Newspapers / The Rutherford Star (Rutherfordton, … / March 2, 1867, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of The Rutherford Star (Rutherfordton, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
The Star, IS PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY AT THE FOLLO WIN 8 .-, mm r One Copy, 1 year tin Advance.).., " " 3 months credit k , If 6 " " .82 Club Rates : Six Copies. I vear fin Advance, $1 .Ten " " " " 15,00 9 00 2.50 ),00 ORIGINAL TALE For The Star Buried Alive, BY ECALLAW. Be Sure Yon Are Right And Then Go Ahead.---Davy Crocket. 1 1 " " 1 " """ : VoL I. Rutherfordton, N. C, Saturday, March 2, 1867. No. 39. In January, 1856, a young Southerner arrived at Smithville, and -entered the J house of Raymond & (Jarey in the hum ble capacity of dry goods clerk. A quiet, pleasant, genteel looking young man was Alfred Raymond ; obliging to all, inti mate with none, he seemed to care for nothing, but the fortune he had left homo to make. But, unlike most fortune-seekers, he sought to make it honestly, and with the good will of all. But, a change came over the spirit of his dreams. The first time he saw Kit tie Norwood, he fell a victim to torment-, ing Cupid's aria. Not that he loved her as yet. No. He did not own this even; to himself. Besides Aif. Raymond was no fool; and he well knew that Tohn Norwood would never give his beautiful and accomplished daughter to a wander ing youth without a home he could call his own ; even if he could win her af i fections, which he considered very doubt inl. But still she lingered in his memo ry , and each subsequent iuterview deep - ened the impression made upon his heart until at last he became miserable, and heartily wished he had never seen the levelytown of Smithville. But strange to relate, (but which will be readily understood by persons in his situation,) he lingered near her, and was never happier than when by her side. As for Kittie, she thought him a good looking, yes, really a handsome young man, intelligent, genteel. O ! he was al together a nice young man. But she had never once thought of loving him. i Poor Alf. It was well he could not read her secret thoughts, for when she smiled at meeting him. his heart fluttered at the thought that perhaps she loved him. -Thus weeks rolled by. It was a dark, stormy night in March following. The wind howled fiercely through the leafless branches of the giant oaks which adorns d the town, aud roar ed amid the surrounding hills. Raymond had just finished the business of the evening, and was sitting before the crack ing fire in his little sleeping room, smo king a cigar, listening to the rustling winds withouiand dreaming of the fu ture. Suddenly he heard the distant shout -Fire ! He listened ; louder arose the startling cry. Snatching up his hat he hurried out into the street to ascer tain the worst. 7Twas the residence of Mr. IJprwood, situated on the eastern side of the town, full half a mile off. i JFor a moment Raymond stood gazing blankly at the rolling flames, mantling higher and yet higher toward the skies. Then joining the excited crowd he hur ried to the spot. ''J' was a sublime spec tacle those billows of firo. wrapping in flames that noble mansion and lighting up the surrounding darkness for a ioag distance atound. That large and excited crowd, which had gathered from every quarter of the town, standing around powerless "before , the devouring element. As Raymond neared the spot he look ed around there was Mr. and Mrs. Nor woodsafe. But where was she, whom he loved better than life without whom - existence itself was not desirable. She alone was left In the doomed house; and the floors and stairways were wrapped inflames. j. Norwood appealed frantioally to the multitude to save his only child, and offer ed immense rewards for her rescue. But the danger was too appalling; none vol unteered jto undertake the hazardous enterprise. ' Raymond snatched np a thick woolen blanket, and hastily wrapped himself in it, and with a hurried prayer for sue- I cess, rushed into the building amid the murmured aj plause of the assembled multitudo'who could appreciate, though they could not perform so noble an ac tion, t Scorched by the flames, almost suffo cated by the clouds of smoke which fill ed the interior of the building he made his way up the first stairway and paus ed no sound, save the roar oi the flames, fanned into fiercer fury by the sweeping wind. He called, but received no answer shouted, but in vain. He hurried to a window and endeavored to peer through the roling clouds of smoke which shut him off from the world. If he could only feel that he was still in the busy world, and not cut off from human aid lured on to destruction by an in visible demon which he could not resist. He pressed his hands to his face to shut out the terrible fancies which were thronging through his brain, a foretaste of the dreadful fate awaiting him. A low groan reached- his ears he rushed in the direction of the sound. A door, fastened, locked, stopped him ; he tried in vain to open it, he sprang against it with all his strength. It tot tered, opened, and Kittie Norwood rush ed to meet him. i l "Oh, Mr. Raymcnd, may heaven bless you for this. I could not find the key to unlock my door and I had given up to perish." Without uttering a word he snatched her in his