Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1894-07-12
CHAPTER XII.

CdAf1En AL
The reader must go to Laran at the
beginning Of the asst half of the
second year of preparation and en-
deavor, not only to get a clear view of
what had been done, but prepared to
view with establishment the still more
audacious projects of this man.
Laran vas now a hidden hive OF
energy. The great sanltarium which
lifted its rude but imposing proper
lions out Of the wilderness and poured
an almost continuous stream Of black
smoke from its chimney stack, held a
varying population, some Of whom
were woman, and all of whom were
Hendricks agents. Sixteen miles
away was another large house, reached
on the surface by an almost impassa-
bic and tortuous road of rocks, but
accessible to all the inmates of the
sanitarium in less than half an hour
by underground means and connected
lby telephone and telegraph of the lat
lest and incest adjustment along the
same subterranean passages.
The shaft from the santtarium to the
Labyrinth beneath had been perfected
by the most consummate mechanical
skill of Laport, and 1t was hidden from
casual observation by h most cum
ming adjustment of materials. Tina!
end of the house which covered the de-
| scent had cost Hendricks n Laport
more thought and ingenuity than al
else. The shaft had been enlarged
and fitted with an iron lift down to the
narrow passage that led from 1t to the
arena. The circular steel cage which
fitted into the shaft could be turned
| round from below, so hat Its iron
door that furnished an exit into the
passage would be on the opposite side
| against a solid wall of rock and the
passengers, II enemies, would have to
cut their way through a half inch OF
steel to get into the passage and, when
there, would have 10 walk through in
single file at the mercy of anybody At
the lower exit, who could pick them
of in detail without any danger to
himself. The exit above was covered
with the hard floor of a room whose
mobility was undetectable by anybody
who was not already aware of the de-
vice. In addition to this, q, steel door
had been fitted to the end Of the pas.
sage below where it opened into the
vast work-room, because Hendricks
thought at times he heard in the room
above the sound of the engine and
dynamo.
A sense of absolute security was
thus obtained when the inmates of the
sanitarium went below. It wal
physically impossible for force Of any
Icalculable kind to reach them In tina
direction.
The next and obvious consideration
to which Hendricks had directed hi
whole energy was the provisioning o.
the retreat and the securing Of q SAT-
and hidden exit far removed from thu
isanitarium. In carrying out the first O
these precautions, he had managed
with consummate care, during a periot
of eight months, to load into the south
western entrance a vast store OF ma
terial, purchased at Cincinnati, Louis
Vile, st. Louis and Memphis, and de
1ivered by boat at the Wash bayou
where there was a storehouse ant
whence the goods were hauled for thu
apparent use of the two surface hotels
/ Other and smaller streams Of supplies
were reaching the sanitarium~ overland
continuously. It is calculated that dur
ing the eight months over eleven hun
idred thousand dollars were spent TO
supplies. In the lists of purchases ap
peared two items of unusual import
zone thousand magazine rifles
eighteen thousand dollars" The,
were contracted for in the east by
western dealer ostensibly to be sold OF
the plains and were bought in threl