Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-12-21
ADARKEY,S ADVENTURE.
A Trip in an Elevator, and Almost a
Leap to Death.

A Trip in an Elevator, and Almost a
Leap to Death.
With visions Of sand-baggers, MUIR
derers, garroters, robbers and thieves
floating through his disordered mind, saws
the New Orlean PtCdyane of Dec. 10, a
country negro on Monday last arrived in
New Orleans, to collect some money due
him as a section hand on the Illinois
Central Railroad. Some one directed him
to the Cotton Exchange, where the office
of the company is located, and the darkey
wandered all around the first floor in
search of the Paymaster, without finding
him, however. He finally reached the
rear end of the building, and espying a
door open, which led into a snug little
room lighted with gas, with a neat, clean
and comfortable looking bench running
across at one end, the darkey concluded
that this was walting-rOom, such as are
common at the little way stations on the
railroad, and he unhesitatingly walked
in.
A white man was sitting on a stool in
one corner and he asked the darkey what
he wanted.
''The Paymaster of the jackson Road"
he replied.
He did not up to this moment suspect
this individual of any bad intentions to-
ward him, and therefore stretched forth
his enormous feet and leaned back COM
fOrtably in his seat.
He was no sooner safely enscOnced
when the white man jumped up, pulled
an iron wire door shut with a clang,
snatched hold of q rope, ana before the
negro could catch his breath he was
whirIed upward through dark passage at
what he considered terrific rate of
speed.
In an instant it flashed through his
mind that this was some Internal cOntri-
vance to twist him up to some place
above, where he could be comfortly muir
dered and quartered, perhaps, without
any one knowing what had become of him.
His astonishment gave way to terror, and
as the elevator hadreach thef0urth floor the
darkey was on his feet. The white man
pulled open a door and with bound the
now thoroughly frightened.negro sprang
out into the hall.
Following his nose he ran into tele-
phone box just as a call was being rung.
aud with a yell of mortal terror he rushed
back into the hallway. He then ran back
screaming "murder' at the top of bic
voice. He made for a window opening on
Varieties Alley, and in the room of Mr..
O'Shaughnessy, secretary to Supt. g. Nj.
Sheafe, of the Illinois Central Railroad.
By this time the clerks, having heard
his cries, had rushed out into the hallway,
and the sight OF so many faces only in
tensified his fears, and when Willie Flynn
attempted to seize him he made sure that
he had fallen into the haunts of a gang of
brigands.
The negro reached the window, threw
up the sash, and was about to jump out
from the fourth story into the alley below,
when Mr.. Flynn and the colOred porter
reached his side and seized him. The
negro yelled for mercy, but when he saw
the porter, he became somewhat reas-
sured, and permitted himself 10 be led to
the stairway, and he went down three
steps at time and has not been seen
since.
He will doubtless return to his country
home and relate to awe-strieken friends
what a narrow escape he had from being
murdered and chopped into mince meat.