Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1893-01-25
A MAN TN THE BELL.
What Was Intended for "a Joke Proved
TO he a Fearful Reality,


much mofe in fashion among the young
men of - than it is now. Some fifty
wears ago about twenty of us, who dwelt
in the vicinity of the cathedral, formed
a club which used to ring every peal
that was called for. One Sunday l
went with another into the belfry to
ring for noon prayers, but the second
stroke we had pulled showed us that
the clapper of the bell we were at was
muffied. Some one had been buried
that morning and it had been pre-
pared, of course, to ring mournful
note.
We did not know this, but the remedy
was very easy. "Jack," said my COM
panian, "step into the loft and cut off
the hat" for the way we had of mutilng
was by tying piece ofan old hat or of
cloth (the former was preferred to one
side of the clapper, which deadened
every second toll.
| complied and mounting into the
belfry, crept as usual into the bell
where | began to cut away. The hat
had been tied on in some more COM
pllcated manner than usual and | was
perhaps three or four minutes In get
ting it off, during which time my COM
panion was hastily called away-by a
message from his sweetheart, be-
Geve-but that is not material to my
story.
The person who called him was a
brother of the club who, knowing that
the time had come for ringing for SER
vice, and not knowing that anyone was
above, began to pull. At this moment
| was just getting out when [ felt the
bell moving, | guessed the reason at
once. 1t was moment of horror, but
by hasty and almost cOnvulslve effort
] succeeded in jumping down and
throwing myself on the flat of my back
under the bell.
The room in which it was was little
more than sufficient to contain it, the bot
tom Of the bell coming within a couple of
feet of the floor of lath. at that time |
certainly was not so bulky as [ am now,
but as lay it was within an inch of my
face. | had not lain myself down
second when the ringing began. 1t
was dreadful situation.
Over me swung great mass of metal,
the touch of which would have crushed
me to pieces. The floor under me was
principally composed of crazy laths,
and if they gave way / would be partic
ipated to the distance of about fifty
feet upon loft, which would in all
probability have sunk under the i'm
pulse of my fall, and sent me to be
dashed to atoms upon the marble floor
of the chanCeI, 100 feet below.
This was my first terror, but the ring
ing had not continued q minute before
more awful and immediate dread
came on me. The deafening sound of
the bell smote into my ears with a
thunder which made me fear their
drums would crack. There was not
fiber in my body it did not thrill
through. 1t entered my very soul;
bf nd If
terry banished; | only retained the
sensation of agoniZing terror.
Every moment [ saw the bell sweep
within an inch Of my face. and my eyes
i could not close them, though to
look at the object was bitter as death
followed it instinctively in it's oscillat-
ing progress until it came back again.
1t was in vain that said to myself that
1T could come no nearer at any future
swing than it did at first; every time it
descended | endeaVorad to shrink into
the very floor to avoid being buried
under the dOWn-sWeeplng mass, and
then, rejecting on the danger of press
ing too heavily on my frail support,
would cover up again as far as | dared.
AT first my fears were a mere matter
of fact. | was afraid the pulleys above
would give way and let the bell plunge
on me. At another time the possibility
of the clapper being shot out in some
sweep and dashing through my body,
as | had seen ramrod glide through a
door, fitted across my mind. The
dread, also, as | have already men
toned. of the crazy floor tormented
me; but these soon gave way to fears
not more untounded, but more vision
airy, and, of course, more tremendous.
The roaring of the bell confused my
intellect and my fancy soon began to
TEEN with all sorts of strange and terri
fylng ideas. The bell pealing above and
opening it's jaws with hideous clamor
seemed to me at one time a raving
monster raging to devour me, at anoth-
er whirlpool ready to suck me into its
believing abyss. As | gazed on it, it as
sumed all shapes, it was a flying eagle,
or rather a roe of the Arabian story
rellers, Tapping its wings and scream
ing over me.
AS / looked upward into it, it would
appear sometimes to Iengthen into in
definite extent or be twisted at the end
into the spiral folds of the tail of fly
ing dragon. Nor was the flaming breath
or fiery glance of that tabled animal
wanting to complete the picture. My
eyes, infamed, bloodshot and glaring,
invested the supposed monster with a
full proportion OF unhOly light.
1t would be endless were | to merely
hint at all the fancies that possessed my
mind. Every object that was hideous
and roaring presented itself to my i'm
agination. often thought that [ was
in hurricane at sea and that the vessel
in which l was embarked tossed under
me with the most furious Vehemence.
The air set in motion by the swinging
of the bell, blew over me, nearly with
the violence and more than the thun-
der Of tempest, and the floor seemed
to reel under me as under a drunken
man. But the most awful Of ali the
ideas that seized on me were drawn
from the supernatural.
Ia the vast cavern Of the bell hideous
faces appeared and glared down on me
with terrifying frowns or with grinning
mockery still more appalling. l found
| was becoming delirious and trembled
lest reason should utterly desert me. l
feared less, when utterly deprived of
my senses, should rise-to do which
was every moment tempted, by that
strange feeling which calls on a man