Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-07-04


"Thas was hts doing. and I was 10 be
paid"
And now. nrally. sou wanted to get
rid OF re~
Yes: fc, you sasnestci"
As spoke perceived by the shastiy
Hight OF the moon another door near.
opened Il and saw that II was the en-
trance 10 small dark lumber-room.
pushed the old man in, turned the key
In TIE lock. and ran down stairs. The
wife was till unaccountabiy absent. i
opered the front door, and trembling.
exhausted drenched In perspiration,
found myself in the open air. Every
nerve was shaken. At that terrible mo-
mcnt I was not in the least master Oh
myself. My one desire was 10 NY from
the hideous place. / had just reached the
little gate when a hand, light as Tea
| Their. touched my arm. | looked up; the
| girl Liz stood before me.
"You are saved" she said: thank God!
tried all could to stop the wheel See.
am drenched to the skin; could not
manage IT. But, at least. / locked Gran
ME up. She's in the kitchen, sound
asleep. She drank lot OF GIN
| where were you all day yesterday
asked.
Locked up in n room In the further
| tower. 4
| the window. although II half-killed me. I
knew II you stayed that they would try II
on tonight. Thank God. you are saved
.wel don't keep me now" l said II
have been saved as by a miracle. You are
a good girl: I am much obliged to you.
You must tell me another time how you
manage TO live through all these nor
| rors."
"Ain't I all but mad?' was her pathe-
tic reply. "Oh, my God; what suffer!
She pressed her hand to her face; the look
in her eyes was terrible. But I could not
wait now to talk to her further. 1
hastily left the place.
VI
How I reached Harkhurst I can never
tell. but early in the morning / found
| myself there l went straight to DR..
| Stanmore's house. and having got him
up. I communicated my story He and
I together Immediately visited the Su-
'perintendent OF Police. Having told my
| exciting tale. we took a trap and all
| three returned to the Castle Inn" We
were back there before s o'clock on the
| following morning. But as the police
| officer expected the place was empty.
| Bindoss had been rescued from the dark
| closet and he and bis wife and the girl
officer. and l. all went up to the circular
room. We then descended to the base
| ment. and after q careful examination
we discovered low door, through which
we crept; we then found ourselves in a
| dark vault which was full Of machinery.
| BY the light OF a lantern we examined
| Il. Here we saw an explanation or the
whole trick. The shaft of the mll-wheei.
| which was let through the wall OF the
tower, was continuous as the axle OF =
vertical cogged- wheel, and by multiple
cation action turned large horizontal
wheel into which vertical shaft de-
| scended. This shaft was let into the
centre Of four cross-beams, supporting
the floor Of the room in which | haze
slept All round the circular edge OF
| the floor was a steel rim which turned
! in circular socket. II needed but a
| touch to set this hideous apparatus in
motion.
The police Immediately started In pur-
suit OF Bndloss, and 1 returned TO Lon
don. That evening Edgconbe and
visited Or. Miles Gordon Hard-headed
old physician that he was he was literally
aghast wh~n ! told him my story. He
| explained TO me that man placed In the
position in which j was when the floor
began to move would by means OF CEN
| trifugal force suffer from enormous con-
gestion of the BRAIN In fact, the re-
volving floor would induce an artificial
condition OF apoplexy. II the victim were
! drugged or even only sleeping heavily.
and the floor began to move slowly. In
sensbility would almost Immediately be
induced, which would soon pass into coma
and death, and post-mortem examina-
| ton some hours afterwards would show
no cause for death, as the brain would
appear perfectly healthy, the blood having
| again left It,
At this moment Wentworth and Bind
| loss are committed for trial at the Old
Bailey and there is no doubt what the
| result will be.
The ghost mystery In connection with
| the Castle Inn has. of course, been ex-
planned away forever.