The Globe-republican., 1895-01-04

Lieut.. Stocking, the moment he WAS
In the Wash bayou and felt the elation
of freedom, met with new blow.
81 cannot 20 to Memphis with my
father" she said. There are reasons
that cannot tell you now. We must
get boat, cross the Mississippi and
disappear"
It was in vain that Stocking pleaded
and argued. "You do not know all, {"
she said, land must save my fathers
life. There is skiff in the woods two
miles above the bayou. Take US to
that. getus 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-
ccmpanying them two or three miles
into the interior, until he believed
they were safe from pursuit, when he
babe them farewell and returned.
The journey had consumed day, and
when he reached the eastern shore of
the Mississippi he encountered tho
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 establish his identity, as he found
several acquaintance among the off,
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 q 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.
It was not difficult to find the por-
tai, for to their establishment the
whole Of the iron lift was discovered
lying on the ruins of the sanitarium
adjacent to the uncovered shaft, from
which issued a wavering thin blue
smoke
Suspecting some kind of treachery
Stocking proposed to go down alone,
and after some delay in getting ropes
he was lowered into the hole. Finding
everything enveloped in darkness and
silence at the bottom of the shaft. he
had to come back for assistance and
lanterns, and thus provided and &C
companied by an officer he rede-
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that Hendricks had withdrawn all his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 blue mould
that made their faces indistinguish-
able. A few seconds later the condi-
ton that had taken place. The resi-
dences on the western wall were shat
tered and in ruins. The machinery of
the great dynamo stood ont gaunt and
awry like the boxes of a corpse from
which the flesh had been suddenly
torn away. Not q sound was heard.
Here end 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 a 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.
NAL effulgence on the scene he saw 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-
fible mask of blue mold. Hendricks
himself was sitting in a chair, but his
neck was dislocated and his head hung
down upon the side of his body. Cali
cots body was in the corridor. It
alone had escaped the blast Of disfgur-
ing color; his face wore grim smile
and in his hand was q pad covered
with writing.
Stocking wrenched it from the dead
fingers and held it to the lantern. In
o distorted hand was written: 'All
particulars on my person. have saved
You and the country. It was my duty.
l 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 corpscs. in every conceiv-
able attitude of sudden death, blue
stratum of smoke lying above them
and still depositing its sulphur ard
carbon upon their forms.
Death rnioned II Ind ~o,na lilo n