The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1892-11-16
The gerala anil agge1r5* 3
HOW IT FEELS TO BE BHRIED.
The Sensations OF a Man Who Lay i"f
Three Hours in His Grave.

Three Hours in His Grave.
From the St. Louis Gobe-Democrat.J
s.Ill wager the wine there IS not a
gentleman present who can guess wltE-
in ten years of my age," said Calvin 5.
Freeman who sat talking with some
fellow travelling men. The guesses
ran all the way from 4S to 65.
~ am just 81 years DID," said Mr.
Freeman. II was born in 1898.
grew old in day. I have passed
through the most terrible ordeal TO
which a mortal was ever subJected-1
was buried alive and lay in the grave,
with six feet Of earth on top OF me, 1or
nearly three bours. That was at Eoln-
burg, Scotland, nearly nine years ago.
I was born in that city. At the age OF
eaI married 8 girl who had been my
playmate in childhood A year later
was taken sick, and, after an illness OF
but two days, was pronounced dead
and preparations were made for my
burial.
I was as conscious as at this mo-
uent, but unable to speak or move
muscle. A great weight seemed to lie
on my chest and eyelids. All that
night and until 10 o'clock next day
lay with a cloth over my face, listening
to the preparations for my internent'
At that hour I was placed III cofnn,
the funeral services were read, and l
wss consigned to the grave. There was
no sitting sensation, for I had ceased
t., breathe, but the black loneliness OF
those hours haunt me day and night.
7 felt that I could come out OF the
trance state before death ensued, would
slowly smother to death, and the
thought added horror to my situa-
ton.
II had read of graves being opened
where people had teen buried allve'
and how they had torn their flesh with
their nails and turned over in their
coffins in mad struggle for air. I Won
dered if there was any way by which L
could quickly destroy myself when
nature asserted its sway. Every hour
seemed to me as days. 1t was Tuesday
when was buried, fancied I could
heal the Sunday chimes of the church
which stood a few yards distant. l
wondered who my neighbor was on
the right and who on the left, and if
they, too, were hurled alive. ! Won
dered if there really was such thing
as death, or if I was doomed to lie
conscious in that prison forever.
''Suddenly I felt muscle twitch. 1T
is coming now, thought. A minute
more and I will be struggling for
BREATH I felt faint fiutter at the
heart. gave little gasp, aud the ar
seemed heightened with lead. tried
to breathe, but It was like drawing
fetid water into my lungs. 1 had re-
solved not to move muscle, to die
with my hands folded on my breast,
so that if my body was ever taken up
my friends would not suspect the aw-
ful truth, but could not lie still. The
struggle began, and I fought in my
narrow prison house as man only
fights for life. Horrible as it was, l
seemed to hear my wife's voice ringing
in my ears. 1t was a cry Of agony. [
tried to answerit, but could not.
"a succession of thunder peals shook
nv prison house. It was the heavy
blows of axes breaking open the box
which contained the coffin. A moment
later I was lying on the churchyard
sward in my wife's arms. After my
interment she conceived the notion
that 7 had been buried alive, and, to
quiet her fears, the grave was opened.
I went into the grave young man,
and came out aged, as you see me now"