Middletown transcript., 1897-08-28

the late General 10 o. Shelby, the Con
federate who never surrendered, bu'
who, nevertheless, died United State:
Marshal for the Western District ol
Missouri Has the Cavern of Flies
broken looseP
1t was near this same Fecoh, accord
ing to the Generals story, that Walter
Andrews Balister, formerly living neal
Kansas City, Mo-, won a fortune by
entering the famous Cavern Of Flies.
The Cavern of Flies is one of the
most wonderful and, at the same time,
one of the most hideous places in the
world.
Balister's adventure, in daring and
inexpressible terror, is not exceeded by
the most extravagant flights of fiction.
The memory of his experience un-
doubtedly wore upon Balister's mind,
for he packed up six years ago and left
his home saying:
81 am going to Greenland, where il
is too cold for flies.
It is not known in what year be
went to Yucatan. By strange whim
of fortune this tall, thin youth, from
the district of Missouri, where the
James boys had their haunts, found
himself shipping from New Orleans as
one of party to explore the ancient
ruins Of Yucatan.
When he returned to jackson County
in 1880 his old friends did not know
him. His face and hands were covered
with countless tiny blue spots, as if he
had been tattooed. He had plenty OF
money, although he went from the
Missouri hills with nothing except the
six-shooter in his hip pocket.
He built fine house. Each window
of the house was provided with finn
wire netting. A summer house in the
grounds was built, enmeshed entirely
with netting. Wlrn asked why be
used all this 1&dlhsive wire netting,
BalistS.;{eplied, glufis:
"TEkeep cut fliesl"
SoSn his black servants told strange
storsg Their masters chief require
meIa was that they should let no flies
int lhe house. If he heard one buz-
ziD every person in the house was or
| dered to kill that fly, TO do nothing un-
til the fly was killed.
One day Balister found black boy
asleep with fly peTched on his nose.
He struck the boy blow that all but
killed himi
It was too near the big np-to-date
town of Kansas City for black boys to
be struck down by their masters, hence
Balister was arrested for assault with
| intent to kill.
He declared he aimed at the fly, not
the boy. This excuse was considered @
bit Of grim humor.
1t was this circumstance that led
the strange man to tell to the late Gen
eral J. o. Shelby the story of the
"Cavern of Flies" General Shelby
told the story several times in con.
vivial moments.
Balister's father was one Of my
bravest soldiers.'' said General Shelby,
"and rode to Mexico with me rather
than surrender to the Yankees. / met
young Balister, but never asked him
what made bis face blue. Gentlemen,
the man was blue all overl When be
was charged with trying to kill the boy,
he said to me:
General, it is no joke-I did aim al
the fyl"
"Then be told me the story which,
he said, bad never passed his, lips be-
fore, it was so painful for him to tell.
SIT seems that somewhere in the In
terror Of YucataD, near Fecoh, two Of
the expidition, accompanied by Balls
ter, found a lot of ruins covered by for.
est trees. An immense hill of lava at
tracted them, and it was around the
hill they found these ruins
"Among the peculiar features Of an
ancient temple was an underground
tunnel, which. BY observation, they
found to lead into the hill of lava
rock.
SIN their efforts to follow this tun.
mel the party was driven back b.
swarms of fiesi The walls and ceiling
of the passage were covered with spe
cies of flies which puzzled the explor
ers. They had never seen any flies o.
that sort in The land of flies.
| Undermined to solve the mystery Of
the underground passage, the party
covered their faces and hands witt
cloths aHd pushed resolutely OF
through ever. increasing clouds of flies
| AS they went further the ancient ali
| grew warmer and moist, and an intol
erable odor assailed them. They wer'
driven back.
i "The next day they tried again, ant
| were rewarded by signs of light. En-
couraged by the light, they fought
through the swarms of insects and en-
| tered what seemed the crater Of an ex
tinct volcano. The terrible smell wa
from masses Of flies underfOot. Warn
fumes still arose from the rocks. Higl
above them were the apertures through
which came the daylight.
6 IT is burial placel' exclaimeI
the explorers.
.Balistef knew nothing OF the de
light Of unearthibg the traces Of 81
4 tinct nations, his business was to man