The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1886-08-01

quarters--one, two, three, four; and then in
deeper tones the hour itself--7. And now,
when the ringing sound Of the last note had
died away, the bells Of the carlton began 10
chime. The notes fell on my ears with the
same singular and unaccountabls distinct
ness which had observed in the striking
of the hour. They chmed the evening
hymn.
Very suddenly n strange thought struck
me, causing me TO raise my eyes toward the
ceiling Of my cell. In my present position
| could Just perceive the faint CLEAN Of light
discernible far up through the interspace
between the roof aud the wall, hut the roof
itself was buried In darkness. rose SLOWLY
TO my feet, and the scarcely formed conjec-
ture of my mind was instantly confirmed.
As had expected, I could no longer stand
erect; my head now struck the roof. The
whole truth flashed at once across my mind.
| now saw clearly the explanation Of what
had before astounded and perplexed me.
saw why the roof did not touch the walls of
the inclosure. why II was formed Of massive
iron-it was descending.
descending During the hour had
remained seated the roof had sunk through
a space of fully four inches. But this dis
covery, when now I made II, so far from
causing me perplexity, at once revealed to
.me the whole mystery Of my prison.
The distinctness Of sound with which the
Ginning of the bells reached my ears had
already told me that the belfry must be
situated directly above my head. now
perceived that what had taken for a solid
heavy roof was In fact the massive and enor
nous weight Of the great clock. was i'm
prisoned in the bottom Of the shaft into
which the weight descended. The ponder
| Gus block Of solid metal was falling at the
rate of about four inches an hour, or rather
| more. In less time than II takes to trace
these words the consequence OF this flashed
through my mind. In fifteen hours the
weight would descend through a space Of
Ave feet. Long before could expect release
the enormous mass would be upon me-, and
woud crush me helplessly against the pave.
ment Of my prison.
| My sensations upon making this discovery
will not attempt to describe. Often-very
oiten-in the course of my life have I had
occasion 10 remark the truth Of the saying,
"The avenues that lead 10 death are numer.
Gus aud strange" Little did think how
nearly was myself TO afford an example Of
Its truth. Yet surely no mortal was ever
before the victim of an accident sO wildly
singular and so full of horror There the
great weight was before me. Slowly, surely,
IL was creeping downward. Aud slowly aud
surely II would still creep downward In the
darkness and silence Of the night.
And far up in the soft air of sunset the
BELLS were still ringing the evening hymn.
| The suidennass. the uuexpectedness Of
what had happened, had formed no small
part Of its effect upon my mind. Yet mp to
this time my adventure, though not such rs
ono wOnld have chosen to undergo, had had
nothing in II portsntonsly alarming. 1t was
disagreeable enough, undoubtedly, to be
forced against mes will to put mp with such
a lodging for the night. But what was the
discomfort of my situation, had that been
the worst IL had Ia store for mo, compared
with the horror of 1t now
For many minutes after making this dis
covery remained motionless, striving vainly
to realize the most singular yet deadly peril
which threatened me. / do not know how
long 1t was before 30 far recovered my fac
ulties as to became capable Of thought. At
length, rousing myself by an effort TO exam
inc whether any way of escape lay open to
ma, turned my attention to the interspacs
between the weight and the wall, Int it was
far, very far, too narrow to admit of the pas
sage of my body. Thsn-to such extr-mi.
ties may desperation drive its victims--I
thought Of attempting to arrest the great
weight by supporting it with my stick as il
descended. might as we'll have attempted
to support falling avalanche.
Then an idea occurred to my mind which
brought with it CLEAN of hope. thought
it possible that by applying my strength to
the weight itself might be able to impart
to 1t by slow degrees swinging motion, like
that of pendulum and this bsing contia.
ued might at length bring the pondrrous
mass in contact with the door, and so burst
1t open. Raising myself from the floor of
the cell. upon which ! had again sunk
down, applied my strength to the weight,
and by exerting all my energy in success
sion of rhythmcal impulses gradually sue
ceeded in impariing to It an almost imper-
ceptitls movement. Gradually this in
creased. and but for an unforeseen circnm
stance the scheme might have hesn sue vss-
ful. But presently found that thu weight
did not hang exactly in the centre of the
shaft. The consequence of this was that II
struck the wall Opposite the door before 1t
reached the door itself. Tue extent of its
swing being thus checked, my utmost efforts
failed TO bring it into contact with the door.
The attempt had therefore to bs abandoned,
aud hope again di-d within me.
Hnpe died within me-. And now my SEN
sations we're those of extreme horror and
iismay. for the arst time felt the Ger.
mn. In paroxysm of despair flung my
self again npon the floor of my prison, and
lay there without motion.
will not dwell upon the long hours that
| fOlOwsd-thOsa hours of more than mortal
agony of mind. 1t happened that had
lately been reading an account OF travslsr
who had persisted in a quicksand. The time
of the accident was on summer evening,
when the sun was sinking, and the lonely
shore was bathei in rosy light. The spot
where II occurred was we'll known to ms, and
after reading ths account had end-avored,
10 that unreasoning spirit which sometimes
leads The mind to dwell on horrors, to real
izs In fancy the sensations of the victim, as
inch by inch and foot by foot, in fill sight
of the frss ocsan aud the glOrious sun, the
trsaciisrOus qnicksand drew him downward
d0wnward-tO his doom.
What the sensations attending such q
death must bs conld then but f-ebly real
liza. know them now.
know them now. The sensations OF
those who have stood face 10 facs with death
for hours, watching with starting eyes his
slow approach, ara TO ma no mystery. But
the mind Of man has msrcifully bssn so or
dsred that agony prolonged beyond q certain
point ends in bsnnmbing the power of feel
ing. Thus 1t Is that criminals condemned
to execution often sleep soundly and eat
, with sppstits-a fact which seems amazing
, to ,hoss who consider how comparatively
slight a degree of mental distress has power
, To rob the night Of rest and to turn ths
, dsintisst food to poison. They do not rs'
fleet that mental agony In its extremity
CEASES TO bs felt. But thus II Island thus
II was with me.
I bsliavs also that the air Of the shaft mns
, have acted upon ms with some stnpsfyine
or bswildsring influence, like that of til.
vapor which often gathers at the bottom o
old wells. The agitation Of mind gradually
gave place to a strange feeling or inditfsr
) ence. The peril under which lay ceased
( to trouble me-, and at last no longer occupied
> my thoughts.
I began instead to be curiously disturbsd
Z by another circumstances, very trivial In II
self; by sonnd, which reached my senses
from somewhere In the stiffness
l sound low, unified, throbbing, and mysis
0 rious, like the beating Of my own blood. iia'
0 my mind bsen clear | aonld not long hav,
I failed to recognize 1t for what It was. TIL
sound seemed In my ears, but this wa