The Arkansas Advocate

Knoxville, Feb. 29.

Awful Occurrence.—We have been furnished with the following extract of a letter, dated Feb. 24th, 1832, from a gentleman in Elizabethton, Ten. to a citizen of this place:

"On Sunday morning, the 19th inst. about two hours before day, three or four men having determined to take a fox chase, started a fox, which the hounds soon pursued into a cave, three or four miles from this place. Some of the company descended into the cave, and built a bark fire, with the view of driving the Fox out with the smoke, and then went to a neighbor's house and took breakfast. They then returned, in company with two others, so that there were now six men to wit: Jesse, Alfred, and Bluford Humphreys, William Guinn, Samuel McKeehan and William Boyd.

The latter went into the cave, but soon returned, telling the others that he was very sick, and advising them not to venture in—but McKeehan observed that he had been in many times before, and could go in and stay till sundown. Accordingly descended, but was, in a short time heard to exclaim—my light is out and I am dying! Bluford Humphreys and Guinn went to his assistance with another light, but was soon heard to utter the same cry. This would have deterred ordinary men from exposing themselves to the same hazard, but Alfred and Jesse Humphreys, with the intrepidity which characterizes men of brave and fearless spirits, rushed to the rescue of their unfortunate companions. They picked up Bluford and attempted to make their escape; but some twenty yards from the mouth of the cave their progress was impeded by a perpendicular ascent of six or eight feet, at which place they laid their lights down in order to lift up their brother. But these were in a moment extinguished. They now called upon Boyd, who had remained at the cave's mouth, to bring them another light, but the torches were all gone, and he ran to alarm the neighborhood. It was not long before it was known here, and the greater portion of the neighbors repaired to the dismal tomb of their unfortunate friends. From the echo of the cave it was known that one of the persons who had gone in still remained alive—but no one seemed willing to undergo the risk of relieving him, as it was believed four of the individuals in the cave were dead, and all were afraid that by going in, a similar fate would be experienced. A man by the name of Thomas Harvey was at length, daring enough, to make the proposition, that if any would go in and hold the lights for him—he would attempt to save the person whose groans were heard from the cave.— Sam'l. Tipton, jr. and a young man named Vaun, had the bravery and hardihood to accompany Harvey into the cave, and having passed the four men who were dead, guided by the moans of him who was still alive, they found the latter, and having fastened a cord around his body, he was pulled by the men at the mouth of the cave, by the assistance of those in it, to the before mentioned ascent. The three men becoming exhausted now had to leave the cave, and Alfred Humphreys, the gentleman whom they had assisted remained therein, suspended by the cord, until three other gentlemen entered it when he was drawn out with some difficulty. By the timely procurement of medical assistance he has since recovered—and says the deceased were all certain that they must die, and took each other by the hand and said they would try to make their peace with God and die together:—that by some means he extricated himself and thought he would make an effort to gain the entrance of the cave, but instead of passing in that direction, he went the contrary way and, in a few minutes, fell senseless. He remembered nothing that took place from that moment until he was restored by the physician. Bluford Humphreys was taken out on Sunday evening, but Guinn, McKeehan and Jesse Humphreys remained in the cave until next day."