Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1872-03-22
a Young Man at His own Funeral.
NARROW ESCAPE FROM BURIAL

n houhg wan AT fiis own uhcr"i'
NARROW ESCAPE FROM BURIAL.
The Fort Wayne Qnd) Sentinel tells
the following remarkable story:
Among the more prominent visitors
who are with their friends and relatives
in this city is Mr.. Cecil c., of Brew
erton, N. Y. About five years ago Mr..
C went boating on Oneida Lake
with two of his companions. They un-
moored the boat and rowed for distance
Of two miles to an island that lifted it.
self from the waves. Here they spsnt q
few hours in collecting botanic specimens
until black, thunder-laden cloud in the
west warned them that violent storm
was brewing, and they speedily set out
upon their return. They had nearly
reached the mainland when their little
craft was turned keel upward by squall
and the party was left struggling and
painting in the water. Mr.. C saw
his two companions swimming toward
the shore and attempted to follow them,
but in vain. A delightful sensation of
repose took possession of him. Then all
was chaos. Bland! He was rescued by
his companions, and upon his return to
consciousness he attempted to open his
eyes, to move his hands, to speak, but
found himself unable to command
muscle.
AS he lay in this condition, memory
pictured TO him all that had transpired
up to the moment when he became in
sensible. Then he marvelled whether
he was dead or alive. What meant this
hush, this chill, this blackness of dark
ness that enveloped him? Where was
he Would he be always thus !? Time
passed on, and he felt his thoughts and
ideas contracting in narrower and mar
rover sphere, until nothing but the Gen.
trail knowledge of existence continued to
assert ITSELF But suddenly crash, as
if all the Titan thunder gods had blown
their trumpets in unison, smote upon his
hearing-a deluge of light like the con-
centrated rays of a million suns burst
upon his vision, there was severing of
soul and sense, and ne stood in spirit be-
side his violet-strewn coffin, and read the
inscription:
Cecil c., born in Baltimore, Md.
June 80, 1886 Died at Beaverton, N.
Y, Sune 20, 1865. Aged 20 years"
Through the oval glass at the head OF
the casket he could see his face, frozen
into the white rigidity of death. His
friends and relatives were seated around
the room, and the pastor was preaching
a touching funeral sermon, interrupted
now and then by the sobs OF the listen
ers. Through the open window the glo-
ry of summer day was drifting in, fra
grant with the sweet breath from the
clover fields, and musical with the songs
of birds. He saw latent beauty in ev-
erything he looked upon, and latent
! melody in every sound he heard-and
he realized how crude and imperfect are
all our dreams of happiness in the flesh,
as compared with those which the inn
mortals know. But like flash of light
ming, there came loss of identity again
utter annihilation for an uncertain lapse
of time-when he again awoke to asense
of his condition, his spirit once more ten
anted his body--his coffin had been
borne to the cemetery he heard the
sexton preparing to lower him to his last
resting place in the dust.
Now, for the first time, a great horror
fell upon him. He was to be entombed
alive-to be left alone with the night,
and the terror and the grim company OF
skeletons mouldering around him. He
would regain consciousness when too late
J would strike the close walls OF his
prison but to no purpose call, and there
would be no answer-pray, and the very
heavens would be pitliess-shriek, tear
J his flesh with his fingers, curse, and, raw.
J ing, die. Summoning up all his will, he
utilized it in last effort to break the
, spell that had seized him, and with sue
cess. He was rescued from his impend-
ing doom, and weeks of watchful nursing
brought him back to the full enjoyment
of his former health.
AN ENGINEER's ExPERIENCE.-Ac-
cording to the Niagara Falls Gazette one
} Of the night engineers in the New York
Central va rds at Susnansinn Rridoa ex-