The Forrest City times., 1888-04-07
LOST IN THE BIG DONE.'
A Romance of the Capitol at
 Washington.

Washington.
 How Sightseeing Bride Was Locked Up fin
 s Dark Passage-The Frantic Groom's
 Fearful FAn-The Happy Denouement
 A Washington correspondent of The Aew
 York World writes;
 Not s half dozen people among the thous-
 snds who daily pass from the Senate wing of
 the Capitol through the corridor past the su-
 preme court room and around the well to
 the great rotunda have any idea that above
 them in the little round tops that crown the
 we'll snd corridor ceilings is curious maze
 of dark, winding, gloomy passages and irregu-
 lar chambers that fairly rital the classical
 labyrinth of mythology. The great demand
 for space in which to store the immense
 quantities of government publications an-
 uually issued has finally eneroached upon these dlmly lighted recesses, and to-day q stranget would quickly lose himself in these
 veritahls estaeornbs piled high with dusty
 volumes that were ola when the war of the
 rebellion was the sensation of tbo dsy. Eco
 ple who have climbed the winding, kigssg
 stairway to the tholus of the dome on which
 stands the Goddess of Liberty quickly lose
 the points of the compass, and would never
 imagine that at any point in the ascent they
 pass near the miniature labyrlnthine
 chambers.
 In moving a stock of time-stained doc uments filling one of these round tops yester- day the laborers disclosed door that for ten years has never been swung upon it's rusty hinges. 1t is 9ery hesvy iron affair and guard. the passageswsy with \ spring lock
 and stout iron bar. Years ago h opened upon an upper landing of the stairway to tho dome. but for the last decade veteran Archi
 tect Clark says it has never stirred so much
 as to shake of the cobwebs with which 1t Is
 now festooned.
 The discovery of this forgotten exit served
 to remind an old guide who has piloted sight seers about the Capitol for quarter Of century Of su incident which recalls Tividiy tbe romance ot lad, tiinesrai the mistetoe
 bough and tho great oaken chest Before the invention of the electric light the great eirc,e of burners about the galleries of the dome and the clusters about the Senate and House skylghts were ignited by an electric current that flashed through a series Of wires leading
 from an enormous battery. This battery was located n the round top above the we'll and lined it's cylindrical walls with great general ing jars
 One wintry afternoon, but few minutes before the hour set for the closing of the dome stairway, this guide began the iong ascent pilotlng enc Of the numberless bridal couples that every season make Washington
 Mecca. The young man was an enthusiastic slghtseer 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 psees ahead, until l sudden turn in the staifs hid him from her view. Piqued at his desertion of her. she
 toiled up inc stairs alone until her eye fell mp on a door standing ajar at the head of ehoft flight Of steeps leading of to the right In | spirit of mischief she ran up these steps pushed open the door and entered the electr- | cal laboratory, resolved to hide from her husband. Hardly ray of light penetrated | the gloom of the Chamber, but for moment | curiosity overcame her, untfl with bang | draught swung the heavy iron door shut yitn | loud click of the spring lock. For | moment she was dazed, and then realizing 1 that she was shut in, sprang to the door ana | endeavored to open 1t, beating upon It's hard ! surface with her little hands and crying loud 1 ly for help.
 Many minutes that seemed 10 her hours she 1 tugged at the heavy fastening Of the door and l called vainly to her husband for assistance. "Help me- Albert, help mep' she cried, but | her voice hardly penetrated the stout door, | | cesscs above her. She pressed her ear against | the cold iron of the great lock, and her heart almost stopped its beating as she listened in' | iently for approaching footsteps. Once or l twice she heard footballs echoing down the iron stairway, but though che cried aloud for | help they passed on and were lost in the ! depths below. She then sprang up and ran 1 aInlessy about the chamber. On all sides | dark passages led her into narrow winding re- | cesses that stopped In thtck dead walls fi- l sha harw wa hapk l the door through which she entered, and fell l fainting against 1t.
 | In the mean time her htebsnd, who did not | for several minutes observe that she vas not
 following, had climbed from above the iaofa- | tory. Then calling to her and receiving no | reply he hurriedly retraced his footsteps, ex- | pected to find her hiding behind each angle Of
 the descent. Becoming thoroughly alarmed | he called her loudly by name. Annie. An | nie where are youln The echo Of his voice | alone responded, and crazed with fear he | rushed up and down the stairway shouting | wildly for help to fpd his lost wife. The | guide cndeavored to calm him, but breaking away from him be ran down the stairs to | sudden turn in the flight, lost his balance and 1 fell oyer the rail distance of thirty feet to | the roof below The guide climbed quickly down after him and found him stunned by l the fall Sunmoning assistance he bore the | Insensible man to carriage and drove him to l his hoteL where he lay unconscious for | hours
 Believing that the injured mans wife mnst | have found her way out of the building the l search for her was abandoned. At about | o'clock that night the electrca of the Cap | itol had occasion to visit the laboratory. Fit | ting the key in the door, he pushed it open | and was astonished 10 find woman lying on
 the floor apparently dead. Raising her care i fully, he bore her to the office of the captain
 of the watch where she was speadily resusci
 ated. Though suffering greatly from the
 shock Of her fright, her sole anxiety was foi | her husband, and entering carriage she wal
 rapidly driven to the hotel just in time to fall
 into his arms as he recovered consciousness.