Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1894-07-13

j ULY l3, ! S04.
miles above the bayou. Take us to
that, get us across and leave US To find
our way in Texas to the coast. You
must go back to your friend. and will
write you when we are all safe. if you
give me an address"
Vainly Lieut.. Stocking pleaded with
her. On this point she was firm. The
guard took them two or three miles up
the Mississippi and there the party
crossed the river, the lieutenant ac-
companying them two or three miles
into the interior, until he believed
they were safe from pursuit, when he
bade them farewell and returned.
The journey had consumed day, and
when he reached the eastern shore of
the Mississippi he encountered the
pickets of a government force, was
promptly arrested and taken to the
camp about a mile from the Laran
portal, where he found two regiments
of troops. 1t was not difficult for him
to esta blish his identity, as he found
several acquaintance among the OIL
GERS, and to them he told the whole
story of his capture and incarceration.
1t was an incredible and startling rev.
elation, and led the commanding Off
Ger at once to move his camp to new
elevation at some distance from the
Laran and to take every precaution
against an attack in the rear. On the
morning of the third day Stocking set
out with picked guard and several of
the officers to inspect the entrance of
the cave.
1t was not difficult to find the por-
tai, for to their astonishment the
whole of the iron lift was discovered
lying ON the ruins of the sanitarium
adjacent to the uncovered shaft, from
which issued wavering thin blue
smoke.
Suspecting some kind of treachcry
Stocking proposed to go down alone,
and after some delay in getting ropes
he was lowered into the hole. Finding
everything enreloped in darkness and
silence at the bottom of the shaft. he
had to come back for assistance and
lanterns, and thus provided and ac-
companied by an officer he re1e-
scended with the growing conviction
that Hendricks had withdrawn all his !
forces from the cave and abandoned it,
The moment he arrived at the
mouth of the arena passage and held.
up the lantern he perceived that some
thing extraordinary had taken place.
On either side of the entrance to the
shaft were the bodies of men-two of
them had apparently been hurled
against the wall of the arena with ter
rife force, for their bodies were dislo-
Gated and their skulls fractured. and
they were covered with n blue mould
that made their faces indistinruish-
able. few seconds later The condi- |
tion of the arena diselo5ed the destruc-
tion that had taken place. The resi-
dences on the western wall were shat
tered and in ruins The machinery of
the great dynamo stood out gaunt and
awry like the bones of corpse from |
which the flesh had been suddenly |
torn away. Not sound was heard. |
Here and there bodies lay exposed |
upon the floor of the arena with the
clothes torn from them.
Word was Immediately sent above
for men and lights, and strong recon
noitering force was with difficulty |
lowered into the cave.
Then the full extent of the appalling
disaster was investigated. Stocking
forced his way with some difficulty into
the rooms where he had spent so many |
hours, and there with the lanterns of
the men held high and throwing dis |
tY,a1 aff tho ha in |
extricably mingled with the debris of
the place the members of the group to
whom Calicot had communicated the !
last words. All wore the same hor-
rible mask of blue mold Hendricks
himself was sitting in n chair, but his |
neck was dislocated and his head hung
down upon the side of his body. Cali |
cots body was In the corridor. 1t |
alone had escaped the blast Of disfigur-
ing color; his face wore a grim smile |
and in his hand was pad covered |
with writing.
Stocking wrenched it from the dead |
fingers and held il to the lantern. In |
distorted hand was written: "All !
particulars on my person. have saved |
you and the country. 1t was my duty. |
I am happy"
Shocked beyond all power of speech, |
Stocking silently secured the papers, !
and went with the party through the |
coal passage to the mouth of the ro-
tunda and there the most stupendous |
feature of this unprecedented tragedy |
was revealed
The whole of that great space was COW
cred with blue corpses, in every conceiv-
II II
stratum of smoke lying above them
and still depositing its sulphur and !
carbon upon their forms.
Death reigned. 1t had come like a |
lightning stroke. 1t had spared moth
ing. The end of the dismantled elec- |!
tric engine hurled from the trestle, |
rested upon the floor of the rotunda |
with its tender hanging to the iron |
benches. Against the eastern wall /
hundreds of men had been hurled in u
mass, and there commingled in sick /
ening pulp, from which stared the blue
and hideous faces and polSed the un-
wrought limbs.
AS Stocking slowly realized what his
friend had done a sense of his hcroism
overcamc everything else. lie opened |
the papers and read the hastily written |
memorandum. from which this account
has been compiled.
II got" it said, 1.-The dynamite
cartridge from Laport's worlroom,
and also the fuse. | let it down the
vcntilating tube to the floor Of the
magazine. IL burned twenty minutes.
have made notes of all the disclosed |
plans. Let the government act quick.
The brains and the organization are
destroyed.
end"
THE END
Accepted the Doctrine.
Little Frances parents have been
discussing reincarnation and the small
maiden has acquired some OF It's phrase
ology.