The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-05-01
A CHORUS CHOIR At BAY
MYSTERIOUS SHOTS COME FROM
TABERNACLE CHURCH INTERIOR.
Ffery-Eyed Animal Had Taken POs-
session of the Organ-Its
Tragic Fate.

cnolr room into the churcn ABOUT lou
o'clock Saturday evening. and mounted the
steps to the choir platform in front of the
organ. Except for a pickering gas flame
in the dome of the auditorium no ray OF
light pierced the darkness. Silence reigned
in the great space, except when the light
voices Of the young men and women in the
choir room foated into the gloomy nave.
Mr.. Schneider mounted the steps TO the
choir platform. slowly, abstractedly. his
eyes on the floor. 1t was a shock when his
glance encountered two eyes. two fiery eyes,
burning at him. The silence was split by a
noise. half barking, half splitting.
Lights" cried Mr.. Schneider. Lights
The janitor came running out of the un-
fashionable darkness. from somewhere. The
choir of forty-two young men and women
crowded through the door Of the choir room.
pushing, struggling in their haste. Silence
was no more.
Some of the young men Gomez again
cried Mr.. Schneider. Keep the young
ladies back! There is a wild animal here!
Turn up the lightsl
The lights flashed up at the magic motion
of the janitor's hand The church was filled
with Respondent light. The janitor was
cold.
haven't been drinking, have you, Mr..
Schneider
There was the harshness of a joke in the
janitor's last sentence. 1t was mastery.
The young women had not kept back
They might sing with Mr.. Schneider, but
they would not let him play with them.
They laughed at him.
But he had seen an animal. 1t had fiery
no bfr II To- md
furry. II was sitting horribly before the
organ. He had caught glimpse of it
leaping through the door into the organ
The janitor lit his gas jet inside the organ.
1t was his privilege to light the gas jet, and
besides, he had seen a cat and dog in the
church that day, and it must be one of the
two that Mr.. Schneider had seen in the dark
The choir pressed about, excited. And there
We're forty-two young men and women.
Presently, the janitor's voice. That's no
dog" he exclaimed. That's no cat" He
exclaimed this over his shoulder. for no one
had followed him into the organ, into the
light of his own gas jet.
FIERY EYES FLASHED AT THEM.
The young women climbed on the chairs
with the unanimity of young women in
play, who, for many nights at the cue, "A
mouse" leap up on the chairs and get ap-
plause from those of the audience to whom
the joke is not ancient. The courageous
young men went into the organ. On the
floor, under the bellows. they saw great
furry animal with fiery eyes. burning at
them. The janitor's gas jet did not give
enough light to enable them to see what
kind Of an animal 1t was. But 1t was no cat
or dog. Some one played the organ, but
the animal moved not. In the discussion Ii
was concluded. that it would be impossible
to use the organ long, because the bellows
would sink. the animal would be mashed
and enraged and the organ might be brok-
en-. Secondly, 1t was necessary TO get the
animal out, for II might climb up into the
organ and ruin it, 1t must be killed The
solo numbers of the discussion were accom-
panied by the quick, excited questioning
and warning of the young women. who
At length it was determined to shoot the
animal, and one of the young men brought
from neighbours house a rifle. He al
he brought it into the light it was seen to
be only fobert rifle. Nevertheless, Ii was
given into the hands of one singer, Mr.
Gates, not only because he was said to be
a marksman, but because its high sound
was near the range of his voice, and the
great principle of harmony must never be
assailed in chorus choir composed of
forty-two young men and women, directed
by the director of the Symphony Orchestra.
Mr.. Gates removed his coat, and, with sew
=,
crouched on the floor under the organ. He
aimed and fred and loaded and aimed and
fired, but If his shots went home the great
burned gave no sign. The shots made a
great noise in the church. The people on
Meridian street. taking the air, were start
to save from murder a fellow-being. But
the shots were explained. A crowd gath
cred outside. and great noise of passing
the story TO and fro went up from many
threats The fiobert rife was thrown aside.
A big revolver was procured from another
neighbor. 1t was given into the hands of
Mr.. Cox, the basso, again in keeping with
the principle of harmony.
KILLED IN THE ORGAN.
Mr.. Cox aimed and fired six times. The
animal was touched. 1t barked and
screamed and struggled and fled into a cor
ner of the organ, where ii could not be
seen. A thought emanated from some ones
mind that If the front panels Of the organ
were taken out. the animal could be found.
The janitor brought a screwdriver. He did
the work. A panel was taken out, then an
other; the animal was revealed 1t was in
a spasm. Its back had been broken by a
bullet: A brave man dragged it out by Its
fur. He beat its head on the bare floor,
with awful thumps, until the head hung
limp and the animal was dead. The floor
was bathed in blood, red blood. The animal
was seen to be raccoon. When the young
WOiEtn recovered from the SOUND Oh the
shots and the awful thumps they too looked.
and they saw 1t was raccoon, after they
had been told 1t was raccoon. The dead
body was carried out. Time had flown. Mr..
Schneider was no more wild animal
hunter. He was a choir director. He called
the choir to the piano and the rehearsal be-
gan. 1t was long before the crowd out
side dispersed, for Ii was not until the story
had been told TO everyone and had become
a vivid description of an animals having
fallen into the bass pipe of the organ hav-
ing been blown out almost by the wind from
the bellows, having been shot and dragged
out by means of hook on pole. When
each had been told different story Of the
affair. the crowd dispersed, satisfied.
The raS coon lay out in the yard back of
the church, dead, unwept. His eyes were
no longer fiery. burning at his enemies. He
was dead for good and all, but not forever
unwept. For he was the pet of North
Senate-avenue family, and when II learned
that its raccoon was dead that it had been
shot by the qualified representatives of the
Tabernacle Church choir. the family muir
INJURED Indignantly. The raccoon had sought
refuge in the church from tormenting chl-
dren and had found death. 1t was the irony