The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-03-13
A STRUGGLE FOR LIFE.

Up III great TOoley street warehouse,
six stories above the ground, and every
where around me wool--bales upon bales
of wool, which we had been craning up
all day, aud in Mt the open door. Floors
and doors beneath stored with jute and
dry goods, teas, coffees, spices, tobaccos,
and lowest of oil, ta'low in huge hogs
heads.
Riches from all parts of the world
lying on hand, and waiting the finish OF
the great commercial enterprise which
should consign them to traders, and
then to the people of this busy coun-
try.
Whats the matter with Jack Woodi''
said one of the men in the afternoon.
But excepting that he looked little
wild about tue eyes, / didn't see any
thing more about him than might often
be seen in men who drank heavily at
times; ard so | said. But at last, toward
evening, whenI was longing to get home
10 spend my evening, was left upon tue
floor with him, and felt bit startled to
see him go all at once TO the open door
where the crane landed the bales, and
cut some strange capers, like man
going to dive off board into the sea.
Putting down myywork, which was
getting ready two or three burst bales
from the hydraulic press, so that they
might be tied up again, slipped up
quickly behind him and laid my hand
upon his shoulder, wheE with yell he
shrieked ont "Devil! devil ~ and tho
next moment, by the light of the gas
on that foggy winter afternoon, we two
were wrestling and fighting together
within a few feet of tho door, out of
which we should have fallen clear a
hundred feet upon the stones of the
wharf below. s.s.
| should have shouted. but all my
powers of speech seemed taken away, as
locked together we wrestled here and
there while his hot breath hissed
against my cheek, and cculd look close
into his wild, glowing eyes, as flushing
with rage he bore me nearer and nearer
to the doorway.
Used as was at all times to standing
close to the edge and receiving packages,
l could lean over at all times without a
shudder; but now, with this mailman
slowly forcing me toward this certain
death, could feel the cold sweat stand
ing upon my face, and trembled so that
my resistance became feebler and fee
bier, and as last resource / managed to
get my leg between my opponent and
| tripped him. when he fell heavily.
Fortunately for Inc my enemy was
undermost, and the force with which
his head came against the warehouse
floor partly stunned him, so that |
sl,o0k myself free and turned back and
fed towards the stairs. But the next
moment thought of the open doorway,
and the state the poor fellow was in,
so | turned back to lock it, aud to ill.,
sure that he did not come to his death
by falling out before could got assist
| ance. .'
Ny hand was on the door, but l
could not close it, for Wood lay in the
way, and shuddering at how near he
lay to the gulf, stopped to draw him on
one side, when he started and seized me
again.
To beat rp his hands and turn and
flee down between the piled-up bales
was the work of IN instant, while, roar
ing with rage, could hear him tearing
after me- The stairs were pretty close,
but as ran oand the end of the bales
found the door closed, and had to dart
past to avoid being caught, when
turned down between another opening
of the bales and ran painting on.
Vast as the floor was, there was pass
age after passage between the wool,
which was piled up eight or nine feet
high, and | tore on i'll the hope OF so far
distancing my pursuer that | could
90 through the stair door, fastcn 10 after
me, and so escape or summon assistance.
On aud Oh / ran, now getting ahead,
and now with the painting breath close
to my shoulder, so that expected every
moment to feel q savage hand laid on
me to drag me down. At last he got so
near that his hand brushed ME, but with
yell of horror leaped forward again,
lodged around q corner, ran down a
short passage, and again on, past pill
lars and piles, when turning around l
found that | was alone; hurrying to
about the centre of the narrow pass
age between the high walls, l leaned
against the side painting and breath
less.
Now, if could but reach the door
while he was at the othec end," l
thought, 81 would be safe;" and kept
on, nervously watching the two ends Of
the passage lest j should be taken by
surprise, when to my horror, l saw by
the gas shining upon it, q savage head
peer round from the end nearest the
way of escape, watch me for moment,
and then disappear. 1t was now quite
dim and twilight in all the passages,
and my first impulse was to dart oil in
, the opposite direction, but Il little
, thought told me that perhaps the
wretch did not see me, and there.
; fore l had better stay where | was; aud
/ so | stood minute after minute, expect
ing to see him GENE round one end or
the other and dash down upon me.
f knew that about half-past five the
watchman would come round, and then
could give the alarm, andit wanted
nearly an hour of that time, and how
could hold out till that time could not
, tell, for the very thought of the narrow
! escape l had completely unnerved me-
/, aud overcome with fear could feel IN;
knees tremble and seem to give way be-
D meath my weight. - rE
f Five minutes passed-teu minutes
: and still no sound. My spirits rose 4
little and l began to hope that escape
was still possible, but abated nothing
} of my watchfulness. Another five min.
stes and had almost determined upon
trying to steal down toward the door
where the reflection of the gaslight
made the end of the passage quite
bright, while where l stood was in a
, fast deepening shadow. l took TIVE
3 steps forward noiselessly, aud then
: stopped with dead silence all around,
through which could hear the singing
of the gas, and the loud tbrob, throb OF
my heart. had somewhat recovered
= my breath, sinking silently on, every
now and then looking back to see that
there was no ono in pursuit. What
should have liked, and which would
have been in accordance with my feel,
, ings at that moment would have been
to dash forward, but kept down the
desire, and crept slowly on between the
two huge walls of wool-bales piled
, eight or nine feet high.
Only another three yards and here
3 stopped, trembling in dread lest Wood
.,,;,~L+ ha 1vafchipu for mo laaninu fnr.