Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-02-07
Dead and Alive.

Boys, never swear now. Hav'nt used an
| oath since was deadF'
he was tall, one eyed man, wearing a broad
hr1mmed hat and red flannel shirt He sat on
the railing of the bridge, whistling and talking
10 ihree or -FOUR others standing Fear by.
Yes, sir, said be, was dead once. 1t was the
strangest thing you ever saw in your life
You don't believe it, hal
wei, don't wonder much. don't suppose
any man went through such an awful siege, and
l can't expect any Que TO look at it as do You
see it happened like this; 1t was winter: we
numbered on Whtc0mb creek, six or eight years
ago. IL was war times then, aud wages were
good was getting forty dollars a month, and
worked like beaver till this little affair came
on. we went at work about mile from the
shanty-Jim Robinson and me-and had slasbed
INTO the pine like all possessed. The bows were
hauhng pretty lively, for it was only in January
and sleighlng was good. Jim was at work on a
Dig tree about twenty rods from where was
Pretty soon, after he yelled to me, his tree top
pied over and fell Ii was as handsome a niece
of pine timber as ever you saw, and watched
It as 1t fell. Crash it went, right into the
branches oil an old grub oak, and hung inst
there. never saw fellow madden than Jim
Was-he did some tall cursing about them pines,
ne tfled every possible way 10 loosen the pine
but couldn't get il off. Finally we made M our
minds to 90 for the oak tree and i'm about fen
minutes We had it cut through 50 it trembled
IKE leaf with every stroke Of the axe he cut
ting on one side and / on the other. When it
was almost through, as | was the biggest and
best chopper, says TO jim, land then ripped out
biz oaihl-
Lei me finish her, jim. Get out of the way.
and will have her through in half a minute"
had been chopping minute OF two when jim
let loose scream that would have made an In
Jun's blood run cold. had just time to look ID
and see that pine Tree tumbiing down, when
dropped my AK and run. / couldn't have got
far when something seemed TO bit my ewes, and
then everything was dark
! suppose | was dead.
Maybe you don't believe me boys, bot that's
all | can make cut Of it. All at once, the ligbt
the looks ofthe snow on the ground, everything
was shut out from my sight. There was a kind
OF an uncertain kind Of feeling, Just as fellow
mas when he's asleep. / knew something awful
mad happened, but could not stir hand or foot.
II seemed as though it was night, and that was
covered up by something that pressed heavilyon
me Stll there wssn't any particular pain. and
for long time | coulkn't think where was
How long staid there, can't tell. | suppose
IL wasn't long, when felt somebody pull nv
arm, and heard Jim Robinson say:
-, Lord! Poor feiowp
knew he was there, and could feel him
touch me, and vet couldn't speak or omen m .
eyes. lie thought was dead. Then wonder
cd II all dead folks could hear and think tbipgs
as DID. tried 10 move my hands, tried TO
breathe-l tried 10 scream. But couldn't do
anything jim left me, and the next remem-
Der of, was pulled out from under the tree and
hauled to the shanty on one of the sIeds, Yon
may bet there was considerable excitement
among the boys when was taken into camD. 7
could feel that ] was dead. Ny heart didn't
peat. couldn't move. But could hear, and
nad Blnd OF misty notion about everything
that was going on about me.
Some of the boys, after feeling of nv louud
wanted to send for the doctor.
IT'S no use, boys" said rhe boss, "the poor
fellows gone, His neck was broke. The most
we can do for him is to take him TO his folk"
Well, they laid me out on one of the sleiqhs
and after fixing me up in as decent way as a
corpse could be in lumber camp, one of the
teamsters started with me for Oshkosh.
! first didn't realize how bad the situation
was. When 1t began to leak into my head
that was really dead, and was going 70 be
buried in the ground, and shut out forever from
the light Of the sun, 1t frightened me. The long
ride to Oshkosh passed like those things that
happen in dream. We got there and / was
h "nsn 70 my brothers house. He felt terribly
;doa NY" ,he. he was brought home. ] hadn't any
u "o ,dIs ne thought so much Of me as he did.
oou o,. nsat MN cry and talk and still hadn't
cnesp ana \, mauVe muscle. | was put in n
ooLln, anu ~ hnally came ont that was TO he
taken 10 hhiefiown to be buried Nv old
Inolner IiVed there, you know. Oh. bows. / hone
none OF you VIII ever be made h. g.oi no ~
rors that felt when knew thai 49, 'le noi
up in coffin and would soon be buried So,
years have gone by since then but nevo ,,i'i
OF ii without shudder could feel thew ,', r,,,
ting on the lid Of the coffin, and then knew wv
was fastened up.
From that ltime unit the cover of the coffin
was raised again, | haven't any recollection Of
what happened, only that / was continually in
motion. Though I.couldn't open my ewes.
corter felt that II was dark and that was going
somewhere. All Of sudden | felt thar some one
was turning the screws Of the coffin lid, and af.
ter while the cover was taken off.
would rather die a thousand times over thaa
40 through the horrible suffering of that affair
again. There was dead and going to be buried.
aud yet 50 near alive that | knew what was 70.
Ing on. Boys, you may talk, but there's no.