St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1883-01-19
[From the Congregationalist.l
A Calm Mans Experience In
His Coffin.
BY HERBERT NEwBURY.

BY HERBERT NEwBURY.
The trains collided. | am a calm
man. | confess | was startled but
resigned myself manfully, and was
calm. | got a thump on my spine and
the back of my head. lay beside the
railroad track amid the dying and the
dead. felt pretty well, quite sensi-
BILE and rational, was not in pain, but
| could not move; even my tongue
refused to stir. My body seemed dead,
my mind and spirit were in full life.
Remarkable state" calmly reflected
|, "wonder what will come of itr'
What came? A doctor came. He
| chucked me under the chin, turned
me the other side up and back again,
put his ear to my chest, got no re-
sponse, muttered, "Dead Fatal blow
on the head and spine," and cOnsid-
erately gave his best attention to the
| living. | am not only a calm man,
but Just. | did not blame him, but
inwardly remarked, "My situation is
disagreeable-very
lay with the unclaimed dead long
while /; yet not perhaps very long, for
| remember that | calmly reasoned
even then Cline naturally moves
slowly in such unpleasant circum-
stances my friends will inquire for
me when the railroad disaster is
known" They did, and | heard
snatches of conversation respecting
myself, as follows: "John Harkee
was on the train ~ "What was he
West for ?" "Dead :" "Telegraph
back to family" "Charming young
wife. Fine baby boy. Hope he leaves
them comfortable. Shocking intelli-
gence for her" "She is young and
will soon get over it,"
My calmness was tried, but | sOothed
me by reminding myself that |, who
loved my Amy most, should least re-
gret that she would so "soOn get over
it." Yet | tried hard to rise, to cry
out, to do anything, to save her the
''shOck" of the telegram. Alas, my
body was practically dead. | won
dered if ever another were in a state
so affective. | recalled recorded facts
of persons brought to just such state
by the Syrian fever, who yet revived
and lived. | did not quite despair
yet my future to my calmest view
looked dark.
Time passed. Voices again said
over me, "Telegram from the East
Harkee's remains to be expressed with
out delay" "NO lack of means
Beautiful corpse. Mercy he was moi
disfgured. Always was fine looking
"Appears as if asleep almost as if h,
were alive and wanted to speak
painless death. Wonderfully calm y
For "A moment | was tempted tC
| nnl I,,t a.,
ton convinced me that the awfulnesS
of my situation demanded absolut,
| self possession.
Properly enshrouded and encoffined
| was Expressed without delay" anC
found myself in my own drawing
room, the center of attraction to {
crowd of weeping, admiring, compli.
mentary friends. Such appreciation
was quite flattering to my pride. On
ly for IA moment, however, for | calmly
reflected that my warmest admirer,
i'll death had least appreciated my vir
tues in life. Among them were hare
debtors, hard creditors, despisers o
my adversely, enviers of my prosper
ity ; hardest of all, slanderers of IN,
good name in life glorified it in death
The few who had been tender ever
and true, wept so silently that the,
passed my closed eyes almost unrec
ognized, save that, being very calm
| knew each by the smOthered sob
the whispered name, the tender touch
} the mysterious magnetism which re
veals to the soul the presence of tin
D loved and true. "This would be edi
fying were my situation less precari
GUS" reflected |, ''but it is more thai
precarious, positively disastrous calm
ness, however, is the part of wisdom.
Where is Amy Somehow | locke,
p for her love to rescue me-fOr pOwe
there is in such IA wOman's love
Could | lie there and let her brea
her heart in twain for me? Surely
must respond to the power of he
? voice, her touch.
When all were gone she came
o Alone with her dead Noiceless. teaI
less, lit her great anguish. Clingin
to me, PROSTATE beside me, broken
: hearted, incOnsolable, and | a livin
man, yet dead to her! 1t was too hor
!, rible. | tainted. Yes, | tainted, bu
y did it calmly, knowing when and VIII
| swooned; and when l revived re
~ membered it all. With that memor
my last hope of rescue fed, and striv
# ing to forget the trit1ing incidents {
II a living encOffinment and burial,
solemnly reflected upon my prospect
II for eternity. The present seemed t
me mOmentous hour, pregnant wit
eternal consequences. Wholly cor
scious was | that my soul was not pr,
pared for its immortality. My pa.
life, virtuous, just, reasonably char
y table and quite equable, was to me,
. that hour, loathsOme. Why had
wasted on trifies the powers of an in
mortal nature Why neglected ii
Word of eternal life Why failed
test the power of Christ's salvation
Might |, even now, acquaint myse
with Him and
: Such salutary and appropriate r
, Elections were rudely interrupted by
fashionable undertaken, and his bod
guard of assistants. The coffin,
which had begun to feel somewh
at home, was regarded not gO'
enough for the decay of mortal fies
and | heard whispered congratulate
that this new one cost five hundr
dollars, and that as much more mon
would not pay for the flowers viii
were to adorn it. Lovely corpse
briskly observed the undertake
''mOney plenty rare opportunity
is make our best display. Funeral
the church too Crowds drawn by [