Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1886-01-16
A NIGHT OF TERROR.

Locked in q Room with Fierce Maniae-
Why . Girls hair Turned White.
Philadelphia News.
Piedmont, w. Va. January 5.-Beesie
Knowing, beautiful girl 19 years Of
age, ten years ago was invited to spend
the Christmas holidays with her aunt iv-
ing about ten miles from Harpers Ferry.
She accepted the invitation, and in due
time arrived at her destination. Several
otheral other guests had arrived week
previous, 80 that the house was literally
packed, leaving no accommodations for
another visitor. On the lawn short dis
lance from the mansion had been built q
one-room cabin. It had been comforta-
bly, furnished by the hostess in anticipa-
ton of an emergency of the present
character.
The hostess stated to her niece that
she would be obliged to place her tempo
rarily in this cabin unless she objected to
the arrangement. Bessie was naturally
of a bold, adventurous disposition, and
lacked the natural timidity OF most girls,
SO that che quietly agreed to the plan.
Tired out with her trip, she told her aunt
that she would like to retire early, SO a
fire was built on the cabin hearth, and
everything made comfortable for the
night. Bessie was accompanied by her
hostess to the cabin before she retired,
and sat with her for some time talking
over family affairs. As she started to
leave she discovered that, the bolt had
been broken off the door, necessitating
her locking the door on the outside to
keep everything secure. This she did
after bidding her niece an affectionate
good night.
Bessie fell into deep sleep, from
which she awoke near morning. She
heard something move once or twice
under the bed. She nearly tainted from
from fright, but, reassuring herself into
the belief that it was merely dog, turn
ed over to 60 to sleep. Suddenly she
felt the bed move, accompanied by loud
yawn. She lay in constant dread for
few minutes not daring to stir for fear
of betraying her presence, but finally
decided to make sudden dash and gain
the door and liberty. She was on the
point of putting her resolve into execu-
ton, when she suddenly remembered
that the door was locked on the outside,
and that she was practically a prisoner
and at the mercy of the unknown intru-
der. She laid quietly in bed, moving
neither hand nor foot, the horror of the
situation still increasing, till she feared
she would lose her reason. The seconds
and minutes dragged their agonizing
length along, till the first streak of day
light appeared. The monster several
times during these awful hours raised
the bed, causing its occupant to expert
ence untold agony of apprehension.
Finally the object crawled out from
under the bed. It proved to be man
othed in tatters, with fragments of
heavy iron shackles hanging to his wrists
and ankles. The hair and beard of the
strange visitor were tangled and unkempt,
the former hanging below his shoulders.
The brute stretched his full length out
by the fire and, giving grunt, of salts
faction, fell into deep sleep. The occu-
pant of the bed, realizing that at day
break she would inevitably be discovered,
cast her eyes wildly around for hiding
place. The heavily curtained recess in
one of the windows caught her eye, and
she instantly resolved to make an effort
to reach it. Raising herself quietly on
he hands, she crept noiselessly from the
bed, and reached the window in safety.
From this point of vantage she looked
with agonizing dread on the sleeping
brute.
Overcome with fatigue and fear, she
was almost in the act of sinking to the
floor, when she suddenly become aware
of the baying of the hounds and the
rapid hoof-beats of galloping horses
They approached nearer and nearer,
till she could distinguish the excited
voices of the riders. She realized sud-
denly that they were on the track of the
strange intruder, and silently prayed for
immediate succor. The voices died away
in the distance, grew louder and then
sank fainter, the alternate conflict of hope
and fear almost rendering her frantic.
They again approached closer, till they
seemed to be Just outside the cabin door.
While listening she had unconsciously
dropped the curtain folds from her face,
and suddenly glancing in the direction
of the fugitive, she saw that he also had
been awakened by the confusion, and
having risen to his feet, was glazing at
her face with an expression that left no
doubt as to his madness For moment
she gazed fxedly into his eyes, and then
made an involuntary movement toward
the door. The spell which had held the
maniac was broken, and he sprang to-
ward her with wild snarl.
The unfortunate lady gave scream
of despair and sank senseless to the floor.
As her eyes closed to Inconsistencies
she became dimly aware of a bursting
crash and terrific struggle around about
her. When she again came to she was
lying in bed in her aunt's residence,
surrounded by weeping relatives. The
terrible shock incident to the night of
horror resulted in an aggravated attack
of brain fever, the effect of which was
to unsettle her reason. The strangest
part of the story is that during her ILL
ness her hair, which was Of chestnut
tinge, began to change in color, and ul-
timately became white. The maniac was
the son of neighbor, and had been
4 IL