The Portland daily press., 1895-03-30
A LONG JUMP.

the country, observing the condition of
things, and was finally ordered by the
chief of my paper, which was transat-
lantic one, to go to Dublin, put myself in
communication with certain political lead
ers and keep the paper posted as to what
was going on. AS the world now knows,
we were then on the eve of political move
ments which proved to be of the most mo-
mentous Importance both on that side and
on this side Of the herring pond.
Those movements, however, do not in
themselves concern US here, except in so
far as the duty entailed upon me of watch
ing and reporting what was going forward
nearly cost me my life, and that in SO
strange fashion that it is worth putting
on record.
There was to be an important meeting
OF leaders in the Rotunda, an immense
building, as every one knows who has any
experience of the Irish capital, containing
a great number of rooms, up stairs and
down stairs, and no end of corridors, laby-
rinthial passages and the like enough to
confuse and confound person fairly well
acquainted with the place, but absolutely
bewildering to one entirely new to them.
The conference was to be held in one of
the lower rooms, and there were to be pres
ent men from all parts of Ireland parlia-
mentary leaders from London and certain
delegates so it was said. from the United
States. [ was not anxious to be present.
That 1 knew was impossible, but l had
been told by one of the leaders of the party
that there was no objection to my pres
ence-outside the door. In fact he adj
vised it, Then if there was any news to be
given I should have it.
So at the hour appointed I duly pre-
scented myself at the door of the Rotunda
and asked to be shown to the room where
the meeting was being held The man
whom l addressed was in his shirt sleeves
and had broom in his hand, being en-
ployed about the place. He gave me a sus-
picious look, and I FASTENED to say that
knew Mr. So-and-so and wished, at his
request to sec him when the conference
was over. The fellow made no other reply
than to bid me go along a certain passage,
descend some stairs, make turn this way
and turn that, follow corridor to the
end and-in short had to find my way
through labyrinth of stairs and passages
and turnings to and fro.
l started, and after, as / thought max
ing one or two false turnings, arrived at
the end of long, narrow corridor, with
an open door at the end of it. AS the
room to which it gave admittance seemed
to be empty, peeped in, thinking it might
lead to the enc l wanted. The place was
absolutely bare of furniture, but at the
farther side was another door. Deter
mined to see whittier that would take me,
/ entered, walked across the apartment
and tried the door. 1t was locked
turned to retrace my steps when suddenly
strong gust of wind coming through an
open window closed the door with loud
bang,
AT first I had very faint conception Of
what had happened. When I advanced to
open the door, however, and found that it
had no handle, perceived that L was a
prisoner, but that did not. discomfort me
much / simply thought Here's go,
and began to knock on The door to let
some one know that ! was Gagged and
wished to be liberated, but / knocked in
vain. Then it occurred to me that, the
Rotunda being an extensive place, should
have to knock very loudly to make my
self heard.
had noticed as [ entered that the door
was propped open with brick. The brick
had been left inside, and with this now
took to pounding on the door, but that
had no more effect than tapping with my
stick. When / ceased my knocking, not
sound was to be heard.
AT this juncture I thought of the win
dow and mentally called myself fool for
taking SO much pains to make myself
heard when I might SO easily have got
thro ngh the window, and so away. But
my CONSERVATION may be imagined when,
on putting my head through the window,
I found that it looked upon sort of yard
Il can call it nothing else-of few feet
In extent, but an immense way beneath
me. Indeed seemed to be gazing down
into a well the bottom of which / could
just discern so feet, at the very least, be-
low me.
Feeling that there was no escape that
way, returned to the door, took up the
brick once more and began to war upon
the lock, trying to beat it off with my
enmbrous tool, but the lock was a good
one. 1t was Embedded in the door, which
was solid and strong, and all my hammer
:ngs on the lock, the door and the jamb of
the door were alike unavailing. I then
tried the other, with the like unsuccess.
| now felt that I was prisoner indeed
and as I leaned against the wall I wiped
tho perspiration from my brow. I per-
ceived with added horror that the day
light was beginning to decrease. "What
shall do?" 1 ASKED myself, trying to be
calm. Then l recos!ected the suspicious
look of the man I met at the door, and Of
whom asked my way.
could he, thought I, ''have sent me
here on purpose? Did he believe me to be
spy, and has he taken his revenge on me
by directing me into this trap?' In tt
heated state of my mind I verify believed
he had, and my blood boiled with indig-
nation at the trick.
But indignation would not help me out
of the difficulty, and so I went to work
again, first knocking, then shouting al
the top of my voice, then belaboring the
lock again with the brick, but all in vain.
There I was, as tightly screwed up as
though had been a prisoner of the in
QUESTION, and with the additional horror
that there was an open window tempting
me to escape, enticing me to make an eff
fort for freedom, and yet with death surely
staring me in the face should make the
attempt.
Again and again approached the win
dow, calculated the depth of tho descent
to the bottom of the hole examining ev-
cry circumstance connected with it, and as