Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1886-10-16


1t descended. / might as well have at i
tempted to support a falling avalanche. /
Then an ides occurred to nv mind /
which brought with it a CLEAN OF hone. /
1 thought 1t possible that by APPLYING /
my strength to the weight itself. I MIGHT 4
be able to impart to It by allow degrees /
swinging motion, like that Of a Dendu- /
lun; and this being continued, might at /
length bring the POnderOus mass in con
tact with the door, and so burst it open. /
Raising myself from the floor Of the /
cell, upon which 1 had again sank down. /
[ applied all my strength to the weight
and by eXertng all my energy in a sue 4
csssiOn Of rhythmicaI impulses I r,rafIu I
ally succeeded In imparting to II an al 4
most imperceptibie movement. Gradu- /
ally this increased, and but for an IN I
Ioreseen circumstance the scheme might I
have been successful But I presently /
found that the weight did not hang eL- /
actIy IN the center Of the shaft. The |
consequence OF this was that it struck /
the wall opposite the door before It
reached the door itself The extent of
its swing being thus checked. nv nj
most efforts failed to bring 1t into con
tact with the door. The attempt had
therefore to be abandoned, and hope
again died within me.
Hope died within me. And now nv
sensations were those OF extreme horror
and dismay. ] for the first time felt the
certainty Of my fate. A deadly sick
ness seized me. In a proxysm Of des-
/ pair flung myself again upon the floor
OF my prison, and lay there without mo
ton.
I wiz not dwell upon the long hours
that folOWed-those hours Of more than
mortal agony OF mind. It happened
that had lately been reading an ac-
count Of traveller who had persisted in
a quicksand. The time Of the accident
was on q summer evening, when the sun
was sinking, and the lonely shore was
bathed IN rosy Light. The spot where it
occurred was well known to me-and
after reading the account had endeav-
ored IN that unreasOning spirit which
sometimes leads the mind to dwell on
horrors, to realize in fancy the sensa-
tons OF the victim, as inch by inch, and
foot by foot, in full sight Of the free
ocean and glorious sun, the traacherOus
quicksand drew him dOWnWard-down-
ward-tO his doom.
What the sensations attending such a
death must be I could then but feebly
realize. I know them now.
I know them Low. The sensations of
those who have stood face to face with
death for hours, Watching with starting
eyes his slow approach, are to me no
mystery. But the mind OF man has
mercifuily been so ordered that agony
prolonged beyond a certain point ends
in benumbing the power Of feeling.
Thus It is that criminals condemned to
execution often sleep EOundly and eat
, with appetite; a fact which seems amaz-
ing to those who consider how compare
lively slight a degree Of mental distress
! has power to rob the night Of rest and
Z to turn the daintiest food to poison.
They do not reflect that mental agony
in its extremity ceases to be left. But
thus it is-and thus it was with me.
/ 1 believe also that the air OF the Ehafi
/ must have acted upon me with some
Supplying or beWildering influence, like
that Of a vapOr which often gathers at
the bottom Of old wells. The agitation
Of my mind gradually gave place to a
strange feeling OF indifference. The
peril under which I lay ceased to trouble
me- and at last no longer occupied my
thoughts
began instead to be curiously dis
turbed by another circumstance, very
trivial in itself; by a sound, which
reached my senses from somewhere In
the stiffness; a sound low, mufied, throb-
bling and mysterious, like the beating OF
+ my Own blood. Had my mind been
clear I could not long have failed to
recognize it for what It was. The sound
seemed in my ears; but this was merely
/ owing to my position in the shaft. In
= reality It was the ticking Of the great
clock far above my head.
Fer hours I sat there, listening me-
Z Chemically, half unoOnsciOnsly, to this
monotOnOus sound, broken at intervals
by the notes OF the deeP-tOned bell Al
length, probably owing IN great meas.
ure to the heavy effect Of the air uPOI
- me, must have passed into a sort O
. stupOr, which lasted very long.
When came to myself was con
! scious Of a very peculiar sensation Thu
pitchY darkness was about me, and o.
course I could see nothing. But, II
some unaccOuntable manner, Of which
fear it Is impossible for me to convey
: notion, I was aware that during my
: trance the weight had descended greE
way and was now close above my body
% I could feel, though nothing touched
= me, the huge and threatening mas
= breeding over me in the darkness. Viii
a mighty effort-fOr like a person Ia
. nightmare 1 seemed to have lost tn,
: power Of notion raised my hand. Ny
= expectation was a correct one. My HAND
2 struck against the under surface of thj
= weight, at an elevation Of less than threj
= inches from my facet AT last-after al
: eternity Of unut5srable suspense-at las
: it touched me.
1t touched me. At first lightly; theI
4 with a perceptible pressurei then with {
: pressure which grew distressing. In vain
- I sought relief; in vain strOVe TO Writhi
: my body into narrower compass. Slowly
{ steadily the mass descended, crushing
: me against the floor.
The last minute OF my life BeemeC
come, 1 bresthed 8 prayer to HEAVIER
( and resigned myself to die. Still a spact
! the weight descended; my brain swan
: my breathing became difficult / be
heved that for some brief seconds I bOrl
upon my fainting form the whole bur
: den Of the ponderOus mass. The bIOOt
J rushed In torrents to my head; 1 Eel
! that my senses were leaving me.
;, Very suddenly the pressure ceased
was conscious of q welcome relief
drew In a deep breath freely. 1 mOvel
= my limbs and found their liberty n
/. dream. The weight was gone
L raised my hand and IT enCCunter6,