The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-11-02
acknowledgement
DEATH.
rno Hing of TerrOrs Dis
'"' crowned.
,,,Opcs, and Serenity Of tho
SIOO Downward Path.
o,,,r chances Directed Backward,
"'p' Not Forward.

:, tho Gaary Tor November, Juniu!
~! - B,ownC has al essay entitled "The
!i'.a ol Tcrrors Dlscrowned," in which
ND %5o,le,yors to show that the process Of
%,s,osi,unA!ly unattended by tho degree
" y psia with which it is almost universal
yncdiIed
,,,ony, physician William Hunter in bis
az, moments, ii would write how easy
wi delightful It ist0 die" "Ihad thought
living to be moro difficult exclaimed
i,,uS XIV. with his latest breath. Mon
nj,ne having met with I'M accident
which It was supposed had proved fatal,
aid upon restoration to consciousness, "
thought that lie hung only on my lips,
,,d close my eyes to help me In expell'
i,,lt and | had sincere pleasure in the
I4IIef that was passing away" Rsbelais
.pphlngly declared when he knew he had
Mna few minutes to live, "This is tho
br,, Joke that has ever been played upon
me"
Dcathsfrom violence, generally Consid.
s,e1 far more painful than those from i'll
Des, arc often easy, sometimes pleasant.
S,bdIe poBons tstrychuine and biChloride
d mercury are cxceptions), such US opium
,,l hydrocyaniC acid, act directly on the
rrryes produce stupor, and the victim
ps,;es peacefully into insensibllity and
o5liyiUn. browning, which would seem
nb, attended with anguish, ia known by
,4rsCps who have been rescued from the
Sery jaws Of death to be accompanied
With sensations not disagreeable, after the
D,i,fs.nnging has passed. Several times
iating boyhood l had this semi.drowning
experience, and as soon as the instructive
Struggle for life, end the pain caused by
,R,Iowipg water were over, l felt much
more comfortable than ] have ever felt
IA Aul. The sensations then enjoyed
sSe really delightful, like those which
,DIloW tue taking oil laudanum or the smo-
s1r Of opium,-dreamily soft, delicious
Aongl perfect rcpOsG. | can well under.
sand how poor devils drawn out Of the
water have been made angry by their
reservation, having been snatched from
ilo oDlv condition of comfort they had
ever known,
Ih.vc talked with persons who have
tcrn poisoned, or who hAve poisoned
themselves, and who may be said to have
lied, in as much as they had fully decided
snl expected to die. They very rarely
suffered in body or in mind, and they lost
their senses gradually as when laying
their head upon the pillow at night
Whatever pain they had was not In going
r,m, butin coming back to life, which
woallmakc il seem that the arrOw.heads
directing 10 death wound only those anx-
nas to return. We have on record the
4lte.mOr!cI diaries Of men who having
,SllOEed poison with tho deliberatNpur-
pre OF suicide, had wished 10 leave n rec
ord Of the effect upon themselves of the
conscious approach Of death, Most Of
these lnrics show the surprise ofthc wri-
icrs at the total absence OF the awe or fear
commonly believed to be inseparable
from such circumstances. Doubtless, the
determination of self,GXtinction had ab-
,,rbed the Anticipated strangeness, and
liCOunted the imprcsSiveness sud sOlem-
ajiy Of the mortal occasion. It isnatural
10 liO, hut hardly natural to desire to die.
To will to die is all there is OF death.
To be killed outright by u gun-shot
wound mNst certainly be easy. l have
seen 50 many men so slain in battle that
lam sure Of this. have narrowly no
Iiced officers struckwhile leading a charge.
Their faces eVinced startled surprise, not
snglSh, and their nervous system reCeiv.
81 such shock that, before sensation
could rally, they had seased TO breathe,
To say thsta man suddenly put out Of
life By violence does not know what hurts
lin, IS exactly tine. He Is dead without
thought Of death, and therefore spared I'LL
mental apprehension, which is the worst
part dying. Abrupt death by external
'senCies must be very analogous to the
Shock from a Leyden jar. It is u SHARP
'alSudden spasm, indescEibable, yet all
Ftvading-not to be anticipated; leaving
10 trace, not on atom bFlingcring pcrcep
Noa-Come and CONC In d fash. Whel
1He is struck by u bullet, and is aware o
iIIlspeak by experience, he knows no
at frst whether he Is slightly or fatal,
wounded. The shock Ia much the same
The Chief difference is, that in the forme
case he remembers his feeling. and in tn
later hercmembsIs hin2;oblivion belpi
nestIy il not entirely simultaneous witt
sensation. .u
During the first siege Of Vicksburg
va on the Mississipplin alwooden ram
Which Lad been shot to pieces in front OIL
that city, and was going up the river To-
repairs. Opposite GrCenville, Mississippi
where topography favored hostile oper'
atoms, the rebels opened on our battereC
aud helpless hulk, first with. small arms
sou then with six and twelve-pount
aedpieccs protected by the levees. OuI
vessel could do little more than make
head against the stream, and our soil
armament consisted Of u few old riAe'
Hpiured from the enemy, and perilouI
VN'y to those who handled them, Desir-
CuS to make show of resistance, two Of
%tee Olus were laboring hard to discharge
.aeSe wrCtched guns " the invisible tOI
through lOop-holes in planks nailed
aSalnst the guards. While l was strug-
sung to get one OF the rifles of, l wa
suddenly struck BY knew not what
mere was q cracking sound all about mt
Ipu something that seemedlike binding
s SSa Immediately before my eyes, Ny
s,sIiapFesiton was that l was wounded
Seealh; though ! felt no pain-noLhinL
SV;She conclusion. In a few moments
".eSIed my scattered senses, and looking
%Uea, saw that u twelve.pound shot hat
SIloISIed tho plsnks within n few inche'
%@y mead, knocking the splinters int
HoG cutting my face, and literally scveriul
- wan poor fellow who had beer
auu'Dga little TO my left. Had beer