Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1891-02-20
sTAUNTON. VIRGINIA, FEBRUARY 20, 1891.

of hands, arms anu body on the sloplng
roof 1t was taking long chances on slip
ping, dropping down into the court below
and being picked up shapeless and man !
gled corpse. But then if wanted to get
out I must take some chances. If wait
ed much longer the police would be there.
So pulled down the top part of the win
dow and worked myself out until sat On
the sash with my legs dangling inside.
Sitting this way Icould just get hold ofthe
edge of the roof with my hands. 1t felt like
dreadfully insecure hold. With the aid OF
those inside pushing up on my feet (they
had endeavored to dissuade Inc from the
rash attempt), I managed to wriggle my
hands and arms along on the roof until l
was standing on the sash with not quite
half OF my body On the roof. Oh! how
did squeeze myself to that roof I sung out
to them down below to push up On the sash
little.
They were all interested now, and had
evidently almost forgotten about the
police.
To see man killed is not such an every
day occurrence. They pushed up the sash
little, and that showed me little farther
I'D on the roof. A little more and 1 could
get one of my knees ON it. But that little
more! The sash was getting SO high up
that it was too far directly under the caves
to do me any good. So I took my feet off
and kicked out in mid air like one swim
ming, That kick sent me a little farther
along on the roof, and I was able to hold
my own by the adhesion of my body and
clothing to the roof. Another kick at the
risk of slipping off, and a little more body
on roof Finallya knee; then both knees,
and safety. My late fellow sufferers
whom I could no longer see-gave me
cheer when I told them I was all right.
[ was in a position then where [ could
help any one else to get out with compare
lively little danger by giving them a hand
and pulling them up. l told them SO, and
in the exuberance Of my spirits invited
them collectively to freedom. But only
one, a young man about eighteen and light
weight, was yenturesome enough to accept
the invitation. pulled him up quite east
Iy. Then together we scaimpered up on the
roof of the front building, and cautiously
looked over the coping down on the crowd
which had gathered on Fourth street at
the word that the gambling house was be-
ing 'pulled" Such is the buoyancy of
youthful spirits that, from being a few min
utes before abjectly downcast, we were
ACTUALLY IeIN ItltC July tliliS, a. ASS5A
lar lark up on the roof, out Of harms way,
watching detachments of citizens, who had
been caught in gambling house, march
ing toward the Hammond street station
under police escort It was so funny.
However, when they had all gone we
thought ourselves that we could go too.
Besides, it was getting late. So we started
to go. The building we were on stood on
the corner, and those to the south and west
of it were great deal lower. They were
old buildings, and this was new one.
Still, that did not bother us much. We
were both active, and all we had to do to
get on one of the lower buildings and
thence to the ground was to slide down
water conductor Then we skirmished
around for water conductor. We found
three, but unfortunately all were of tin,
partly disjointed and evidently entirely in
capable of sustaining either of our weights.
1t began to dawn On us that we might
have to stay where we were all night. This
would be awkward again, especially as we
might be arrested in the morning for not
being able to give an account Of ourselves.
We tried several scuttles, but all were
closed, and we dared not make noise for
fear of being mistaken for burglars and
shot by any one who might be underneath
them. We were pretty nearly ''up
stump" when we found a ventilating sky
light with side windows, to which was at
tached small rope, like flag halliards, for
raising the sides of the skyEght from be-
low. We pulled up this rope-or as much
of it as we could-from both sides cut it
off and tied the pieces together. This we
proposed to tie around a chimney and go
down on it to the next roof. But it was
old and had been exposed to the weather
evidently long time, and it was question
able whether or not it would sustain our
weights.
We did the best we could to test it, brac-
ing our feet against each others and pull
ing as hard as we could on the rope, a
small portion at a time, until we had gone
over its entire length. AS it didn't break,
we concluded it would stand the strain SO
we made one end of it fast to the iron brace
of chimney and threw the other over the
coping. 1t did not quite reach the next
roof, but it would be short drop from the
end of the rope to the roof. Then the ques-
ton was who should start first. We agreed
that as was the heavier, if l started to go
down and the rope broke, I might break
my leg, but he would be left On the roof;
whereas, as he was the lighter, if he went
down in safety and the rope broke while |
was going down I might break my leg, but
he would be in shape to call an ambulance.
So he started to go down the rope, and he
made the descent successfully.
Then came my turn. | climbed over the
coping, but kept one hand held on it, while
with the other held on to the small, worn
and rotten rope. l hated awfully to let GO
that coping. 1t was twenty-five or thirty
feet down to that other roof, and it seemed
a good deal farther. But there is no use
hesitating. Well, here goes PUNK! Oh,
myl | am down on that roof, but | can't
get any wind into my body. Ughl Ughi
| can only grunt. My friend comes to my
assistance, rolls me around and feels Of my
arms and legs He pronounces me sound
as a dollar. Meantime ! begin to get q
few short breaths. Then my companion
tells me that l had my legs ''scrouched
up" as he expresses it, when ! let go the
coping that the rope broke as soon as I
put my weight on it, and that l came down
like ga shot out of a gum" landing fairly
on the most frequent resting place of my
anatomy. That's what SO completely
knocked the wind out Of me.
We got down all right then, went to the
hotel and washed off the coal dust Of the
roof. But ever since that time have been
prejudiced against keno.-Alex /. Mcleod
in Detroit News