The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-03-10
TOLD a CAPITOL TALE.
An Old Guide Relates an Incident OF
His Experience Years Ago.

From the Chicago Mad.
/ WASHINGTON, D. c., March 5.-Not
all-dozen people among the thousands who
daily pass from the Senate wing of the cap
ltol through the corridor, past the Supreme
| Court room and around the well to the
great rotunda have any idea that above
them IN the little round tops that crown the
well and corridor ceilings is curious maze
OF DARK, winding, gloomy passages and lr-
regular chambers that fairly rival the elias
seal labyrinth of my biology. In moving
stock Of tinle-staned documents filling
one of these round tops, the laborers dis
closed "a door that for ten years has never
swung upon its rusty hinges. The discovery
Of this forgotten exit served TO remind an
/ Ola guide who has piloted sightse rs about
the capitol for quarter Of century of an
incident which recalls wildly the romance
| OF Lady Ginevra, the misetoe Dough, and
the great oaken chest. Before the inven-
ton OF the electric light the great circles of
burners about the galleries of the dome and
The clusters about the ne ate and House
! skylights were LIMITED by an electric cur
| rent that flashed through a series OF wires
| leading from an enormous battery. This
| battery was located in the round top above
the well, and lined its cylindrical walls with
great generating jars.
One wmtry afternoon this guide began
VIC AOilS Ollb Oh Itl6
less bridal couples that every season make
Washington a mecca. The young man was
| an enthusiastic sight-seer, and as the guide
| pointed out the interesting features OF the
ascent he suffered his brides hand to slip
| from his arm and pressed on several PAGES
ahead, until q sudden turn in the stairs hid
nlm from her view. Piqued at his desertion
! Of her she toiled up the stairs alone, until
her eye fellupon door standing a jar at the
head of n short flight of steps leading off
to the right. In a spirit Of mischief she
ran up tile steps, pushed open the door, and
entered the electrical laboratory, resolved
to hide from her husband. Hardly a ray of
light penetrated the gloom of the chamber,
but for moment curiosity overcame her,
until with bang a strong d. aught swung
the heavy iron door shut with loud click
II the spring lock For moment she was
dazed, and then realizing that she was shut
In sprang to tie door and endeavored to
open 1t, beating upon its hard surface with
her little hands and crying loudly for help.
In the meantime her husband, who did
not for several minutes observe that she
was not following, had climbed from above
the laboratory, then calling to her and re-
ceiving no reply he hurriedly retraced his
footsteps, expecting to find her hiding be-
hind each angle of the descent. Becoming
thoroughly alarmed, he called her loud by
name: ANNIE! Annie! where are you?
The echo of his voice alone responded, and,
crazed with fear, he rushed up and down
the stairway shouting wildly for help to
find his lost wife. The guide endeavored to
calm him, but, breaking away from him, he
ran down the stairs to a sudden turn in the
flight, lost his balance and fell over the rail,
distance Of 30 feet, to the roof below The
guide climbed quickly down after him and
found him stunned by the fall. Sum
moning assistance he bore the lnsensible
man to a carriage and took him to his hotel,
where he lay unconscious for hours. Be-
lieving that the injured mans wife must
have found her way out of the building the
search for her was abandoned About 9
o'clock that night the electrical of the
capitol had occasion to visit the laboratory.
Fitting the key to the door and pushing it
open he was astonished to find woman
lying on the floor apparently dead. Raising
her carefully he bore her to the office of the
captain of the watch, where she was re-
suscitated. She was rapidly driven to the
hotel just in time to fail into her husbands
arms as he recovered consciousness.