The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-12-14
BURIED ALIVE.
How II Feels Ia be In = Living Tomb.
from the Cleveland PlaiudealerJ

How II Feels To be In = Living Tomb.
from the Cleveland Plandealerl
A reporter met Henry Rauch, who was
buried in well at gainesville. Mr..
Rauch is rapidly recovering from the
slight injuries he suffered.
"You were in the well eighteen hours,
I understand" said the reporter.
YES, sir; although the time seemed
to me much shorter than that. It's a
peculiar fact, but it didn't seem to me
80 long as it actually was by great deal.
My mind was pretty well occupied all
the time; that probably accounts for it.
When they came to let me down in
to the well, they dropped me the first
few feet very fast, and L called up to
them to go slower. They stopped short
then, and after that they let me down
with sort of jerks. Whether it was that
l struck the loose stones with my feet,
or the bucket struck them, or whether
the sudden jar of the bucket striking the
ground misplaced them, don't know;
but the minute reached the bottom the
first stone came down and struck me on
the head, cutting me. The blood
streamed from the wound, and seemed
as hot as boiling water. Immediately
other stones and dirt came raining down
on me. When the first stone struck me
1 cried out, oh, God, I'm killed = Then
commenced to pray, and attempted to
raise myself, the stone having thrown
me against the other side of the well,
and bent my head over. The other
stones then came down, and one weigh
ing about hundred pounds lodged on
my back, my right shoulder and my
neck. Ny mouth was pressed alongside
of the rope and about two inches from
it. My left hand held the rope, that is,
the thumb and three fingers were clasped
around it, and my little finger was
Strengthened out and jammed in between
two small stones that held it as though
IN wise. The blood poured from my
wound and streamed down over my face
into my mouth. Some swallowed and
some 1 managed to spit out, until the
sand clogged the wound and stopped the
bleeding. A current of air seemed to
come down the rope, which 1 breathed,
and that kept me from suffocating
Z" prayed all the time except when
stopped to call out to them. 1t seemed
about five minutes before / heard the
first stone moved. Then, in another
minute, heard them working hard, and
stones and dirt flying every way.
prayed all the time, and suddenly
vision passed before my eyes. / saw
box three by two feet square, made of
rough boards, and with pins sticking
out of it all around. Twined around
the pins were quantity of wild flowers.
My wife was there, and she held box
four by six inches in her hand, trimmed
the same way. l knew the sizes just as
well as though i had taken my rule and
measured them. Then there came "a
bright light, like the brightness of our
Savior and felt from that moment that
/ should get out of the we'll alive.
When they were about ten feet from me
/ called to them and they heard me.
Pretty soon they got so near me that
one of them took dipper and scraped
the sand away from my head.
+" | said to him, Take the stone of
my head
"'What can 1 stand on p he asked.
"'On my shoulders or head
why, Henry, I'll kill you.
Never mind, said l, take it off.
He stepped on my shoulders and
raised the stone from my head.
Nov take the stone from my back,
quick as You can, [ said.
" 1t was SO heavy that he could only
raise it by getting his knee under it and
turning it over. They then wanted to
send me down some brandy, but didn't
want any. They asked if I'd like some
coffee, and L said yes. They sent me
down a cup of coffee, and afterward an
other, which revived me. Then they
dug around me and got me free SO that
by passing down blanket, fastened at
one corner to rope, and passing the
other corner under me so that l could
hold it and the rope in my hand, they
pulled me ont. My one hand had been
around the rope all the time and was so
fixed there that it took all the strength
of two men to unclasp my fingers"