barrel. She probably had
fallen part the way down the well. At
present her condition is very precarious
Taking the facts altogether, it is one of
the most extraordinary occurrences we
have ever been called upon to record, and
certainly suggests some very curious
speculations.