Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1872-04-27
From Death to Life.
A STORY AS HE TOLD IT OF HIMSELF

u4Onel Snlft. ne Sat OH the fdllittS vi
the bridge, whiting and talking to
three or four others, standing near ly.
Yes sir (said he), was deal once.
1t WAS tn. strangest thing you ever
saw in your life.
You don't believe il, ha!
We we've at work about mile from
the shanty-Jim Robinson aud me
and had slaslied into the pine like all
possessed. The boys were hauling
pretty lively. for it was early in Janu
sry, and sleighing WAS good. jim
was ut work on big tree about twen-
ty ruis from where was.
Pretty soon after he yelled to me,
his tree toppled over and tell. Crash
it went, right Into the branches of All
old grub oak, and hung fast there.
never saw fellow nati,ler heil Jim
was. He tried every possible way to
loosen the pine, but couldn't get it oil.
Finally We made up our minds to go
for the oak tree, and in about ten
minutes We hai cut through So it
ttpmbled like leaf with every stroke.
of the ny, he cutting ON one side and !
on the other. When IT was almost
through, IN l was the biggest and
best chopper, says l to Jim:
"Let me finish her, Jim. Get out
of the way, and viii have her
through in halt minute" = +
had been chOppilig a minnte."s =,
j had been cliopping minute O,
tw O, when jim let lOose a scream that
would have made a lnjun's b.ood run
cold. just had time to look up and
see that pine tree tumbiing down,
down, when 1 dropped my AK AMI run.
| conduit have got iiH when. sDipe-
thing seemed tO hit my eyes, and then
everything was dark.
supiose'I was dead.
Maybe sou don't believe me, boys
but that's all | can make. out OF it.
All at once the light, the Iopks of. the
SHOW on the ground, everything WAS
shut out from sight. TIp,re WAS a
kind OF an OH cri,rt;iin, dreamy kind
Of feeling, Just as a fellow has when
he's asleep. | knew something awful
had happened, but couldn't stir my
self hand on foot. 1t seemed as
though it was night, ANA that | was
covered up something that pressed
heavy upon me. Sill there WASN'T
any particular pain, ahd for long
lime l couldn't ti,iuk where WAS. i
suppose it wasn't long. when I tell
somebody pull my arm, and l hear,
Jim Hobiiison say 20 Lord! Poor
fellow -
knew he was there and coil,
feel him tOncli me, and yet L COULDN'T
speak or open my eyes. He thought
! was dead. Then wondered if aI
dead folks could know and think
things as did. l tried to breathe
tried to scrram. But l couldn't do
anything, jim left me; and the next
thing l remember of. ! was pulled
out from ulisler the tree and haulesl Il
the shaDty ON one Ol the sleds. You
may bet theIe was considerable ex
citement among the boys when | Wa,
taken into camp. IcouId ieel iiiat was
dead. Ny heart didn't beat coul,ll
move. But could hear, and had q
kind of a misty notion about every
thing that was going on about ne.
Some of the boys, after feeling u
my forred, wanted To send for doc
tor.
{" It's no use bOys," said the boss
"the poor frIlOw's gone. His nrcl
| WAS broke. The inOst we can do fOl
him in ta take him home to his folks
Well, they laid me out ON one a
the sleighs, aud after fixing me mp il
as decent way as a corpse could b.
IN lumber camp, one Of the team
sters started with me for Oshkosh.
AT first / didn't realize just how
had the situation was. When it. I've
gun to leak into my head that / was
really deal, and was going to b,
buriesl in the g,onnd, and shut on
forever from the light of the sun, il
frightened me. The long ride t,
| Oshkosh passed like those things tha
happen IN atlream. We got here am(
| | was taken to my brothers hou~.
He felt terrible bad when wal
brought home. / hadn't any idea tia
he thOL ght IN much of me as he did
poor fellow. could hear.him CRY ans
talk, and still l hadn't the power +
i move a muscle. was put in a cOtfii
and finally it came out that 1 was {,
lie taken t0 WatertOwn to be buried
My old mother lived there. you know
U, boys, l hope more OF YOU may eve
feel the horrors that / felt, when :.
knew that ! WAS boxed mp in u cofil
and would soon be buried, Sever
years nave gone by since then, but
never think Of it without a chill
/ ] cOild fell them putting on the Ii,
OF the colin. and tlfell ! knew 1 wa
fastened up. IS
From that time until the cover q
the coffin was raised again, l hayen'
any recollection Of what happened
only that l was in motiOn. Though :
sorter felt that some one was turning
4 Il A. q