The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1886-01-22

reaved man repeated more fully his
heartfelt thanks. But when the man
closed the door and stood alone in his
desolate rooms, the smile died away,
and, crossing the room to the window,
he look out at the cathedral tower, and
his face settled into stern, rigid LOOK,
as he slowly repeated the curse whose
utterance had dried the fountain of
his tears and set his brain on fire in the
thought of revenge.
DAYS passed, and the other tenants
Of the large hotel saw only a pale
faced, bereaved man, who came aud
went at irregular hours. He had been
a successful inventor. His inventions
had been doubly dear to him because
they had been helpful to his fellow
men, as well as remunerative to him.
self. One day, after weeks of painful
brooding, he opened his desk and took
out the drawings, over which he and
his loved wife had often communed, as
be had explained to her the reason and
purpose of his inventions. He laid
them on the glowing Goals and waited,
till even the ashes had disappeared in
the heat of the flame. He then turned
deliberately TO his desk, and with
trained, able brain, systematically
quickened by the cunning of madness,
began to solve the problem of securing
his revenge.
While he sat thinking, the bells rang
out their noisy clamor, as if to defy him
to do his worst, and with the popularity
of a maddened brain his fate fastened
on them, as though they had been per-
sonalities. The current of his hate was
turned from those who had refused to
silence the bells at his request, and
crystalized into q resolve to destroy the
bells. The problem now began to as
sumo a definite shape. The objects of
his revenge were entrenched in the
stone fortress of the cathedral, defend
ed by the common law of the city and
guarded by the officers of public safety.
All seemed to be combined against
him to prevent the execution of his
purpose. But obstacles increased his
determination, and so he pOndered I'M
til with the morning light came to
his mind the outlined plan, that in its
execution should not only destroy the
bells but make their destruction seem
to be penalty inflicted by supernatur-
al power. His effort should be not only
to secure his own revenge, but to Sc
cure in the future, for other sufferers,
the quiet and pity that had been denied
to him.
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cathedral and its surroundings, and as
a result of his observations he gave up
his suite of rooms &nd took two rooms
in the upper-story of large tenement
house on the same side of the street
and next to the cathedral. In these
rooms he found himself on a level with
the openings in the tower above which
the bells were hung. Through these
openings he could see the heavy beams
that served as braces to the tower and
as supports to the frame work of the
bells. After settling his rooms he De
gan the solution of the problem. He
first constructed a powerful cross-bow
and attached a strong though fine silk
en- cord to the arrow. For several
nights he practiced with this weapon,
until he could without fail, fasten the
arrow firmly in the wooden beam of the
tower and yet pull it back with the
silken cord into the window.
His next experiment was to take
heavier arrow with a pulley-wheel
sunken in the shaft, so that by means
of an endless cord running through
the pulley he could convey package
from his window to the beam in the
tower. After considerable practice he
found himself able to send the arrow
without fail into the beam and work
the cord, He had thus secured a GER
tain means of communication with the
tower. He then prepared six arrows
with the pulley and cord attachment.
His unbalanced mind found intense
satisfaction in these experiments and
their success. 1t enabled him to wait
and watch for dark nights, in which to
perfect his aim by continued practice,
and stimulate him to complete his task.
Satisfied that he had secured a relia-
bic means of conveying small packages
within the tower at his pleasure, he
turned his attention to the manufacture
of six powerful tOrpedoes. His in
ventive powers and skill in chemistry
made this a comparatively easy task.
Buying the needed chemicals in differ
ent parts of the city and at different
times and in varied quantities, in two
weeks he had accumulated a sufficient
amount, and in another week had pre-
pared six powerful torpedOes. He
then prepared two electric batteries
and sufficient insulated fine copper
wire to make connection with two of
the torpedoes, after he had placed
them in position in the tower. He was
now already for the attack, but the
fine days and nights of spring and
early summer brought refreshing
showers in the day time, while the
nights were clear and starlit. Still the
man waited with the patient cunning
of a distempered brain, never swerying
from his purpose. The balls clashed
in noisy tumult day after day, but he
would stand quietly at the window
with his gaze fixed on the tower.
At length in midsummer, at the
close of sultry day, the horizon grew
dark with heavy masses of storm
clouds, and lightning CLEANS could be
seen shooting across their growing
darkness. The distant but heavy roll
of thunder seemed almost continuous.
Carefully, the man made his prepare
tons that he might be ready to seize
the opportunity that the coming storm
promised to give. His face grew paler,
as he arranged the arrows and their
cords, and carefully laid the torpedoes
on the table, and then prepared the
batteries. The air became more sultry
and oppressive during the evening, and
towards midnight, the flash of light
ming followed almost Immediately by
the peal of thunder, announced
that the storm had reached the city.
Taking up the crossbOw and resting
it on the sill of the window, he sent
the arrow with its double silk cord out
into the darkness. His former prac-
tice bore good fruit, for as he straight
ened the cord and pulled on it, it
showed that the arrow was firmly fast
ened in the beam of the tower. Six
times he sent a silent arrow on its mis-
sion, and in this way formed, in a few
moments, six lines of communication
with the fortress of his enemies. TAX
ing up one of the torpedoes from the
table, he fastened it to the cord of one
of the arrows, and with a steady pull,
carefully measuring the length of the
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