Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1877-06-29

what was 1t inside OF this safe? Muir
ky " is too insignificant word to apply
to the Stygian horrors which surrounded
me. l threw myself full length on the
floor, for, as | have already said, the
safe was large one, in the hope sleep
or suffocation would end my mental suf
fering. The density of the atmosphere
must naturally produce the latter result.
that was the invisible, elastic fluid that
surrounds the earth, and presses by it's
weight the assemblage of ariform vapors.
Here was no air-nO vaper-no motion
no sOund-no atmosphere to produce
either of these active agents of the uni
verse. No! Death was far away, yet |
felt as if the very silence was killing me.
The buzzing of fly, the hum of bee,
or the sound OF that mysterious insect
whose peculiar imitation of time-piec
gives it the name Of the death watch, "
even that superstitious pleasure was de-
MED me-
There came change, sudden as it was
alarming. The heart began to throb.-
The heart beat in unison. / felt it's
deep pulsation; | heard its deep, heavy
thud against my breast This | say [
heard, for it was part of myself. No
other sound outside of my own person
could have reached me there. | felt a
pain in my head and brain-not an ordi-
nary pang, but one that struck at the
base of reason. Death was coming! Wei
come! And l laughed the wild, unmean-
ing laugh of the maniac. And yet | was
not mad, but SO near to it, that had not
reason told me it was approaching apo
plexy | would have been raving Wei
come apoplexy! 1t, however, came not.
l rolled over and over in my limited
cell; | screamed; | yelled and shouted
for help, and yet all the while was per-
fectly conscious Of what | was doing.
Death was playing with me!
| prayed, too, but did not curse! No,
no; for if am to die-thus | reasoned
let me die in peace with God. These
thoughts, the result of my early relig-
ious education, kept my soul intact with
Him who had the best right toit
[ endeavored to be calm, strived to
reason myself into patience and wait the
coming day Day! alas! what to me was
day? For here all was night. But rea-
son failed. 1t had no argument to con-
fute facts. Death was here and | had
to meet it, But how? Alas! alas! that
mystery was yet to be solved. All was
so still, so silent-that my faculties were
benumbed. remember wondering if the
voice of the Deity could be heard in that
place. Was this blasphemy? Perhaps
it was; but | was not then accountable
for either my words or actions. | was,
for the moment, mad
[ took off my coat and made pillow
of it. Sleep! Oh. if | could only sleep,
and, III forgetfulness, escape the horrors
OF my waking moments. Sleep was i'm
possible. There was a constant buzzing
in my ears, acute pains in my head-a
vertigo that drove me again to my feet,
and | reeled around the limited space in
a whirligig for life | struck my head
against the side of the safe. | felt no
pain, for there was madness in my acts,
with just sufficient reason to add to the
horrors of my situation. What could |
do now but rave and YELL calling for
help, well knowing there was no help at
hand. Why did my senses remain to
torture me thus? Why not 60 mad and
commit some fearful act to end my mis-
cry? Because was in the hands of One
who had issued his canon against the
crime of self-slaughter. | trusted to
Him. | started to my feet. My head
struck the top of the safe and l was
dashed back again to the floor Again |
again | lay fiat on my face and
called on death to come and end my
woes The shout was echoed in low,
sounds, then died away, leav-
NC the silence ten-fold greater. Like
he darkness preceding some great shock
IF Nature, its intenseness could be felt
felt it-felt it in my heartfelt it on
ny brain-it was surely pressing me to
leath.
Had | nothing else to think of but my
self? Reader, | have given my own men
al and physical sufferings while en-
;ombed | was not selfish, even when
lnalyzed my own feelings, and seeming
y forgot others outside of my tomb
What, describe other sensations -sensa-
hat sprung from pictures | could not
)ring my mind to contemplate? Pic
:ures of home-of wife and children
friends these seemed, in my state,
rs only adding to my misery, for | was
loomcd, and they were, for the time be-
ng, happy. | kept all these pictures
pack.
| even magnifed my sufferlngs so that
memory might be silent. | could not
contemplate, in my excitement, two
distinct events. | therefore settled all
ny thoughts, fixed all my energies, on
me object-se preservation | would
strive to live-livc for those who were
even now wondering why | was not with
hem. Reader, | strove as hard to for
ret wife and children and friends as 1
lid to master my dread of the horrible
leath awaiting me. Understand me-
No one, placed as | was, could think Of
he past, present or future with any de-
gree of calmness. The reasoning facul-
les succumbed to physical excitement;
hey became antagonistic, and, although
[ endeavored to separate the two, be-
came more confused. | could think Of
nothing but my position. Beyond that,
f | attempted to go, | fOresaw madness.
So, to avoid that, | centered all my
thoughts on one purpose self preserva-
ion. TO accomplish this, | could not,
even in thought, go beyond my prison
house. Why proceed-why even at
empt to describe the suffering | under
vent? | raved, | screeched, | fell on
he floor rose again, reeled in madden
ng fury around my living tomb. | even
neditated self destruction. l was mad,
hen. ! argued the point with death. [
quoted authorities to prove that suicide
vas justifiable in some cases, and mine
vas case in point. My mind, weaken
I'd as it was, hesitated to grasp at this
node of ending life, and there came up
It that moment a small, childlike voice,
SAYING: Hope-hope on!
Was it a voice, or was it merely i'm
,ginatlon conjuring up sounds to soothe
ne? "Hope!" | started; new light
seemed to enter my soul and illumine
.he Cimmerian darkness surrounding
ne. The reaction caused by the strange
phenomena was too much for my
strength | lost all consciousness and
fell as if dead
How long | lay thus | had no knowl
edge; when | came to myself it was to
hear a dull sound as if some one was
striking the safe Was help at hand?
Then came a grating sound-then came
, shock-then a louder sound, as if from
The explosion of gunpowder-a flash, as
Of lightning, 1t came into the safe, and
For an instant the whole space was illu-
What could it mean? Was it
A dream? No! no!-reality! The safe
door was thrown open, and, as rolled