arms and hurried out. Every thing depended tn his haste, his life, her life was hanging on a point if the way of escape was blocked up by flames they were lost. Suddenly he paused, thellast ray of hope was extinguished, escape was impossible j they were lost, lost inevitably. Driven backward by the fierce torrent of fire that came rushing up before them, he recoiled back into the room in which he had found her ; and closing the door he seated her upon a soft cushioned sofa and kneeling beside her, he buried his face in his hands. For a moment hesat motionless, her face was white as death, and her eyes shone with a strange light, but her com pressed lips showed the unflinching forti tude with which she met her fate. At last she whispered, "Is there no hope?" Raymond raised his head and gazed silently at her. "Must we die ?" she asked. He arose apd stood before her; his voice was calm, cold, distinct, "You ill hot perish, you will be saved, I know not what my fate will be but it will be something terrible. If I perish will you not remember me, and shed a tear over the memory of one who loved you better than life and who died to save you. f5 You cannot realize the depth of my affection for you he continued more passiouately, "but The floor tottered beneath m,and the flames burst into the room. 3 Grasping her tightly to his breast he sprung to a window ; through the parting clouds of smoke he could see the multitude below looking eagerly for his return. A mo ments hesitation, a swi whistling through the air and he knew no more. "Thelladyis not seriously injured," said Dr. Marlow, the surgeon of Smithville. "And the gentleman V "The gentleman is dead ; his head struck a stone and fractured his skull," and the surgeon turned away to give his attention to the lady, leaving the unfor tunate young man to his fate. And what was he to the citizens of Smithville, more than any other sti anger. Friend less, poor, who was there in that- multi tude to weep over his fate, or feel more than a passing sadness as they looked at that cold white face, There was one, one who mourned sincerely tne fair young girl for whose life he had given his own. And there were others who wept for her sake. Morning came, bright and beautiful. The storm had spent its fury and the wind his strength ; and the sun arose and poured forth his cheering rays upon the earth as if to make amends for the preceeding night's disaster. Business resumed its onward march in Smithville. Business! That power which neither deatA, nor fire, nor aught else can stop. True there was a new grave being made beneath the old oak in the Smithville burying-ground; and a heap of smoul dering ashes, where once stood the beau tiful mansion of Mr. Norwood; but the people of Smithville believed in taking care of themselves and their , own, and leaving others to do the same, The day wore away and evening had arrived when Raymond was carried to his narrow bed beneath the "clods of the valley. A few sympathizing1 friends stood around his open grave to hear the solemn burial service read over him. A few tears were shed over the noble and unfortunate young stranger ; and all turned away to 'pursue their daily avoca tions, and to forget him : or only to re member him as the young man who was killed when Mr, Norwood's house was burned ; little dreaming that the throb in gof that still, silent heart had been only temporarily suspended, and that soon the life current would begiipto flow, and no one near to rescue hirr The sun had long set, and the stars alone kept watch over the darkened earth when Alf. Raymondawoke. Slowly the life current began its ebb and flow, and still more slowly did consciousness and reason resume their sway. Reader, did you ever imagine your self buried alive f Did you ever old your hands across your bosom, in utter darkness and imagine yourself fettered in a coffin with the earth pifed above you, shutting out all expectation or hope of life, with no companions, save the mouldering bodies of those gone before you, tying by your Bide ? Do you re member the thrill of horror which crept over you, to thrust out your arms to drive away the feeling r If so you have some idea of the horror with which Raymond became acquainted with his dreadful situation. Slowly the remembrance of the inci dents, of the past twenty-four hours rose up before him, growing more extinct with every effort to recall them. Ho re members hearing the surgeon pronounce him dead ; bitter thoughts would rise up against him. for he might have examined him more carefully before he sentenced him to this dreadful death. Ee remem bered the murmurs of sorrow and sym pathy which burst from the group stand ing around his coffin, before it was final ly closed. And then he forgot his rage against the surgeon when he remember ed the lingering kiss of her he had sac rificed himself to save from death. All rose up in his mind like a strange fantas tic dream, and for awhile he dwelt over it, almost forgetting his horrible situa tion. Then as he felt the hard unyielding sides of his coffin the reality rushed upon him. In vain he struggled to raise himself, to extend his arms, to enlarge his narrow prison but an inch j a wall of adamant was not more firm. In vain he shouted for aid, but his voice was lost in the solid earth around him ; and had aid been near, his