The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-01-07
HOW 1T FEELS TO BE DYING.
A VIpTD DEsCRIPTION or DEATH IN
VELL-kNOWN FORMS.
A Drowning VANS Delicious freezing 81 Lam
ruid indoieucc-- Comfortable ~en.aiion Of
Free zing to Death Physicai Torture.

from the 50 Lopfs Rerubhcdn.
was crossing n bridge over n wide but
shallow stream. In lonely place, and accident
ally icll oii. When say shallow, ! mean for such
wide body " water. II was over my head Ivy
two or three feet. I saw nobody near me and
could not swim n stroke. | knew how deep the
quickness Of the senses when sudden death
sccris impending has frequently been noted
IT, II Is ~ II ones whole life were spread out
III n panorama before him. every portion of
which was visible at once. Every minute details
on tiinHs long forgotten. and which when they
happened were ~ trilng that they apparently
made no impression on the momory. stand out
IN sharp and bold outline | remembered. for
Instance, patncs OF marbles PLAYED when ! was
. n4S ahI Iutilc attempt once made 70 trans
grcasing It with lard wrapping Il I'm n rny and
roasting II In the fire. | remembered how the
marble hursted in the operation. and how a
who had beguied me intO~thc experiment, aud
The satisfaction experienced at the retributive
Justice. II seemed as II everything | had ever
done. suffered. or Thought, was presented to my
memory nj single Hash
Then struck the water when sound, which
have since learned to likcn to the roar of Nj
agari, burst on my ears and stunned me with its
overwhelming volume. | remembered a brief
instant of struggling and clutrhing. and then a
sense OF sinking sinking sinking until had
reached depth OF thousands OF fathoms. /
neither suffered pain nor felt alarmed. nut had a
vague feeling Of being irrcs-tibly borne To some
catastrophe. the climax to which would he ter
rhc. suddenly found myself possessed of
the power Of boating or waiting myself along by
mere vOlitiun. with delicious feeling Of Ian
guild Incidence suffered myself to float about -
not ~ the water, but in the air-skimuing over
the surface of the ground In whatever direction
chose. hther aud thither ~ "A maynard fancy
led. ! was conscious that II wns new power,
aud exultcd In its possession aud reasoned on
liz nature. | found that my body was as light az
the air in which II moved aud imagined that q
thistle down would feel IA did. II possessed of
consciOusnc-s. Then was In the water again.
and everything around me had a roseate hue,
which speedily changed to green. then to violet.
blank.
AS | subsequently, learned. some men In a SIX Q
halt mile away had seen me fall into the water
ana hurried to my assistance, hut had disap-
peared long before they reached the spot Many
minutes elapsed before they found me and full
half an hour afterwards before the physicians,
VINO had been SUNNI Dned, arrived. They pro-
nounced mo dead. and that they made any at
tempt to resuscitatc me was due solely to the
persistence of an Intimate friend Of mine who
had accompanied them
Nearly dozen years after the above cxpe-
Renee became "a citizen Of the West and COM
menccd opening II new farm In sparsely set
tied country. The place Was about ten miles
near the Last of December went to the latter
In "a light spring wagon to get some supplies for
christmas festivities. The day was So mild that
did not even wear an oyercoat About the
time | started home. which was a little after
shutdown. II began to grow suddenly cold and
presently "A storm almost amounting To a hurri-
cane broke from the north. bringing with II the
temperature of Nova Icmbla In this region
of marked climatic yicis-iiudcs never before
or since knew any 80 great. The '.icr,ur, fell Ia
an hour to forty degrees below zero. Under
ordinary circumstance. could easily nave made
the ride home ia that time. but ! was going in
the teeth of the wind; that | could
make but htde. over half the usual
speed. suffered severely from the cold
hut not more than | had many time be-
fore and have many time since but As YOU
may Imagine was anxious to get home ~ quick
" a. possible. When had got within couple
81 miles Of there, found the weather growing
pleasant again. My ears. that had stung and
slnnrted with the cold, no longer troubled me
NV hands. Though siil numb. had Arm grip of
the Hines. and seated in the bottom Of the wagon
with my back and shoulders resting on the seat
would have becu quite comfortable. except
awake. / comfnrt.d n,,Scif viii fh" reilection
that would soon Toe At home snuglS tucked in
bed. where | could sleep To my hearts content.
While INDUCING IN this pleasing revery
dropped asleep, aud What followed only learned
from my family.
They had concluded that finding the sudden
to- spend the night in town. or had returned
there for that purpose In case ! had started
home before the cold began. At eight o'clock,
having given me up, they retired 70 ted and to
sleep. About nine o'clock my wife was awak-
encd by the repeated whinnying Of horse in
front of the house She never suspected that i
was ours. hut took II for "A stray. and
from motives ~ humanity called up one Of
the men and ordered II to he put IN the stable.
when the man went out aud found that il
wis our own horse. and chat was Ia the wagon
apparently dead and frozen stin. he made an
Fortunately my wife had recently been reading
Of the proper mode Of treating persons partially
taken into warm room, but must be
rubbed with snow. Plenty Of snow had fallen.
and | was stripped and well rubbed with IL until
begnn tn show signs OF animation. Then fric-
iiuu- with coarse cloths were used until was
sufficiently restored To scream with the torture
they were putting me to. Every portion al iny
body seemed as sensitive AS boil. felt as II
had been rtung all over with wasps or hornets
until was "A swollen pulp, ready to burst nj any
point like an over ripe cherry. The joints Of
my fingers. toes. ankles, and wrists seemed as
II screwed in red hot vises TIL the blood was
40 he a. \ r. "A |
could scarcely persuade myself that my finger
and toe nails were not being forced OF by the
pressure. | soon became deirioue and raging
fever set in, from which | did not recover for
weeks. Hut when | did recover my physical
condition was better than ever before. | had
been slim and almost puny before, hut now
| became hearty and robust IA you see me now,
80 that AT sixty am strong aud active most
men at forty. attribute II To my having
been frozen to the verge of death.
The LIN of Ernnce q Now York