The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1894-09-15
A SWEET DEATH.
Narrow Escape of a Lad from Brown
ing i'm MOIasses.

The thirteen year-old son of
large wholesale grocery merchant Of
Hagerstown, Md. met with an acct
dent that came near equaling that
of the celebrated Clarence, who is
said to have been pul 10 death by
drowning in butt Of Malmsley
wine. The boy was amusing him.
self by leaping from the head of one
hogshead to another Of a group
placed in The rear of his fathers
store. All at once as he leaped upon
one the head gave under his weight
and let him down into three feet of
molasses.
Fortunately for the lad be fell on
his feet, sinking slowly into The thick,
gIuey mass, which. receiving him,
however, was most reluctant to give
him up again. The molasses came
up to the boys chin, and it was only
by holding his head well back that
he kept it from entering his mouth.
He managed with some difficulty to
raise his arms from the heavy liquid
almost as unyielding as pitch, and
grasped at the sides OF the hogs
head, but it WAS impossible to gain
hold on the curved, coneave walls.
The top was also beyond his
reach, clogged as he WAS by The mo-
assee, which rendered leap up.
ward impracticable So the unlucky
prisoner was reduced to calling for
assistance. But The iiouf was unan
and the town was dining, aud pass
efs-by were not numerous.
The adjacent store was abandon
ed save some laborers who syere
loading Goods in the 'front.' and the
clerk who was directing them, so
minutes passed and Rthe prisoner
found the position aprecarious one,
for fatigue rendered the task of hold
ing his mouth and nostrils out Of the
liquid around him most trying one,
while weighted as he was his limbs
seemedfailing him At last a negro
passing by heard his cries and pro
iceeded to investigate the noise. AT
ter searching some time he at last
sprang up and looked over into the
hogshead, bat the lads head being
dark and all that was visible Of him,
be did not perceive him, and dropped
back to the ground The boy gave
another shout, which, mufiled as it
was by the close sides of the great
wooden vessel, and coming from
what he thought he had just seen
held nothing but black molasses,
aroused the superstition of the me-
gro. He sprang back with yell
and went tearing into the stseet vel
ling that there was "h'ant' in the
rear of the store. A crowd collect
ing he told what he had heard in the
hogshead, and while some passed
on laughing others remained to fer
ret out the mystery.
A man leaped up to the top of the
nearest hogshead and peered into
the suspected one, but on seeing a
white face peering up at him was
nearly as frightened as the negro had
been. A weak voice pleaded with
him for succor, so active measures
were at once taken to get the boy
out A strange figure he presented
when brought to view, dripping with
CONCEALED sweetness, his clothes un
recognizable as such. 1t has been
necessary To shave the back of his
head, as the hair was so caked with
molasses as to be wholly unmanagea
bile.
A few more inches of the molasses
and some distiller would have been
surprised to find in his next ship
ment boy preserved in it, as in all
probability had the molasses con
ceaIed him in the hogshead without
examination its.would have only been
reheaded and shipped