fate would still have been unknown. In vain he prayed to meet dearth with composure j - the heavens above seemed cut off from his reach aod his terror remained. Human agony can only exist to a cer tain extent, when, we pass this bounda ry, the feelings become blunted and the mind insensible to pain. It was thus with Raymond ; a stupor crept over him, driving away all feeling save a dim, shadowy consciousness of his situation. Hours, days, weeks crept slowly by, for in the grave there is no computation of time, a day is as a year and a year as a day. Again he was aroused, this time by slow dripping of the water into his cof fin; and he remembered with a new thrill of horror, that the graves in this burying-ground were in this season of the tj ear, soon filled -with water. Sud den death was inevitable ; the little space around his coffin outside was filled, and through the efacks, beneath the coffin lid, the water was oozing slowlv. vet surely. One might thiak this a merci ful providence, but to the unfortunate vic tim it was not; for life is sweet, aod to the perfectly sane, death can never ap pear in any other than a hideous form. Perhaps it is for the reason that our kind, Creater has ordained that we should leave our earthly home, while our facul. -. ties are suspended, or acting unnaturally for were our love of life, friends, or any earthly things in full actioo, we could never leave this state but with regret. Slowly the water rose his body was half covered and his head was only kept above it by the pillow, which had been placed by some kind hand to give an air of quiet slumber to his long rest The water reached his head, it crept slowly along the side of his face. He pressed his face against the cofBn lid a few moments more and the subtle fluid Would cover his lips and cut off his exis tence, strange images were floating be fore his eyes, uneiithly sounds rumbled in his ears, the coffin walls trembled around him, an invisible hand reached down and clutched him by the hair, and was dragging him from his hiding place Rates of AUvertasmi : Tuplro lino. - One square, first insertion i oo bach subsequent insertion so 1 lm. 2m 2m. 6m, 1S. One SquMe $2.50 4,60 6.00 10 00 15,00 Two Square, 5.00 8.00 10.00 16.00 20 00 Three do, 7.50 10.00 16.00 20 00 5,00 t L,Umn 12.50 18.00 25J0C 35.00 45,00 One do. 18.00 25.00 35,00 450)0 60.00 Announcing a Candidate $3.00 addresSdTo " Com" boold be J- CARPENTER, EDITOR I PROPRicmn I : to cist him into outer darkness. He opened his eyee. Kittie Norwood was bending over him. t'or awhile tbey looked into each other eyes ith silence. Those eyes, neither bad expected to see again. "Where am I?" he asked at last "Wait, perhaps you had better not talk about it yet. Dr, Marlow will come in a few minutes' Presently Dr. Marlow bustled into the room, "Had a eerious time, young man. You must forgive me for thinking you dead. Fact is, I was nevermore astonished than when I discovered' life Lin you. Airfit pute arose between myself and Dr. Beau mont concerning you, and we Repaired last night to the church-yard to examine into the cause of your, death more min utely. Yon had a narrow escape (from being drowned. The water had rt ached your lips." Thus the worthy doctor rattled on, and Raymond slowly gathered the facts. The surgeons had dug him up to settlo a dispute, concerning the injury of the hram, necessary to produce death, by sawing asunder his skull. They had found life not extint t and had removed him to a house close by. He was deliri ous for several hours ; but after a quiet slumber he awoke out of danger. On a calm, sweet evening in May fol lowing, when the Jsun shone with the brightness, but without the heat of sum mer, and the earth was decked out in her fairest robes ; there was a wedding in Smithville, Raymond had won hia treasure and Kittie Norwood became Mrs. Raymond. Ten years afterwards I chanced to naaa through Smithville again; there was a new mansion on the site of Mr. Norwood' old one which had been destreyed. I asked a fat old gentleman wno oned that beautiful residence. "Alf. Raymond. The yourur merih ant who married the daughter of the lato John Norwood. S'pose you've heard of nis saving ner lite and getting buried m on anve i" "Oh, yes such things never remain a secret' V, "Well, sir, that was a biff price to riva for a girl, but she's worth & She's a rare lady, sir ; got four or five children, nret- ty as xlolls. to boot, sir; O! Raymond iaa rare, nappy man, sir." But he came very near losing when he played fhat dreadful game, the con ditions of which were "life and happi ness," or c-a dreadful death." Massachusetts has one convict In. every hundred citizens; Alabama' has one convict to every five thousand three hun dred and ninety citizens, , yywr The United Statos has a greater length of railways then allotlier countries together. ; : Almost every decade in our coun try's history, ending with the figurhseeifc has marked the beginning of a financial crash or severe depression. A merchant in New York who failed twice in fifteen years and was forced to sell his wife's wardrobe to pro cure the neccessaries.of life has. just re tired will) a fortune of V)0,000.j
The Rutherford Star (Rutherfordton, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
March 2, 1867, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75