The Washington times., 1895-06-16

/ former was pIeferTed1 10 one side of the
clapper which deadened every second
! toll / complied, and, mounting into the
belfry, crept as usual into tue bell, where
| i began to cut away. The hat had been
] tied on in some more complicated manner
| than usual and | was perhaps three or
! four minutes getting II off, during which
| time my companion below was hastily
! called away-by message from his
! sweetheart | believe. but that is not mate
rial to my story. The person who called
| him was brother OF the club, who know
| ing that the time had come for ringing
| for service, and not thinking that any
| one was above, began 10 pull AT this
moment l was just getting out when |
| felt the bell moving. ] guessed the rea-
son at once. II was moment of terror,
but by a hasty and almost Convulsiye
effort j succeeded in jumping down and
throwing myself on the flat OF my back
under the bell
II was a dreadful situation.
Over me swung an immense mass of
metal, one touch OF which would have
crushed me 70 pieces The floor under
me was composed OF crazy laths, and ifthey
gave way l was precipitated 10 the dis
tance 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 chancel, hundred feet below. / re-
membered-foT fear is quick in recollec-
| tion-how common clockweight about a
month before had fallen, and bursting
| through the floors OF the steeple, driven in
| the ceilings OF the porch and even broke
! into the marble tombstone of bishop
| who slept beneath. This was my first
| terror, but the ringing had not continued
| a minute before more awful and inlme
| diate dread came on me. The dea afening
sound of the bell smote into my ears
" q " madn
| drums would crack. There was not a
| fiber of my body 1t did not thrill through.
1t entered my very soul; thought and re-
Election We're almost utterly banished. l
| only retained the sensation OF agonizing
/ terror Every moment sH W the bell sweep
| within an inch OF my face, and my eyes
| ! could not close them, though To look at
1 the object was bitter as death-followed
/ it instincttvely in its oScillating progress
| until il came back again. IL was IN vain
| said to myself that it could come no nearer
| at any future swing than it did at first;
| every time it descended ! endeayored to
| shrink into the very floor to avoid being
4 buried under the own-sweeping mass;
and then, reflecting on the danger of press
| ing too weightily on my fran support,
| would cover up again as far as dared.
Al first my fears were mere matter Of
4 fact. l was afraid the pulleys above would
| give way and let the bell plunge on me.
| Atanother time the possibility ofthe clapper
| being shot out in some sweep and daShing
| through nay body as had seen ramrod
! glide through a door, fitted across my
| mind. The dread also, as / have already
| mentioned, OF the crazy floor, tOrmented
me. but these soon gave way to fears more
| uniounded. but more visionary aud, OF
/ course. more tremendous. The roaring OF
| the bell confused my intellect and my
! fancy soon began To teen with all sorts Of
| ST idnaG The hell
| pealing above and opening its jaws with
| hiueous clamor. seemed to me at one
\ time ravening monster, raging 10 devour
| me; at another a whirlpool, ready TO suck
me into its believing abyss As | gaZed
! on it, il assumed all shapes-it was flying
eagle or rather q roc of tile Arabian story
! teller, clappingits wings an dSCreamingo over
me. As l looked upward into it, it would
: appear sometimes 10 lengthen into indefi-
mite extent or to be twisted at the end into
the spiral folds of the tail of flying
dragon Nor was the flaming breath or
! fiery glance of that tabled animal wanting
| TO complete the picture. My eyes, in
! famed bloodshot, and glaring, invested the
supposed monster with a full proportion
! OF unholy light.
1t would be endless were l to merely hint
! at all the fanCies that possessed my mind.
| Every object that was hideous and roaring
presented itself to my imagination. L
often thought / was in hurricane at sea,
/ and that the vessel in which was embarked
| tossed under me with the most furious We
hemence The air. set in motion by the
swinging of the bell, blew over me nearly
with the violence and more than the
| thunder of q tempest; and the floor seemed
! to reel under me as under a drum ken man.
| But the most awful of all the ideas that
seized on me were drawn from the super
! natural In the vast cavern of the bell
! hi1pnnS faces rcd and friar06 down
me with terrifying frOwns or with grinnng
moCkery, still more appalling. AT last
| the devil himself, accoutred as in the COM
| mon description Of the evil spirit, with
! hoof, horn, and tail and eyes Of internal
/ lustre, made his appearance, and called
| on me to curse God and worship him, who
/ was powerful to save me. This dreaded
| suggestion he uttered with the ful1-toned
| clangor of the bell. ] had him within an
| inch of me, and l thought on the fate OF
/ Santon Barsisa. Strenuously and deS-
perately defied him and bade him hegone.
Reason then for moment resumed her
| sway, but it was only to fill me with
| fresh terror, just as the lightning dis
| pels the gloom that surrounds the benghted
| mariner, but to show him that his vessel
| is driving on a rock, where she must in
| evitably be dashed to pieces. l found
was becoming delirious. and trembled lest
| reason should utterly desert me. This is
| at all times an agoniZing thought, but 1T
| smote me then with tenfold agony. |
| feared lest, when utterly deprived of my
| senses, l should rise--to DO which / was
every moment tempted by that strange
| feeling which calls on man whose head
| is dizzy from standing on the battlements
| of lofty castle to precipitate himself
| from it, and then death would be instant
and tremendous.
| When | thought of this / became des-
tn I oI1tpI IN a orr Crl
which drove the blood from my nails, and
| l yelled with the cry of despair. l called
| for help. ] prayed, shouted. but all the
| efforts of my voice were, of course,
| drowned in the he'll. As il passed over
my mouth it occasionally echoed my cries,
which mixed, not with its own sound, but
preserved their distinct character. Per
haps this was fancy. To me, | know,
they then sounded as if they were the
shouting, bowling or laughing of the fiends
with which my Imagination had peopled
the gloomy cave which swung over me.
You may accuse me of eXaggerating
my feelings, but l am not. Many scene
Of dread have ] since passed through,
but they are nothing to the self-inflicted
terror Of this half hour. The ancients
have doomed one OF the damned in their
Tartarus to lie under a rock which every
moment seens TO be descending to ami
hilate him-and an awful punishment it
would be. But if 10 this YOU add a clamor
as loud as if ten thousand furies were
bowling about you-a deafening uproar,
banisbing reason and driving you to mad
ness-you must allow that the bitterness
of the pang was rendered more terrible.
There is no man. firm as his nerve nay
be, who could retain his courage in this
situation.
In twenty minutes the ringing was done.
Half of that time passed over me without
power Of computation. the other half ap
peared an age When it ceased / became
gradually more qaiet. but a new fear re-
tained me. / knew that five minutes