The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-08-16
A CLOCK WITH A HISTORY.
Injured at the Battle of Austerlitz. 1t
Keeps Time but Won't Strike Twelve.

heeps Time but WOnt strike Twelve.
| In the dining-room of Gen. e. B. Fin
ley's elegant Crawford county (Ohio)
residence stands an old clock that pos
sesses history of no little interest.
For one hundred and seventeen years
the long pendulum has steadily vibrated
forward and back, soberlv recording
the seconds of time. Standing on the
floor, inclosed in it's old wooden case.
it is fully eight feet six inches in
height: its oldfashioned face is pro-
tected from dust and cobwebs by a
homely glass door hung on plain
hinges, which have become worn and
creaky. It's long pendulum is sus-
pended upon an endless chain,
] the links OF which have been
worn thin from continuous us
| age. The time-stained and rickety
door sopening into the frame is fas-
! tened by a little hook nearly worn in
two, yet tenderly holding fast to the
| staple as if 10th to part with its old
companion, to which it has SO fondly
| hung for so many years. The first
twenty nine years of its life were com
mon-place. 1t quietly licked along in
rustic little cottage near Austerlitz,
in Moravia, until, on the morning of
December 2, 1909, the armies of Ma
| poleon and the allies faced each other
on the eve of deadly conflict. The cot
tage being midway between the two
armies, the clock refrained from taxi
ing sides with either, until, if we are
to believe the legend preserved to this
day, an episode occurred which wholly
changed its sentiments in that respect
and gave it shock which it has
never yet fully recovered. The
old German families from which this
clock descended taught the children
the pleasant fiction that the striking
of the clock was produced by little
fay or elf inside the works, who
pounded the bell with his hammer
every hour Now the legend of this
clock is that at the battle of Austen
litz, just as the little elf oblivious to
the roar and storm Of battle. began to
hammer out the hour of that day, and
just as he had struck one blow upon
the bell, cannon ball from one of
Napoleon's big guns came tearing
through the cottage, breaking off a
splinter from the clock. passing on in
its mission of death, which SO angered
the fay that he dropped his hammer
and refused to finish the stroke of
twelve, and that from thenceforth to
this day he refuses to strike twelve.
But, on the assertion of Gen. Finley
himself, as often as that hour comes
around the clock simply strikes one,
and no amount of tinkering will in
duce it to strike another blow until an
ether hour rolls around. In proof of
the truth of this legend the old clock
has to this day an ugly scar, bearing
the appearance of splinter having
been torn off, and it never strikes
twelve, but always at that hour, after
giving one stroke, makes a tremendous
splitter and buzz, and then suddenly
stops.
After the battle of Austerlitz it was
snugly packed away and brought to
the far west, where its owner located
in a log cabin on the site Of the presen:
town of Gettysburg, Pa. Here our clock
again resumed duty with its old-time
regularity, with the same regularity
about striking. IN course of time its
owners oldest son, Robert, a brave
and manly youth, became deeply en-
amored with a rustic beauty in the
neighborhood, by the name of Mary.
Mary, although in love with Robert,
was something of a coquette, and, i'll
spite of all her avowals, had, up to-
date, been unable to elicit a proper de
gree of reciprocity from her. Mary de-
lighted to fiirt with other beaux of the
neigh borhood, especially when Robert
was around. About this time our
clock took a hand in the business and
soon brought them to an understand
ing. One day word came that the In
dams were making foray into the
settlement, and close upon the word
came the savages, attacking the set
tiers wherever found in an isolated or
defenceless condition. It so happened
that Robert and his aged par
ents lived some distance from
any of the neighbors, and
here the Indians came whooping and
yelling, intent on numbering the fam
lily. On seeing them approach Robert
kept them at bay with the old flint
lock rifle, but at last the stout door be-
gan to give way, when Robert quickly
lifting up part of the punclleon floor,
concealed his parents beneath. replac
ing the floor over them, and then Just
as the door fell in, disappeared as if by
magic.
The savages on entering were sur
prised to find the cabin deserted, and
while peering about in wonderment, 3
rescuing party was heard approaching,
which caused them TO quickly decamp
Foremost of the party came Mary
bounding into the cabin, and. suppos-
ing that Robert had been killed. De-
gan to bewail in accents of sympathet-
ic grief, accusing herself Of all man
ner OF coQretry and colfness
toward him, when. had he only
known it, she loved him dea-er
than all the world" At this point the
little fay began hammering away with
all his might, open few the door and
ont from the clock bounded Robert and
clasped Mary in his arms. Roberts
parents were soon released from their
hiding place. and in due course Of time, |
very naturally, Robert and Mary we're
married Upon the death of Roberts
parents the young couple took up their
residence on the old homestead. with
the old clock a. one of their most val
liable possessions. After the war Grand
father Robert and Grandmother Mary
moved 10 Bucyrus. and upon their death /
the clock came into the possession o.