The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1894-03-01
THE MAN IN THE BELL.

I'LL WhN III I'LL ULlt,
In my younger days bell-ringing
was much more in fashion among the
young men of - than it is now.
Some fifty years 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 | went with another in
to 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 muffled. Some one
had been buried that morning, and it
had been prepared, of course, to ring
a mOurnful note.
We did not know of this, but the
remedy was easy. Jack" said nv
companion, step up to the loft and
cut off the hat" for the way we had of
mutfling was by tying a piece of an old
hat or of cloth (the former was pre-
ferred) 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
pGcated manner than usual, and was
perhaps three or four minutes in get
ting it off; during which time my
companion below was hastily called
away-by 4 message from his sweet
heart, | believe--but that is not mate
rial to my story.
The person who called him was a
brother of the club who, knowing that
the time had come for ringing for
service, and not thinking that any one
was above, began to pull. AT this mo-
ment | was just getting out when |
felt the bell moving. | guessed the
reason at once. 1t was a moment of
terror, but by a hasty and almost con.
vulsiye effort | succeeded in jumping
down and throwing myself on the fiat
of my back under the bell.
The room in which it was was little
more than sufficient to contain it, the
bottom of the bell coming within a
couple of feet of the floor of lath. At
that time | certainly was not 50 bulky
as am now, but rs Law it was with.
in an inch of my face. | had not lain
myself down second, when the ring
ing began. 1t was dreadful sensa-
ton.
Over me swung great mass of
metal, one 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
prccipitated TO the distance of about
fifty feet upon loft, which would, in
all probability, have sunk under the
impulse OF my fall and sent me to be
dashed TO atoms upon the marble floor
Of the chaucel, hundred feet below.
This was my first terror, but the
ringing had not continued a minute
before a more awful and immediate
dread came on me. The deafening
sound of the bell smote into my ears
with thunder which made me fear
their drums would crack; there was
not fiber of my body it did not thrill
through. 1t entered my very soul;
thought and reelection were almost
utterly banished; only retained the
sensation of agonizing terror.
Every moment | saw the bell sweep
within an inch of my face, and my
syes-I could not close them, though
to look at the object was bitter as
DEATH followed it instinctively in its
oscillating progress until it came back
again. 1t was in vain | said to myself
that ii could come no nearer at any
future swing than it did at first; every
time it descended l endeavored to
shrink into the very floor to avoid be-
ing buried under the down-sweeping
mass, and then. rejecting on the dam
Ger of pressing too wei0htily on my
frail support, would cover up again
as far as | dared.
AT first my fears were matter of
fact. was afraid the pulleys above
would give way ans let the bell plunge
on me. At another time the poSsibil-
ity of the clapper being shot out in
soHe sweep and dashing through my
body, as | had seen 4 ramrod glide
through door, fitted across my mind.
The dread, also, as l have already
mentioned, of the crazy floor tor
mented me; but these soon gave way
to fears not more unfounded, but more
visionary, and, of course, more tre-
mendOuS.
The roaring of the bell confused my
intellect. and my fancy soon began to
teom with all sorts of strange and ter
rifying ideas. The bell pea!ing above
and opening its jaws with a hideous
! clamor seemed TO me at one time q
raving monster raging to devour me;
at another whirlpool ready to suck
me into its believing abyss. As |
gazed on ii, it assumed all shapes. 1t
was a flying eagle, or rather roc Of
the Arabian storytellers, clapping its
wings and screaming over me.
AS | looked upward into it, it would
appear sometimes to lengthen into in
/ definite extent or to be twisted at the
end into the spiral folds of the tail of a
flying dragon. Nor WAS the flaming
breath or fiery glance of that fabled
animal wanting to complete the pct
ure. My eyes inilamed, bloodshot
and glaring, invested the supposed
monster with a full proportion of an
holy light.
1t would be endless were to merely
| hint ut all the faucies that possessed
/ 49, ,,,i,,J Lva,.y obiaor that yaS hid