an gather from the relations of
friends that he remembers, and of that same uncle in particular, it is
one hundred and five years next month (that is September, 1823) since
that event happened; and I think it likely that this gentleman's
information is correct. But sundry other people, much older than he,
whom I have consulted, pretend that it is six or seven years more. They
say they have heard that Mr. James Anderson was then a boy ten years of
age; that he lived to an old age, upwards of fourscore, and it is two
and forty years since he died. Whichever way it may be, it was about
that period some way: of that there is no doubt.

"It so happened that two young men, William Shiel and W. Sword, were
out on an adjoining height this summer, casting peats, and it came into
their heads to open this grave in the wilderness, and see if there were
any of the bones of the suicide of former ages and centuries remaining.
They did so, but opened only one half of the grave, beginning at the
head and about the middle at the same time. It was not long till they
came upon the old blanket--I think, they said not much more than a foot
from the surface. They tore that open, and there was the hay-rope lying
stretched down alongst his breast, so fresh that they saw at first
sight that it was made of risp, a sort of long sword-grass that grows
about marshes and the sides of lakes. One of the young men seized the
rope and pulled by it, but the old enchantment of the Devil
remained--it would not break; and so he pulled and pulled at it, till
behold the body came up into a sitting posture, with a broad blue
bonnet on its head, and its plaid around it, all as fresh as that day
it was laid in! I never heard of a preservation so wonderful, if it be
true as was related to me, for still I have not had the curiosity to go
and view the body myself. The features were all so plain that an
acquaintance might easily have known him. One of the lads gripped the
face of the corpse with his finger and thumb, and the cheeks felt quite
soft and fleshy, but the dimples remained and did not spring out again.
He had fine yellow hair, about nine inches long; but not a hair of it
could they pull out till they cut part of it off with a knife. They
also cut off some portions of his clothes, which were all quite fresh,
and distributed them among their acquaintances, sending a portion to
me, among the rest, to keep as natural curiosities. Several gentlemen
have in a ma