The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1879-10-02
IN A LONDON SEWER.

IN \ LONDON SEWER.
II ARRIVED IN London from Austria
liza with sum of money belonging to a
mercantile house in which l was en-
ployed. My own purse was light, and
selected 4 cheap but respectable-look-
ing inn to put up at for the night.
I'm the sitting-room there were sew
eral gentlemanly-lookin men. who en-
tered into conversation with me. and l..
foolishly enough. while recounting my
adventures in Melbourne and its neigh
borhood. mentioned that had consid-
cradle sum of money with me.
AT the time they made no remarks,
but later in the evening they asked me
to partakc of some rum punch with
them. declaring they had never met with
a more intelligent and amusing COM
panion. and otherwise tlattered my
vanity.
Il could not resist long: but. almost
immediately after had tasted the mix
ture. drowSinesS came over me. and
it was with difficulty | could retain my
senses. 1t occurred to me at once that
the liquor had been drugged, and that
il was the intention of my present COM
panions to rob me of the money l had
imprudently confessed to have about
me.
Il determined, if possible. to balk
them. and without Il word took a can
die from the slab and staggered to nv
bedroom. | entered and locked the
door, and then the stupor overcame me.
l heard people ascending the stairs. l
heard people passing in the street, but
| was unable to move, or to call for
assistance. and l sank back insensible
on the bed.
when awoke where do you think
| wasp said the narrator. turning to
me. as l sat. with open mouth, listening
to his story.
Il don't know. I'm sure, sir. On the
floor?' asked l. timidly.
No: l was in the sewer!'
lin the -
Yes. in the black. noisOme cavern
You saw the entrance of just now. How
came there, | know not but there
was.
Luckily for me, had not fallen flat
upon the bottom. or should have been
Suffocated. NV head was resting upon
the brick-wOrk at the side but, as it
was. the water nearly reached my chest,
and my limbs were numbed from re-
naming so long in it. had no means
of ascertaining the time, and could not
guess how long had been in my gloomy
dungeon. [ strove too stand erect, but
nv legs were too weak to bear me, and
again | sank exhausted to the bottom.
Then came across my mind all the
horrors | had heard of the London
al, So. 81 tod IN,
them. and of the tierceness OF the rats.
| recollected, too, that. at high water in
the river, the sewers for some distance
were flooded: and. as all this passed
through my mind, l only saw a choice
of horrible deaths before me, and
called for help; but my cry was but re-
echoed by the endless brick vaults.
Il had heard wild, improbable sto-
ries of houses tenanted by London
banditti, in which were trap-doors in
the floor through which the pillaged
bodies Of their victims were thrust to
fall into the sewer beneath, and from
thence to be swept into the Thames.
WAS 1 one of these? In three or
four DAYS time would swollen, dis
coored body be washed up upon the
shoreo Would an inquest be held upon
it, and verdict of Found drownedr
returned?
Il felt that this would be the case,
and that the body would be mine.
Then my thoughts wandered, and l
remembered my acquaintance with the
Coroner of one of the metropolitan dis
tricts. Perhaps it might be in his juris-
diction. | should be cast up, and, if
so. wondered if he could recognize
me. Then composed my paragraphs,
such as may be seen continually in the
daily newspapers, of person unknown,
respectfully dressed, being found float
ing in the river In my minds eve |
read the description of my corpse,
watered outside the police station.
you may imagine those fancies of
mine were not calculated to make me
feel particularly jolly, and lay for
some time praying to Death to release
me from prolonged agony. After a
while, determined to make one great
effort for my life, and again rose to my
feet, and staggered along, feeling my
way against the wall, for not the small.
est ray of light penetrated to this
gloomy vault. Motion restored the cir.
culation to my legs, and, after a short
time, l felt hope revive within my
breast, for strength and activity were
returning to me.
II wandered about these gloomy
passages for many hours without dis.
covering a clew to guide me to any exit
| had passed where the rumbling noise
above me resembled distant thunder
which was caused, l imagined, by the
vehicles in some busy thoroughfare
but no grating let through light to me
Many times l stumbled and fell ovel
misshapen objects in my path. shud
dered as thought what they might be
was covered from head to foot will
mud and slime, and my clothes wer,
saturated with water.
Exhausted, again l sank down upol
the bottom of the vault, and stared va
cantly before me.
"Surely there was something NOV
ing upon the opposite wall, there wa,