Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1885-08-10

contemporary account was published
which was brought up and suppressed by
the family of the chief actor in the drama.
As usual in such cases, q few copies escaped
destruction, and from one of these Mrs.
Grove obtained the information given in
her book.
"Some ninety years ago there hourished
in Glasgow club of young men which,
from the extreme proaigacy of its memb ers,
and the licentiousness of their orgies, was
commonly called the He'll Club. Besides
weekly meetings they held one grand an
nual saturnalia, in which each tried to ex-
ceed the other in drunkenness and BIAS
phemy; and on these occasions there was
no star among them whose lurid light was
more conspicuous than that of young Mr.
Archibald, who, endowed with brilliant
talents and a handsome person, had held
out great promise in his boyhood, and raised
hopes which were completely frustrated by
his subsequent reckless dissipations. One
morning after returning from this annual
festival Mr.. Archibald, having retired to
bed, dreamed the following dream
"He tancied that he was mounted on Ia.
vorite black horse that he always rode, and
that he was proceeding towards his own
house, then country seat emboWered by
trees and situated on hill now entirely
built over and forming part ofthe city, when
stranger, whom the darkness of the night
prevented his distinctly discerning, sudden
ly seized his horses reins, saying, You
must 90 with me- And who are you,' ex-
claimed the young man, with volley OF
oaths, while he struggled to free himself.
NLot will hy md hu rpf1Jrnn1 the
other, in tone that excited uncomfortable
terror in the youth, who, plunging spurs into
his horse, attempted to fly. But in vain,
however fast the animal flew, the stranger
was still beside him, till at length, in his des-
perate efforts to escape, the rider was thrown,
but instead of being dashed to the ground,
| az he expected, found himself falling, fall
ing, as if sinking into the bowels of the
earth. At length, an end being put to this
mysterious descent, he found breath to in
ouire of his companion, who was still beside
him, Where am I? Where are you taking
me p he exclaimed To hell y replied the
stranger, and Immediately intermnable
echoes repeated the fearful sound, TO hell
To hell =
SAT length light appeared, which soon
increased to blaze; but instead of the cries
and groans and lamentings the terrified
traveller expected, nothing met his ear but
sounds of music, mirth and jollity, and he
| found himself at the eutrance of superb
building, far exceeding any he had seen con-
structed by human hands. Within, too,
what scene No amusement, no employ
ment or pursuit of man upon the earth, but
was here carried on with vehemence that
excited his utter amazement. There the young
and lovely still swan through the mazes of
the giddy dance There the painting steed
still bore his brutal rider through the ex-
citement OF the goaded race. There, over
the midnight bowl, the Incorporate still
drawed out the wanton song or maudlin
blasphemy. The gambler piled forever his
endless game, and the slaves Of Mammon
toiled through the eternity at their bitter task
| while all the magni6cence of earth paled
before that which now met his view. He
soon perceived that he was among former
acouantances whom he knew to be dead,
and each, he observed, was pursuing the
object, whatever it was, that had for
merIy engrossed him; when, finding him
self relieved of the presence of his con-
ductor, he ventured to address his former
friend, Mrs. D., whom he saw sitting as had
been her wont on earth, absorbed at loo, re-
uuesting her to rest from the game and in
troduce him to the pleasures of the place,
which appeared to him to be very unlike
what he had expected, and, indeed, a very
agreeable one.
But with cry of agony, she answered
that that there was no rest in hell that they
must ever toll on at those very pleasures,
| and innumerable voices echoed through the
interminable vaults "There is no rest in
hell |" whilst, throwing up their vests, each
disclosed in his bosom an ver-burning
| A. tLnxy eaSI ro YlIn no NJ rpG
of hell; their choice on earth was now their
inevitable doom. In the midst of the hor-
ror this scene inspired, his conductor re-
turned and, at his earnest entreaty, restored
him again to earth; but, as he quilted him,
he said Remember, in year and day
we meet again !! At this crisis of his dream
the sleeper awoke feverish and i'll; and
whether from the effects of the dream or OF
his preceding orgies, he was so unwell as to
| be obliged to keep his bed for several days,
during which period he had time for many
serious reflections, which terminated in q
resolution to abandon the club and his IL
centious companions altogether.
"He was no sooner well, however, than they
| focked round him, bent on recovering valua-
BILE member of their society," and having wrung
from him confession of the cause of his defec'
tion. which, as may be supposed, appeared to
them eminently ridiculous, they soon contrived
to make him ashamed of his good resolutions. He
ioined them again, resumed his former course Of
life, and when the annual ssturnala came round
found himself with his glass in his hand, at the
table when the President rising to make his ac
customed speech, began by saying, Gentlemen
this being leap year, it is a year and day since
our last anniversary ETC. etc The words strHeh ps
| upon the young mans ear like kneii out
ashamed to expose his weakness TO the jeers ol
his companions, he sat out the feast, plying him
self with wine even more literally than usual, u
order to drown his intrusive thoughts, till 'n tnt
gloom of winters morning he mounted III:
horse to ride home. Some hours after the horse
was found with his saddle aud bride on, qulell!
wait;np by the roadside, about half way between
the CITY and Mr.. Archibald's house, while lev
wards off lay the corpse of his rider"