The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-07-28
WHEN FACING DEATH
SENSATIONS OF A MAN WHILE IN PERIL
OF HIS LIFE.

Oeath seemed Imminent, OU1y sort
( of Curiosity--Twice In Peril From Tsll-
Ing and Once From = Pistol.
What are tho sensations of a person who
IL suddenly brought faco To face with deGth
while In tho full possession Of his fncnltiosf
There arc evidences that persons who arc
Eufforjng great pain, as from Injuries,
welcome death because IL brings relief
with dts near approach, and those whom
disease has exhausted seem 10 know no
moreof their coming dissolution than that
they arc sinking to rest.
~ can imagine that a person who was
In full possession of his faculties and sud
denly found himself about to meet death
would DO possessed by an overwhelming
fear" said the obseryant Jcrseyman when
appealed to upon this subject "but my
own experience docs not warrant this CON-
clusion. do not believe that am pos
sessed of any moro than ordinary nerve
and bravery, and I have mover done any
thing to indicate that am more than an
average person In these respects, but three
times have been In imminent peril of my
life and each time under circumstances
which led me to believe that death wac
but matter of seconds.
"Tho first great peril of my life occurred
in Perth Amboy Al years ago, when was
less than 8 years old. but / remember all
about 1t as we'll as II It were an occurrence
of recent date. was playing about an
unfinished frame building with boy Of
my own age, named Lecompt. We were
climbing about the frame on tho second
floor when i lost my footing and fell
through tho floor beams.
~ went down through the floor beams
OF tho first story and struck, head fore
most, on pile of bricks in the cellar. In
the second or two of my fall I was fully
conscious Of my peril, but recall no feel
ing of terror, only vague hope that
should not be hurt. / was unconscious
when was picked up, and when I came
to remembered my last sensations and
felt Of my arms and legs to see II they
were broken and was contentwhen found
that they were whole and I had received
no worse harm than a sore scalp.
"The next occasion of deadly peril was
in 1858, when I was tramping through the
Adirondack region with Stephen S. Van
Schaick Of New York.
"We had caught ride with farmer,
and, having been with him for q mile or
two and told him that we were sightsee-
ing, he stopped his wagon, and, pointing
to path that led into the piney woods to
tho right, said
/" If you want to see sight, take that
path
"We thanked him, and, without asking
any questions, plunged into the woods. I
was in the lead. A quarter of mile from
the road I suddenly emerged from the
woods, and before had time to look about
me found myself sliding along the face
of rock which sloped gently away from
the woods. The rock was covered with q
coating of pine needles, which were as
smooth as glass. Any one who has tried
climbing over earth paths under the pine
trees knows how the feet win slide on the
dead pine needles. slid along surely but
not rapidly and could not stop my progress.
AS ! slid I braced my feet and looked
ahead. Not more than 10 or 15 feet ahead
saw that the rock ended en- midair and
that before me lay deep valley. To
make any move to stop myself seemed to
be merely to make disaster more immi-
nent, and did nothing but brace my feet
more firmly, as II were being driven for
ward on slick leo by strong wind. AS
drew near the edge of the rock confident
ly expected that l would continue my
course right over 1t and be dashed to death,
the very brink the surface of the rock
turned upward little, and this arrested
my progress when my very toes were even
with the edge. AS camo to a standstill
the scene before me was so striking that
all thought of my danger left me.
"I was on the edge of table rock which
I think must have been 800 feet above the
bottom of the valley, and ii was sheer
drop from there below. From the left
came a stream of water, and this plunged
In a fall, perhaps hundred feet high, in
to basin of rock which was as round and
perfect as washbowl. From the edge Of
this basin the water poured over In anoth-
er fall into a second basin of,the same sort,
and from there the water ran In white,
broken stream In rapids which extended in
the bottom of the valley to beyond where I
stood. An old water mill stood beside the
second basin and hills shut in the valley
just few hundred yards beyond. Had I
fallen over the edge Of the table rock
would have dropped into tho rocky rapids
"My third peril was at the hands of a
pockmarked lieutenant of the Pinkerton
force who was guarding the railroad yards
at the Port Johnston coal docks at b.
yonne during the great coal handlers
strike IN 1887. For some reason he had
taken . great dislike to me, and when
sought to enter the yard to SEQ his captain
he stopped Inc.
81 want to see the captain, said.
"'He is not here, he said.
"'He is,' answered. i see him there
pointing to the man wanted u hundred
yards down the track.
Get ont of here' he exclaimed and
dropped his hand to the hilt of his revolver.
II stepped baok two feet to tho line be-
tween tho TRICKS which marked tho edge
of the yard and stood facing him. His
hand worked ON the hilt of his pistol, and
every moment Iexpeoted him to draw and
fire. A boy had boen wnntonly shot only
a few days before by Pinkerton man mt
Weohawkcn, and other acts of violence
had been committed by these men. We
faced each other for perhaps five minutes,
during which time j expected evory mo.
ment to bo my last, but had no feeling
except ono Of curiosity to SEQ what he
would dare To do Finally he turned and
walked away. and I also loft. Two year.
later met one Of his men To whom had