Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1891-11-26
A NIGHT OF HORROR.
Thrilling Experience on the Roof
of Cathedral.

aAoi8 bAperlonCo on Cn0 Roof
of Cathedral.
Have you never read of PERSONS
hair turning gray in single night?
OF course you have. The old story
books are full of such tales. ! can re-
member dozens of them, stories reck.
ing with gore and dank with dungeons
and grewsome with ghosts or other un-
canny things. The heroine and some
times the hero goes to bed at night
with hair as black as the ravens wing
and along in the night come the hor-
rors, whatever they arc, and in the
morning tho raven hair has turned a
snowy white.
can remember, too, that | never
used to take any stock in such stories.
used to hear them read and get up
quite respectable thrill at the most
horrible portions, especially when the
candle flickered awhile with a ghostly
light and then went out, leaving every
body in total darkness just as deep
groan was heard or long shuddering
sigh like the wind through the weep
ing willows in a graveyard. Oh, yes!
l was quite susceptible to touching
passages like those; and l u sed to hurry
up to bed and tuck my head under the
clothes and shiver with the most timid
of them. But somehow or other could
not accept the hair-turning part of the
story. knew that hair, black or
white, could stand on end, but that a
good head of black hair would bleach
itself out between dark and daylight
was little too much to swallow.
know better now. l have had lit
tie experience of my own which--but
perhaps it is best to tell the story just
as it occurred.
1t was on the roof of the cathedral
at Milan. We had climbed the stairs
in the late afternoon of beautiful
spring day after paying the custodian
the insignificant price he asked for all
the glories visible from the elevated
position. We looked through the telr-
scope-for another fee-and had each
assured the others that we saw Mount
Blanc perfectly well, without for a
moment believing what the others said
or convincing them that we told the
truth. And we had ended our climbs
by ascending to the highest point under
the lantern-if it is lantern-by the
cork-screw staircase, which will scarce
ly permit any but the thinnest persons
to pass when one is going up and the
other coming down.
We were party Of four, and when
the roof was reached the youngest pro-
posed ramble over that portion of the
structure. To this all but myself as
scnted. was tired and proposed to
rest awhile at the foot of the tower
stairs, where the others were to pick
me, up on their return, SO that we
might all descend together. This was
satisfactory and off they started.
For time / was quito comfortable
and paid no attention to the passage OF
time, but suddenly noticed that 1t
was getting dark and that my COM
panions had not retnned. called to
them first in mode. se tone 0. ycicei
then more loudly, but received no
answer. Fearing that they would be
belated on the roof l started in search
of them. walked the entire length OF
the ridge of the main roof and peered
down all the side passages in the gath.
ering dusk, but caught no glimpse OF
nv companions. Then ! descended to
the roof of the aisle and made search
there, which was also fruitless. pc
came alarmed as the light failed ana
ran from one point to another, calling
out MS ran, until found to my great
distress that / had lost my way.
could see far below me the lights OF
the; great city and hear the distant
rumbling of the carriages as tney
drove past on the stony streets. But
was as effectually lost for the moment
as if l had been in the heart OF an
African jungle without compass ana
no Stanley on the alert to hunt me up
In the excitement and despair when
the consciousness of this fact produced
rushed about so wildly that slipped
and fell on long fight of stone steps
wet with the dew which had begun to
fall. was not conscious OF any Sc,
rious injury from the fall, but when
brought ND at the foot of the stairs ano
tried TO regain my footing / found &c
NV despair and horror that was ut-
terly unable to move my limbs was
paralyzed
The mental agony I suffered is IN.
conceivable. Yet curiously enough
speut the first moments in specuiatihg
.s to the exact nature # the injury
had sustained. Had broken my bach
or simply injured my spinal coraf
tried to recall what had heard my
doctor friends say about injuries o.
similar character, but could not seem
TO remember anything definite. Inc
words "the s;ash pair" flashed into tom; my
mind and theaths d to connect ,:asa,, saem
.elves in sesumersy with my condition
hut whetfs~ Il caas the fifth par 0,
nsrves or ssg2 sof something else
could not Ilst. could not un
Sarstand keI could have beer
snr,ous ithout any sensi
~ ,',s shoc power of loco
o'e was no doubt
could do
occupied
A.u~s hxtf