Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1891-01-15
A COMBINATION LOCK.
1T WAS ATTACHED TO A CLOSET
DOOR AND CREATED \ SCENE.

Marie Wainwright Tells Story of How
an Actor Came Very Near Killing His
Newly Welded wife-Rescued by the
LandIady After Horrible Suspense.
The incident hereafter told was an
actual happening.
In Chicago some years ago an actor
and actress-husband and wlfe-who
had grown tired of hotel living, and who
were booked for stay of several weeks
in that city, resolved TO take suit of
furnished rooms and get their meals
when and where their inclinations might
direct. They arrived in Chicago on a
Sunday, and after some tiresome search
ing found on Dearborn street exactly
what they sought, or at least as near it
as is often gwen TO lodging seekers to
obtain.
The woes of letters of board and lodg-
ing have frequently been told in papers
comic and otherwise, but the woes of
the seeker Of the same would furnish
almost as fruitful theme. The suit re-
ferred to consisted of a parlor, bedroom
anu lAC
had been intended originally for office
uses. as in the bedroom was large safe
or vault of the most massive construc-
ton. Instead of being used to hold Sc
curities of priceless value, it was de-
voted TO the humber duty of receiving
clothing. The heavy steel door, some
FIVE inches thick, was supplied with a
combination lock.
This was a novelty to the wife, who,
as soon as she had bestowed some of her
wraps in the safe, began a superficial
study of the mechanism. She could not,
of course, make out much about it, and
her lord and master offered, in his supe-
rior wisdom, to expla n it.
AN oMNIsCIENI' HUSBAND.
"All you have 80 d." he said, sis to
think of a word, shut the door. then
spell the word on this dial, turn the
handle and then no one can open 1t who
doesn't know the combination. Now
step in for a moment; l will lock you in
on the word open and let you out again
in an instant"
The wife, who had not been married
long enough to discover that her hus-
band was not as clever as he thought,
stepped gayly into the vault.
1T will be awfully dark and stufy
here with the door closed" she ex-
claimed.
Don't be afraid, dear; III let you out
again before you have time to think.
He turned the handle, worked the
combination to ''open," worked it back
again. pulled at the door, but there was
no sign of its yielding Frantically he
again ran the indicator over the letters
making the word, but still the door
would not bulge. He shouted encour-
agingly to his wife, but it was evident
that she could not hear him, for there
came no reply, though he thought there
was faint sound of rapping.
''Was she already dead for want of
air!' was the first awful thought; but he
remembered that the vault was at least
six feet square, and even if perfectly air
tight must contain enough air to support
life for some little time. But for how
long? 1t was Sunday. 1t might be
hours before he could find a locksmith,
and even then it might take more hours
to open that dreadful door. His darling
might be deadl He would be her slayer!
Perhaps the law would call it murder!
AN UNFRELING REsCUER.
These thoughts flashed through his
mind in less time than it takes to read
them. After shouting some reassuring
words he rushed up to the landlady's
room on the floor above, and breathlessly
and almost unintelligibly told sometl ing
of the trouble.
"You're the second fool who's got into
mess meddling with that safe, was
the old woman's comforting comment.
''Never mind that!' he cried. "Can
you get her out before she dies?"
Eyes, l can. don t have things about
1 don't understand, and if l did find
them wouldn't meddle with them
"Never mind that, my good woman;
only come and open the door,"
Its easy to see you amt long mar
ried," was her grumbling comment, as
she waddled after him down the stairs.
She gave few turns to the handle and
threw the door open. The wife was dis
covered in a dead faint, but evidently
still alive.
A good many dollars spent in doctors
fees and present for the landlady to
some extent repaired the damages of the
husbands experiment, but nothing could
repair his eternally damaged reputation
for omniscience. In after days his wife
was even occasionally known to hint
that he had tried to kill her, and that
she was sorry he hadn't succeeded and
been duly hanged.
A day or two after the occurrence he
said to the landlady, t'How was it the
door wouldn't open on the combination
| used?'
Because" she answered, ''you must
release the lock from one combination
before you can set it on another. You
men don't know everything, though you
generally think you do. Marie Vain
wright in Dramatic Mirror.