The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1869-05-20
Skstebss, drrtAotts, 1T,


In my young days, bell-ringing was
men of - than it is now. Nobody, i
believe, practices it there at present ex~
cept the servants of the church, and the
melody has been much injured in conse-
quence. Some fifty years ago, about
twenty FIVE of us who dwelt IL the vcini-
ty of the cathedral, formed club, which
used to ring every peal that was called
for; and, from continual practice and ii
rivalry which arose between US and club
attached to another steenle, and which
tended considerably to sharpen our zeal,
we became very MOzarts on our favorite
Instruments. But my bell-ringing prac-
tice was shortened by a singular accident,
which not only stopped my performance,
but made even the sound Of bell terrible
i'll my ears.
One Sun day, / went with another into
the belfry to ring for noon prayers, but
the second stroke we had pulled showed
as that the clapper of the bell we were at
was muflled. Some one had been buried
that morning, and it had been prepared,
Of course, to ring a mournful note. We
Ctu nOL kHO" vi lHlS, Dul tIS tSUSuy Was
easy.
Jack said my companion, ''step up
to the loft, and cut off the hat for the
way we had of muffling was by tying
piece Of an old hat, or Of cloth (the form
cr was preferred), to one side Of the clap>
per, which deadened every second toll.
complied, and mounting into the bell
fry, crept as usual into the bell, where |
began to cut away. The hat had been
tied on in some more complicated manner
than usual, and L waa perhaps three or
four minutes in getting it off during
which time any companion below was
hastily called away-by a message from
his sweetheart, | belieYe--but that is not
material to my story. The person who
called him was brother Of the club, who,
knowing that the time had come for ring
ing for service, and not thinking that any
one was above, began TO pull. At this
moment l was just getting out, when l
felt the bell moving | guessed the reason
at once-it was moment of terror but
by hasty and almost convulsive effort,
Isucceeded in jumping down, and throw
ing myself on the fiat of my back under
the bell.
The room in which it was, was little
more than sufficient to contain it, the bot>
tom of the bell coming within a couple of
feet of the floor of lath. At that time l
certainly was not SO bulky as l am now,
but as lay it was within an inch of my
face. had not laid myself down sec
ond, when the ringing began. 1t was
dreadful situation. Over me swung an
immense mass of metal one touch of which
would have crushed me to pieces the
f1ooi under me was principally composed
of crazy latbs, and if they gave way, l
was precipitated to the distance of about
fifty feet upon loft, which would, in all
probability, have sunk under the impulse
of my fall, and sent to be dashed to atoms
upon the marble floor of the chanceI, a
hundred feet below. l remembered-fo
fear is quick in recollection-how a COM
mon clockwright, about a month before,
had fallen, and, bursting through the
floors of the steeple, drove in the ceilings
of the porch, and even broke into the mar
BILE tombstone of a bishop who slept be-
meath. This was my first terror, but the
ringing had not continued minute before
a more awful and Immediate dread came
on me.
The deafening sound of the bell smote
into my ears with a thunder which made
me fear their drums would crack /; there
was not fibre of my body it did not
thrill through. 1t entered my very soul;
thought and reflection were utterly ban
isbed only retained the sensation Of