Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1827-08-20
From Bl1ekuoods Ednburgh Mogazine
THE MAN IN THE BELL.

than il is now. No body, oeleNe, Pfa.uooS
II there at present except the Servants III the
church. and the melody has been much injured
in consequences Some fifty years ago, about
,wenty OF us dwell in the vicinity of the Cathe-
dral formed club, which used 10 ring every
neal that was called for; and from continual
praclice and a rivalry which arose between us
and club attached to another steepie, ana
which tended considerably to sharpen our zeal,
we became very Mozarts on our favorite IN
struments But my bell.ringing practice was
shortened by singular accident which not on
" stopt my performance, but made even the
sound OF = bell terrible 10 my ears.
One Sunday Invent With another into the bel.
fry 20 ring for noon prayers, but the second
stroke we had pulled showed US that the clap
per of the bell we were at was mutfied. Some
one had been buried that morning, Sit had been
prepared of course to ring mournful note
We did not know of this but the remedy was
easy. "Jack" said my companion, "s'ep up to
the loft and cut off the hat" for the way we
had of muffiing was by tying piece OF old hat
or cloth, (the former was preterred,) to one
side of the clapper, which deadened every Sc
cond toll. complied ;nd Amounting into the
belfry. crept as usual into the bell, where be-
gan to cut away The hat had been tied on in
some more complicated manner than usual,
and was perhaps three or four minutes in get
ting it of; during which time my companion
below was hastily called away, by message
from his sweetheart believe, but this is not
materialto my story, The person who called
him was brother Of the club who knowing
that the time had come for ringing for service
and not thinking that any one was above began
to pull At this moment was just getting
out, when felt the bell moving; guessed the
reason al once-i: was q moment of terror; but
by hasty and almost SoaSa4ilH6e my n sell
OF the dat of NV ha II :, WY osn ,;,,,
than sufficient to contain it, the bottom Of the
bell coming within couple of feet Of the floor
Of lah At that time I certainly was no, SO
bulky as am now, but as lay it was within
an inch of my face. had not laid myself down
a second, when the ringing began,-lt was
dreadful situation. Over me swung an I'M
mense mass ofmetal; one touch of which would
have crushed me to pieces; the Hoor under me
was principally composed OF crazy laths, and
if they gave way, was precipitated to the dis
lance Of about fifty feet upon loft, which
would in all probability, have sunk under the
impulse of my fall, and sent me to be dashed to
atoms upon the marble floor of the chancel,
an hundred feet below. l remembered-for
fear is quick IN recoilection-how common
clock-wright, about month before, had fallen
and bursting through the floors of the steeple
drivea in the ceilings OF the porch, and even bro
ken into the marble tombstone OF bishop who
slept beneath This was my first terror, but
the ringing had not continued minute before
more awful and immediate dread came on
me. The deafening sound of the bell smote ip-
TO my ears with thunder which made me fear
their drums would crack-There was not a f.
bre of my body il Gid not thrill through 1t
entered my very soul; thought and reflection
were almost utterly banished; | only retained
the. sensation of agonizing terror Every mo-
ment saw the bell sweep within an inch Of
my face; and my eyes cd not close them,
though TO look At ,ne -, ett vas bitter az
death--foNowed II in stinctively Ia its oscil-
lating progress until it came back again. 1t
was in vain said to myself that it could cpme
no nearer at any future swing than it did at
first every time it descended, l endeavored to
shrink into the very floor TO avoid being bu-
ried under the down sweeping mass; and then
rejecting on the danger of pressing too weigh
tily on my frail support, would cover up again
as far as dared.
a, first my fears were mere matter of fact.
Twas afraid the pullies above would give way,
aud let the bell plunge me. At another
time, the possibility of the clapper being shot
out.in some sweep, and dashing through my
body, as had seen ramrod glide through
door fitted across my mind. The dread also
as have already mentioned, ofthe crazy floor,
tormented me, but these soon gave way 10 fears
not more unfounded, but more visionary, and Of
course more tremendous. The roaring Of the
bell confused my intellect, aud my fancy soon
began to TEEN with all sort Of strange and ter
rifying ideas. The bell pealng above, and o.
pening its jaws with a hideous Glamour, SEEM
ed to me at one time rayening monster rag
ing to aevour me; at another, whirlpool ready
to suck me into its believing abyss. AS gag.
co on it, il assumed all shapes, it was flying
eagle, or rather rock of the Arabian story-tel-
tiers, clapping its wings and screaming over
me. As looked upwards into it, it would APP
pear sometimes TO lengthen into Indefinite ex-
tent or to be twisted at the end into the spiral
folds of the tail ola flying dragon. Nor was
the flaming breath, or fey glance of that ia