The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1879-09-05

Dr. Snurnway's Odd Experience with his
Coincidence.

Conscience
A loud cfanc Of the bell Of the Dunn
vile Church land call the place Dunn
vile because that j. not its name) awoke
the people At midnight. The single
stroke was ike hard blow with a
slcdge-hammer, and the stiffness through
out the village had been perfect that
night. a. ON most nights The bell gave
out q tremendous dong. like a brazen
CIV OF terror Al the untimely blow. and
then, with shuddering reyerberation~.
became silent BY the time the inhabit-
anfs-@ome Of them summer visitors
like myself-were sitting up in their
beds, startled. wondering and wide
awake. Uncommon things are indeed
uncommon in this little New England
village. and within ten minutes after the
bell toIled one At midnight. dozen
hastily dressed men were At the church
door. Foremost was the sexton. bare
headed and barefcoted. wearing nothing
but red night-shirt and pair Of trou~-
crs. Next came the village lawyer, and
he was truly bareheaded, for he had
forgotten to put on his wig. All ques-
TONED the sexton. who could not give
satisfying answers. He had heard the
bell ring. and that was all he knew
about il. The group grew larger every
second, and gazed eagerly up at the
belfy.
lets 20 in,'' said the school
master.
.That's good idee. was the re-
Spouse. in tone that accorded praise %
the schoolmaster for Strtkingly novel
suggestion.
Fully a hundred men. women and
children went quietly toward the door n
the church. for women and children had
added themselves 70 the gathering 81
men: but not one entered. although the
door had been unlocked. There was
brirhs moonlight outside. while the i'm
terror was dark. and who knew what
dreadful thing might be in there' Ac-
ton was plainly expected II the sexton
and the schoolmaster- They met the
call with manifest reluctance. The sex
ton lighted lantern. and offered il q
the sehoolmasfer. who did not take H.
The trembling pair stepped he-itatingly
into the entry, and stepped out again a
Young fellow. who had recently acquir-
"a reputation for bravery by catching
runaway horse. was turned 70 in thi'
emergency. He had just come out ~ 4
sound sleep. and Al such time trifie'
impress IA with weirlness; but he made
a deceptive prctense Of fearlessne-S,
seized the lantern and entered thu
church. The sexton and the schoolmas
ter followed this leader, and other
followed them. The bell-rOpe wa
found hanging into the entry through
the hole IN the ceiling. a. usual. ThV
sexton pulled il. shyly ard gently a
first. and then hard enough 70 hay'
swung the bell against the clapper unde
ordinary. circumstances.
There's something wrong about tlr
bcll.'' he said; ..'Twon't turn
.Let's 20 up and see" said the suc
restiye schoolmaster.
However. the SchOOlmaster did M
lead the way. and the young man of r,
puted bravery again felt that he mu.
act or lei his reputation suffer stail
way led 10 the first landing in the ste,
pie. and a. far as that he was followe
BY a. many a. could crowd into 81
spase. A ladder reached the rest Of III
way up to where the bell was hung, mn
he climbed rapidly. while the othcl
strained their eyes with looking up
the light of the lantern that he carries
Timbers crossed the belfry. obstructin
the view; yet the folks on the platfor
below were a. quick n the climber
see that 4 black object was hanging ju
underneath the bell
.What's that? the sexton shoute'
The Young fellow held the lantern i
war;, the dangling object. which III III
instant turned slowly round. and all "a
that n was the body Of man hangir
by the ne X. The women screamed AL
turned their eyes away from the sight
face wrung BY the contortivc agoni
d death NJ stranrilafion; nut their q
riosity was stronger than their horro
and they quickly looked again.