The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-01-27
GREW OLD IN 4 DAY.
A Man who Was Buried Alive for
Nearly Three Hours.

Nearly Three Hours.
"I'll wager the wine there Is not gen.
tleman present who can guess within ten
years Of my age" said Calvin s. Freeman,
who sat talking with some fellow travel.
irg men I'm the rotunda OF The Southern.
says the st. Louis Globe Democrat. The
guess ran all the way from forty-eight 10
sixty-hve. II am just thirty-four years
DID," said Mr.. Freeman. II was born In
1853. / grew old in q day. have passed
through the most terrible ordeal 20 which
a mortal was ever subjectcd-I was
buried alive and lay ia the grave. with
six feet OF earth on top Of me, for nearly
three hours. That was at Edinburgh.
Scotland nearly nine years ago. was
born in that city. At the age OF twenty
four married girl who had been my
playmate In childhood.
"A year later / was taken sick, and
after an Illness Of but two days. was pro-
nounced dead, and preparations were
made for my burial. | was as conscious
as at this moment bur unable 10 speak or
move a muscle. A great weight seemed 10
lie OIL my chest ard eyelids. All that
night, and until 10 o'clock next day 'ay
with a cloth over my face, listening % the
preparations for my interment. At that
hour was placed in a coffin, the funeral
services were read, and | was consigned
to the grave. There was no sitting sen.
sation, for | had ceased TO breathe. but
the black loneliness OF those hours haun,
me day and night. / felt that I wolld
come out of the trance state befora death
ensued. would slowly smother 10 death.
and the thought added horror 10 ny stu
alton. l had read Of graves being opened
where people had been buried alive, and
how they had torn their flesh with ihclr
nails and turned over in their collins IN
a mad struggle for air. / wond erred II
there was any way by which I could
quickly destroy myself when nature as
serted it's sway. Every hour seemed 10
me as days.
ut was on Tuesday when I was buried
and l fancied 1 could hear the chimes
of the church. which stood a few yards
distant. / wondered who my neighhor
was on the right and who on the left.
and If they too. were buried alive
wondered il there really was such a
thing as death or II | was doomed 20
lie conscious in that prison forever. sud
denly | felt a muscle twitch. IT is COM
ing now. | thought a moment more
and l will be struggling for breath
gave little gasp, and the air seemed
freighted with lead. | tried to breath
but II was like drawing fetid water into
my lungs l had resolved not 10 move
muscle. to die with my hands folded on
my breast, so that If my body was eyer
taken up my friends would not suspeot
the awful truth; but ! could not lie still
1.-The struggle began. and I fought in
my narrow prison house as a man only
fights for life. Horrible as IL was,
seemed TO hear my wife's voice singing
In my ears. II was a cry Of agony. |
tried to answer IT, but could not. A sue
cession Of thunder peals shook my prison
house. II was the heavy blows OF axes
breaking open the box which contained
the coffin. A moment later | was lying
on the churchyard sward I'm my wife's
arms. After my interment she conceived
the notion that I had been buried alive
and TO quiet her fears the grave was
opened. / went into the grave young
man. and came out aged. as you see me
now"