Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1899-12-28
IN THE
SMUGGLERS'
CAVE.

OF Il SUCK 10 walk with, though I'm not
yet 40 years of age. but my present
condition only shows the influence of n
mans mind over his body.
Doubtless you will have heard. sir,
that | was n custom house inspector
before my health was shattered, and
can say more than good many of my
brothers in the trade can-that | did
my duty fearlessly and honestly to the
best Of my poor ability, striving to stop
the unlawful distilling which was then
carried on to an alarming extent.
perhaps the smugglers thought that
| was overkeen in the execution Of my
duty. At any rate. they determined, in
return for the many seizures | had
made, to have their revenge on me.
Grown too confident. suppose, by
success. | was in the habit of taking
long walks among the lonely hills at
night, quite alone.
This gave them the chance they
were waiting for SO, one clear moon
light night when | was taking my usu-
al ramble. was suddenly bounced up
on by six men with faces masked.
ITO struggle was worse than use
less. as my arms were held as if in n
wise. and at the very beginning my re-
volver was taken from me. Not one
word did they speak, but hurried me
existence of which, keen as | thought
myself. | had never found out.
"Now for the first time did one of
the gang speak. and in fact during
the whole proceedings only two SEN
fences were uttered, the first of which
was:
Bring out the black sand
Immediately one of the six went
into n corner of the cave and returned
rolling n barrel before him. which was
set up on it's end in the center Of the
cave. which, now that | was used to
the half darkness, appeared to be no
larger than an ordinary sized room.
THE barrel set up on its end. the
lid was lifted off. and saw that the
black sand of the speaker meant gun
powder, and the barrel, by no means
small, was full up to the edge.
'All this time. sir had not the least
idea what they were going to do, but
very soon | was enlightened, for sud-
denly my legs and arms were made
fast 30 four separate ropes which came
from opposite corners of the cave, and
in minute | was hoisted up in the
air spread eagle fashion. till | was
hanging face down some few inches
above the barrel with my head and
chest just over it.
"Then. to my horror, one of the
scoundrels took lighted candle. stuck
it for half its length in the powder,
and Immediately the whole set de-
camped. letting down. however. be-
fore doing so. a heavy curtain across
the narrow mouth of the cave, as one
of their number said, to keep me from
catching cold through the drafts
81 knew there was no hope for any
one finding me in time to let me down
from my awful position. Then | be-
gan to calculate how long it would be
before the event would happen.
reckoned ] had about two hours to
live-and then.
suspended over n powder barrel
and light slowly approaching the
powder and no possibility of extn-
gushing 1.-THE impossibility of put
ting out my hand to save my life.
That was the worst Of it,
Then thought Of my poor wife and
family; then | began to think the most
curious things whether they would
ever know my fate whether enough Of
me would be left to enable them to rec
ognize the fragments, whether | would
be torn limb from limb by the ropes
holding firm or whether the rings in
the wall to which the ropes were fas-
tened would give way first.
Then knew that the terrible strain
on my mind, aided by the excruciating
anguish was suffering in my joints,
was causing me TO go mad. That in
itself, sir was an awful thought. and
prayed that might die.
"At last the supreme moment came.
The candle had grown so short that It
was just level with the surface of the
powder; the flame was just touching it
when, mercifully. tainted
1T was six weeks before recovered
my senses. | had had so | was in
formed. n most severe attack of brain
fever. The first thing did was to ask
how had been rescued.
ut appears that three hours or so
after the gang had left the cave one of
them knocked up George Donald. my
assistant. thrust n note into his hand
and was off before George was right
awake. That note contained exact di-
rections where | was to be found.
George reused up some neighbors,
and off they set, reaching the cave
about o'clock in the morning, when
they Immediately cut the ropes and
took me down"
But" remarked. "by that time the
candle had reached the powder, and
how does IL happen that you were not
blown TO atoms?''
"Ah, sir" was his sorrowful answer,
81 asked them myself how ii was the
powder had not exploded when the
light reached IL. but IL appears the
smugglers only wanted to give me
some little pain and great fright. and
they succeeded. The barrel contained
only black sand.'-London Evening
News.