The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1872-04-25
Dead and Alive.

| lie sat on the railing of the bridge. whit.
ting and taking to three or four others
standing near by.
Yes, sir, said he, was dead once. It
was the strangest thing you ever saw in
your life
You don't believe it, ha?
Well, L don't wonder much. | don't
suppose any man went through such an
awful siege, and | can't expect anybody
to look at it as / do You see. it han.
pened like this 1T was winter we lum
bered on Whitcomb Creek, six or eight
years ago. 1t was war times then and
wages were good. l was getting forty
dollars month and worked like a beaver
TIL this little affair came off. We went
at work about mile from the shanty-
Jim Robinson and me-and had slashed
into the pine like all possessed The boys
were hauling pretty lively, for it was
early IN January, and sleighing was good.
Jim was at work on big tree about
twenty rods from where l was. Pretty
soon, after he yelled to me, his tree top
pied over and fell 1t was as handsome
piece OF pine timber as ever you saw,
and | watched it as it fell. Crash it went
right into the branches of an old oak, and
hung just there. I never saw Teller
madder than Jim was-we did some tall
cursing about them pines. He tried
every possible way to loosen the pine, but
couldn't get it off. Finally we made up
our minds to 90 for the oak tree, and in
about ten minutes we had cut through so
that fron,t,lal El,o 1oac r..l,
stroke Of the axe, he cutting on one side,
aud on the other. When it was almost
through, as was the biggest and best
chopper, says to Jim (and then | rip
ped out big oath), let me finish her.
Get out of the way, and 1 will have her
through in half a minute.
had been chopping a minute or two
when Jim let loose scream that would
have made an Indians blood run cold
| had just time to look up and see that
pine tree tumbling down, when | drop
ped my axe and run | couldn't have got
far when something seemed to strike my
eyes, and then everything was dark
suppose | was dead.
May be you don't believe me, boys, but
that's all [ can make out of it. All at
once the light, the looks Of the snow on
the ground, everything was shut out from
my sight. There was an uncertain kind
Of feeling, just as fellow has when he's
asleep. | knew something awful had hap
peped, but could not move hand or foot.
1t seemed as though it was night, and
that was covered up by something that
pressed heavily upon me. Still there
wasn't any pain, and for long time l
staid there can't tell. suppose it
WASH long, when l felt somebody pull
my arm, and heard Jim Robinson say
80, Lord Poor fellow ~
| knew he was there, aud could feel
him touch me, and couldn't speak or
open my eyes. He thought l was dead.
Then | wondered if all dead folks could
hear aud think things as did. / tried
to move my hands, tried to Breathe
| tried to scream. But | couldn't do any
thing. Jim LETT me, and the next | re-
member of, was hauled to the shanty
on one side of the sleds. You may bet
there was considerable excitement among
the BOYS when | was taken into camp.
could feel that | was dead. My heart
didn't beat | couldn't move. But
could hear, and had kind OF misty no.
ton about everything that was going on
Some of the boys. feeling of my fore
head, wanted to send for the doctor.
"It's no use boys" said the boss, "the
poor fellows gone. His neck was broke.
The most we can do for him is to take
him to his folks +"
Well, they laid me out on one of the
sleighs, and aster fixing me up in as de-
cent way as corpse could be in lum.
Der camp, one Of the teamsters started
with me for Oshkosh.
irst didn't relize just how bad the
situation was. When it began to leak
into my head that / was really dead, and
was going to be buried in the ground, and
shut forever from the light of the sua, it
frightened me. The long ride to Osh-
kosh passed like those things that hap
pen in dream. We got there, and |
was taken to my brothers house. He
felt terribly bad when | was brought
home. / hadn't any idea he thought so
much of me as he did. | could hear him
cry and talk. and still hadn' the power to
move muscle. | was put in cofin,
and it finally came out that L was to be
taken to Watertown to be buried. ny
old mother lived there you know. On.
boys, hope none of you will ever be
made to feel the horrors that felt when
/ found | was bo2ed up in coffin and
would soon be buried. Seven years have
gone by since then, but | never think OF
il without shudder. | could hear them
putting on the lid of the coffin, and then
/ knew | was fastened up.
From that time until the coffin was
raised again / haven't any recollection OF
what happened, only that was constant
ly in motion. Though | couldn't open
NV eyes [ soIter felt that it was dark aud