Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1889-10-04
ouno. In rn1s we could watch unop-

ground. In rn1s we could watch unop-
served.
At 1 o'clock there were two men lounging
Oh the opposite side of the street. The crowd
of twenty l had first seen had dispersed. The
two were presently joined by three or four
others, who, passing, had stopped to joke
with them, and had staid like men who ex
pect some small spectacle and stop to catch a
glimpse of it, if they happen to. be in no
haste. Occasionally one would start on. The
group continued to grow slowly. At 1:15
there was again q score. About this time
glanced up and down the street, and counted
dozen more in doorways. Turning my
eyes again to tho original group, was sur
prised to see it had been augmented by
half hundred. The gathering now became
rapid At LEO there may have been a hum
bred people in sight; five minutes doubled the
number From every quarter men and wo-
men began to stream in. All halted in sight
Of our door, but no one approached it. 1t
was plain, Noble observed, they all came as
spectators merely. The attention of the
crowd was divided between our house and a
neighboring steple clock. Two o'clock was
approaching. As for our house, it stood be-
fore the crowd, large, plain stone structure,
every curtain drawn and no sign of life
within.
The third quarter struck. Then on every
hand the crowd broke into rush for posi-
tions before the door. They instantly lost
the appearance q spectators and became n
mass of eager men struggling for first places.
Noble and looked into each others eyes; ip-
stantly, with that moment, we saw the ami
hilation of our fortunes. l clasped my
Sc bo,
we went to the library. Without a word
Noble wheeled table into the middle of the
floor, seated himself, took out a check book
and laid it open before him. l made quick
calculation, from my best knowledge, of the
amount of our joint fortunes, handed it to
him. and, gathering the servants, gave them
some brief instructions When I got back
to my seat at the window the crowd had
grown till its limits could not be seen. Fill
ing the street, not a long one, it reached
from end to end and from wall to wall, and
I Judged by the sounds that more were gath
ering around the corners and in the adjacent
thoroughfares.
You may have seen throng before lot
terry wheel, impatient, excited. Some such
an aspect had the mob before our door, save
that it was far more immense, far more ex-
cited. There was occasional laughter, such
as we hear from drunken men. Every man
acted as one partially deranged; it was ap-
parent that the strangeness of the situation
had its effect ON the crowd. Two o'clock
struck. The first stroke of the bell was hard
ly heard for the murmur and excitement;
the second stroke fell upon the throng, as
still as though that second every man had
been turned into corpse. Every eye was
upon the door. Not a motion was visible
about the house. The door was unlocked
and servant stood behind it, but made no
sound; not curtain stirred.
I had expected, when a little time had
passed. and it was seen that the door was not
to be thrown open, that there would be q
rush, and it would be pushed in. So pres
emily observed that those far back now be-
gan to push forward. Those nearest the door,
too, crowded upon the stoop; but there every
man looked to his neighbor to first put hand
to the door, but none did it. Then a terror
seized them and ran back through the peo-
pie, and they fell back. Then arose great
cry could not make out what it was, but
in the midst of it the first quarter struck.
| Then there silence, and for long time
they did nothing but wait, each for the other,
the crowd behind upbraiding those in front for
not pushing in. Our quiet house terrified
them by its very stiffness and helplessness.
Again those in the rear and on all sides
began crowding forward After two OF three
starts they surged forward but only for a
| few feet, those in front Immediately pushing
| back This wave like movement was repeated
several times, the last time the reacting surge
placing those in front farther back than ever
They stood thus for moment when the half
struck. Then they crowded again forward,
but no man put hand on the door. Up to
this time there had been an appearance of
good nature and raillery, though underneath
it was an intense earnestness; but now they
broke out into quarreling. Blows were ex-
changed, and dark looks were everywhere
but nothing was done beyond an occasional
surge for the door and a sweep back.
Three-quarters past, and it was almost g.
when q single man assembled the steps and
Knocked. The mob was breathless. The door
was silently opened, the man went in or was
pulled in, and all was as before. Then what
cry went up! And what silence follow
ed! But no second man offered to go in. The
first would be out presently, and would tel
what he had seen. But ten, fifteen, twenty
minutes elapsed, and he did not reappear
The silence was profound. Half past 3, and
still no sign. A shiver passed through the
throng. Not many but thought of a possible
tragedy on the other side Of that mysteriou:
door. The truth is the man had been usher
ed into the library, where he saw sedate
gentleman of 30 sitting behind table, who
asked him simply if he brought a statement
of his debts. For a reply he presented it
The amount was small, and the gentleman
laid aside his check book and handed him the
sum in gold He was then invited to pas
...4o H. oIs oc1o, 10 h. -
he was requested kindly to remain till
o'clock, or until the crowd dispersed. Ant
|, watching at the window, realized that the
slightest variation in the temper of the mol
would sweep away every penny of our fam
ilies' wealth, for both Noble and l would
have died before we would have allowed {
demand to go unhonored while anything re
manned.
1t was evident that we had been mistaken
when we supposed that the final and universe
verdict had been that notice was hoax
We had not walked out the last night il
being Sunday. If we had done SO, it is likely
we would have learned there had been
change While almost ALL l afterward
learned, had continued to ridicule the thins
and pronounce it a hpnhug, there had beer
q secret preparing Of statements and deter
mination to be not far distant at the appoint
ed hour This had been SO general that i
had resulted in the immense gathering nov
peIors me- But why did they not press Ill
1t would have been supposed that their yer,
numbers would have permitted no othe
thought But it is likely that those befor
the door feared that if they started It sgoul.
be to go in alone; that those in the rea
would let them alone run the risk of the jeer
that would follow if it proved they had bee
hoaxed. The fear of ridicHle, So strong
motive ordinarily, before such crowd be
came superlatively powerful. The source
of those impulses, more contagious than pes
thence, that move vast crowds are general
mysterious and indiscernible. Fickleness
the ordinary characteristic of mob. L
the throng before oHr daor, fear of humbue
and powerful dread of ridfnie stiperlf
duced by the concourse ITSELF were til
causes to which l attributed the inaction c
the first hour. But one ran had the strengt
to throw off the general paralysis.
But ulid44EHbtedly other causes came int
action the second hour. Tbs hls9nse stood BE-
fore them, silent and mysterious, the OF
yenturesome man did not RETURN. and I'll