The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-08-03
A NIGHT OF HORROR.


have passed through many a trying
scene in my life scenes wherein danger
lurbed and death smiled grimly. On
water and on land i have stood, as it
Were, face to face with that dread of the
human race. On the mighty ocean,
when our fair bark was tossed as if ii
were feather, 1 could gaze upon the
surging pillows with awe, aye, with ven
eratioa-for there amid the roaring OF
the tempest, the flashing of the waves,
saw the power and might of that Diety.
Death amid the storm and tempest,
the flashes of lightning and the roaring
of the thunder had no dread for me.
,HNo die ths7s, amid the war of the ele-
I1aSs1as, would be glorious triumph over
slow death
Why should l wIite this sketch Why
describe n night of horror the remem-
brance of which, although many years
have passed away, makes me shudder
.stili2 Is it because it lives in memory,
ZhSe some horrid specter? 1t may, how
ever, SEND to withdraw the mind from
thai odae fearful episode in my life,
which, like dark shadow, keeps out all
sunshine. To test theory, L send you
this sketch, for the memory OF that night
of horror.
Like ,dpsp that night and day
lFas'c0ld and ceasele.s, wears my heart away.
The State-House clock had struck
eight when the clerks left the office. |
renamed alone, as l had some import
ant business to transact, with which the
clerks had nothing to do. / locked the
front of the Office, and for one hour l
WAS busily employed at my work. In
one corner of the counting-house stood
my mammoth safe-a huge affair. |
prided myself on being the owner of the
fixture l could stand upright in it and
arrange my books and papers without
st0owug. 1t was small house or an
iron tomb, just as fancy might determine.
Near the safe stood au old-fashioned,
rickety bookcase F; a large, ponderous
piece of furniture. The safe door,
when opened came within few inches
of ii.
6t is necessary to mention this book
case, for had it not been there the adj
venture / am about to relate would never
have been written.
was inside the safe, putting in its
place the last book, when there came
sXpon ny ear the cry of "fire % followed
tv the rush of engines down the street.
Fastened for minute, and was III the
aet of leaving the safe, when-oh. hor-
orEthere came crash ! the book case
had fallen against the door of the safe,
and i66 spring was caught in the intri-
cate workings of the huge lock
Twas thus inclosed in a living tomb,
and as the dread sound echoed through
&, the safe I knew it was the knell of my
L cfn MT lxy
c,nfonnded, and when the true state of
1Iy situation was realized no tongue can
describe nor pen portray the remotest
itie1 of my feelings. Entombed, incased
IN sn mon coffin-all sound dead The
shout sent forth, as if it could be ever
heard, came back In reverberating echoes.
Then again all was still-still as death,
for my voice was hushed The few mo-
ments that had passed since my incarce-
ration seemed as though many years.
How would 1 die? Raving mad, per-
haps, or By immediate suffocation. AL
ready felt the presence of the con-
densed cir acting on my brain-already
Y felt Hle blood rushing in tumultuous
,x~rVes to my head To die thus, strug-
Cling for life in an iron vault, was awful.
Icalculated the hours, the minutes and
seconds before the time of the opening
the Office, and then-then-the key of the
safe-great Heavens 1T was in my
pocket, and there was no duplicate.
Hours and hours must pass away be-
fore the safe could be opened. Opened
by whom? The man who made it.
had no partner in the business; my
clerks would not suspect that anything
had occurred, and they would not at
tempt the opening of the safe until they
had beard from me. How in Heavens
name could that be? Never, never
Ts0nld they hear the sound of my voice
sagai1 l was there-death's prisoner il
an iron vault they knew it not mol
even imagined such horrible contin.
gency could be attached to my absence
Even II IL were so-even when the safe
Was opened. how would / appear &c
themE liieless corpse, or a ravine
maniac.
j did not shudder nor groan. All cor
poreal sensation was lost i'm that of tn,
btain. felt that death in some horri
HE shape was gathering it's shrout
around me. In my excited state mag
ined that all was over with me. How
should 1 meet DEATH Dash my brains
out against the iron-sided prison? No
no; not while reason remained. If
were to lie down with my face pressed {,
the floor, and remain there quietly, shu
my eyes and keep ont the Oppressive
lIaIBn ess, might / not Sleep 1 tire,