The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1895-03-30

with presence of mind that minute
before did not possess, | now sought to
draw myself out, but my arm had received
such wrench as to be almost powerless;
and as grasped and pulled at the bushes,
| found, to my unspeakable horror, that
they were slowly but gradually giving away
under the strain-cracking and coming out
by the very roots-and that in spite of my
exertions, | was perceptibly going down
sinking -sinking-lower and lower-it
might be into eternity itself.
''Oh, the agonies of those few moments,
while | was there suspended over
the abyss of death! What language can
describe them? | thought of home-of my
dear husband and sweet but helpless chill
dren, left there alone in that dreary coun-
try, perhaps to remain forever ignorant of
the awful fate of loving wife and mother!
! turned my head and tried to look down
into the yawning pit; but all was darkness
below-the blackness of death-with the
gloomy silence of tomb. | tried to cry
out in the frantic hope that my voice
might reach some human ear and bring me
assistance; but my tongue was no longer
under my control, and the would be prayer
to man for physical aid was changed to a
mental prayer to God for mercy on my poor
soul And all the time the bushes were Civ
ing way, and was sinking, lower and lower,
into the horrible pit | now made one
more, last, despairing effort to get a new
hold, and suddenly became aware that all
support above was gone, and that | was
swiftly falling down, down, through the
blackness of the gulf, with that peculiar
sensation of horror we sometimes have in a
dream. have no remembrance of strik-
ing, and hours must have elapsed before |
had any further consciousness of life.
"'rhe next | remembered is of sensation
of pain all over and through me, the most
acute and terrible. At first | knew not
where | was and could not form the
faintest idea. attempted to rise, but the
effort only resulted in shrek. | ATTEMPTED
to raise my hands to my head; but only
one would obey my will, and that came in
contact with deep cash and Il mass of
clothed blood felt down around me, and
found gravelly earth and stones. | looked
upward, and could just dimly preceve a
narrow streak of sky, and one or two
twinkling stars. ! reached out with the
only hand could use, and it came in con-
tact with a smooth, solid rock. Where
was ? and what had happened ONE?
Suddenly, with feeling Of horror that
no tongue can even family express, the
whole truth flashed upon me-the race, the
snake, the fall, and then my very soul
sent up Il shrek of such anguish as pray
Heaven my worst enemy may never exper-
fence | was at the bottom of some horrible
pit Or well, with bruised body and perhaps
broken limbs, MORALLY wounded for aught
| knew, and might there perish unseen,
unattended and unknown, and never again
behold the beloved faces of my husband
and children. Oh what agonies were
mine, mental and physical! the mental at
times SO predominating as to cause total
oblivion of my racking, piercing bodily
suiferings Even now, as l sit quietly
here, after a long lapse of eventful years, |
feel an internal sbudder as | recall the SEN
sations of that awful night. How | lived
through it and retained my reason do not