Year: 1872

ing broad -brimmed hat and a red
flannel shirt He sat on the railing
Of the bridge, whiting and talking
to three or four others, standing
near by.


Yes, sir, said he, 4 was dead once.
1t was the strangest thing you ever
saw in your life


You don't believe it?-ahr


We'll, 1 don't wonder much. I
don't suppose any man went through
such an awful seige, and I can't ex
pect anybody to look at it as do.
You see, it happened like this: 1t
was that Winter we numbered on
Whitecomb creek, six or eight years
ago. i was war times then, and
wages were good was getting for
ty dollars a month, and worked like
a beaver till this little affair came
off. We went TO work about mile
from the shanty-Jim Robinson and
me-and had slashed into the pine
like all possessed. The boys were
hauling pretty lively, for it was early
in January, and sleighing was good.
Jim was at work on big tree about
twenty rods from where I vas
Pretty soon, after he yelled to me,
his tree toppled over and fell. 1t
was as handsome a piece of pine
timber as you ever saw, and ]
watched it as it fell. Crash it went,
right into the branches of an old
grub oak and hung fast there.
never saw a fellow madden than jim
was. He tried every possible way
to loosen the pine, but couldn't get
it off. Finally, we made up our
minds to 90 for the oak tree, and in
about ten minutes we had it cut
through so it trembled like a leaf at
every stroke Of the AK, he cutting II
one side and l on the other When
it was almost through, as was the
biggest and best chopper, says to
Jim:


Let me finish her, Jim. Get out
of the way and I will have her down
in half q minute


4 had been chopping a minute or
two, when Jim let loose a scream
that would have made an Injun 5
blood run cold. l just had time to
look up and see that pine tree tumb-
ling down, when l dropped my ak
and run. ! couldn't have got far
when something seemed to hit my
eyes, and then everything was dark.


i suppose l was dead.


May be you don't believe me,
boys, but that's all / can make out
Of it. All at once the light, the looks
of the snow on the ground, every
thing was shut ont from my sight.
There was q kind of an uncertain
kind Of feeling, just as a fellow has
when he is asleep. l knew some
thing awful had happened, but l
could not stir myself, hand on foot,
1t seemed as though it was night,
and that l was covered up by some
thing that pressed heavily on me.
Still, there wasn't any particular
pain, and for 4 long time l couldn't
think where 1 was. How long l
stayed there l can't tell. suppose
it wasn't long, when / felt somebody
pull my arm, and l heard Jim Rob
inson say:


'Oh, Lord Poor fellow!


i knew he was there, and could
feel him touch me, and yet couldn't
speak or open my eyes. He thought
/ was dead. Then l wondered if all
dead folks could hear and think
things asI did. / tried to- move
my hands. tried to breathe, / tried
to scream. But ] couldn't do any
thing. jim left me, and the next /
remember of l was pulled out from
under the tree and hauled to the
shanty on one of the sleds. You
may bet there was considerable eX-
eitement among the boys when l
was taken into camp. l could feel
that / was dead. My heart didn't
beat. / couldn't move. But could
hear, and had n kind of misty notion
about everything that was going on
about me.


Some of the boys, after feeling
my forehead, wanted to send for the
doctor.


Its no use, boys said the boss,
the poor fellows gone. His neck
was broken. The most we can do
for him is to take him to his folks.


We'll, they laid me out on one of
the sleiehs, and after fixing me up
in as decent a way as a corpse could
lie in a lumber camp, one of the
teamsters started with me for Osh-
kosh.


AT first I didn't realize Just how
bad the situation was. When 1t be
gan to leak in my head that | was
really dead, and going to be buried
in the ground, and shut out forever
from the light of the sun, it fright
ened me. Fhe long ride to Oshkosh
passed like those things that bap
pened in a dream. We got here,
and | was taken to my brothers
house. He felt terrible bad when 1
was brought home. l hadn't any
idea that he thought as much of me
as he did, poor fellow? ! could hear
him cry and talk, and still L hahn [
the power to move muscle. was
Dut into a coffin, and it finally came
out that l was to be taken TO Water
town to be buried. My old mother
lived there you know. Oh, boys, 1
hope none of you will ever be made
to feel the horrors that / felt when
knew that l was boxed up in collin
and would soon he buried. Seven
years have gone by since then, but
/ never think of it without n chill.


1 could feel them putting on the
lid of the coffin, and then l knew l
was fastened up.


From that time until the cover
was raised again, I haven't any /
recollection of what happened, only |
that l WIS continually in motion,
Though couldn't open my eyes,
sorter felt that it was dark, and l
was going somewhere. All OF
sudden, | felt that some one was
turning the screws of the coffin lid,
and after a while the cover was Ia
ken of.


MY poor mother screamed as
though her peor heart was broke. l
couldn't stir and yet l could feel the /
warm drops from her eyes upon my |