The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1880-09-30
A LIVING TOMB.

LIVING TOMB.
1.-THE Catacombs of Paris, ughr' said
my companion, with . shiver Of dread.
why" I said, laughingly, "you
speak as though you had been immured
.And SO I was for an actual forty
eight hours, which seemed more like
forty-eight centuries to me. don't
like to speak Of it even ut this remote
period" said he, and he shuddered
visibly.
"Ifs scarcely fair to 60 so far and
then fail to satisfy my curiosity after
ALL" replied. "H you have been
placed in 30 novel q position as your
hint would imply. do manage to pocket
your distaste Of the subject, and give
me the benefit Of your experience"
"Well." he said, after . pause, cit
was in the year 1856. was q much
younger man at the time, and advent
ure had not lost its charm for me. I
was passing through Paris, when
friend asked me to Join their party to
the Catacombs. As it was . difficult
matter even then to gain access to this
part Of the great city. gladly accept
cd, thinking would manage to COM
DINO Ou8lu0SS VIII pi0osuH0 SPCu0-
ing an hour in the underground inspec-
ton. and still leave myself time to
catch the London train. Imention this
fact rs it illustrates upon what small
hinges serious events turn, for il had
not said the following words to the cab
man who took me to the entrance, /
should never have had to endure what
am about to tell you. These words
were, If do not return in an hour
you are discharged So saying, paid
the man in advance for waiting, and
followed my party to the entrance-door,
which was of heavy wood. had
iancied that an hours exploration
would satisfy me, and If had q cab
ready I could catch the one o'clock
train, whereas, should / find the in
spection sufficiently attractive to occupy
more time, would then defer my de-
parture till evening.
Everybody knows that the Cata-
combs of Paris were originally the stone
mines which supplied the city's build
ing material, so Paris, 1t has been aptly
said. Il built of her own eutrails.
"A dismal. grim place are these
Paris Catacomhs-albeit monotonous.
When Napoleon. at the beginning Of
this century. decreed extramural inter
ment, the bones of centuries were
moved into the Catacombs, and mill
ions of bones of dead French were car
ried there and fantastically arranged,
so the visitor passes between two walls
which seem to stare at him with q
1hastly blind stare. The black gloom
OF the place; the mystery of its count
less and impenetrable ramidcations; it:
numberless skeletons, grotesque and
"a hA md
to stare and watch and follow you a
Won PASS: the damp malarial breath o.
the vaults. intensified by the confined
atmosphere; the wet rock below; thu
consciousness that you are cut of, q
it were, from the rest of the world; i
your guide takes . wrong turn out o
the hundreds that present themselve
you are likely to be irretrievably lost
rs no sound you can utter can reach tn
upper air; all these considerations op
4 crate to make Q visit to the Catacomb
absolutely appalling, though this sam
feeling of terror possesses fascination
of almost unappeasable longing to pen
citrate further and further into the un
known depths
However, half an hour was quit
enough to satisfy me, and began +
long restlessly to be of. The rest 9
the party, however, were not so easil
satisfied, and urged me to proceed wit
them, hooting at the idea of my bein
able to find my way back alone.
I'VE each carried Q little lamp, an
by the light of mine 1 consulted m
watch. and finding I had still time
get back to my cab and catch the trair
asked the guide if could not i'm
my way back to the entrance.
"sPerhaps so, monsieur he repliet
but 1 advise monsieur not to attemI
it.
$50 I Jagged ON In the rear Of Il
party, still undecided whether to tai
the guides advice or to act out m
I'VE were passing through man
transverse passages, intersected at re!
ular intervals by smaller streets, cour
and alleys, when, - the lamps of n
compauions crossed one of these inte
sectional cuttings, l noticed, q few stel
ahead of me along the passage, an II
mense skull in which all the teeth we
singularly perfect and cleaning with
daxzling white. I went nearer to !
spect the skull moro narrowly, when,
had my face close to it, . horrible n
frightened ut my presence, leaped n
AGAINST nv chest I am almost asham'
to say that I was paralyzed for the m
mont and felt as though had be-
shot. We Ill have our antipathies. a
NV sutipathy is rats. 1 abhor thel
and the sudden appearance and tou
of this rat % unexpected must ha
caused me to faint
.sAt any rate. when my senses car
to me again was utterly In the oai
Ablackness that could almost Dc y
enveloped me on every side, while
dead silence pervaded everything
afew moments. think, lost conscio,
ness again. am not sure on g
point, however, for 1t may have be
minutes, or hours, when slight mu
bling overhead caused me to grasp
full truth of my position. as recogniz
the rolling Of passing carriage o'
my living tomb.
Thai my friends were not near
was certain.
s.Hsd they discovered my loss eve
II thev had. they would naturally lc
Tor ms near the spot where they
~-He- and = that case. why had Il
rox found -, for was still In
rlsce vhero I hnd fnintedf BY degr
fhe horrIk1o fruth began to dawn W
~. they h.A thought after calling
- and receiving no answer that
tried to make my way TO the entran
md vhen they had reached it. the n
hsvine expired. the driver being go
thsv Ssd believed him to have taken
70 the station. and 90 supposed me
INV road to London;
lit caused me no little eh1ss % 70 In sn
an the despair that this terrible IN ENG
edge forced upon me- and 70 W