Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1902-04-10
PASSED OUT
OF EXISTENCE
IOrigina1.1

world, Tor III / SnOulu 40 SO l. WOulG
| soon be dead in earnest. Nevertheless
I am going to take the risk Of telling
the story under an assumed name.
Years ago, when not far out of my
teens, / was sent abroad to travel.
Full Of a desire to explore mysterious
paths, was foolish enough to spy up
on a band Of what are now called an
archists. Having been told by a young
German that he suspected them Of
meeting in a deserted barn near his
house, | went there one night, peeped
through a crack and was discovered,
but ran so fast that | congratulated
myself my identify had not become
known. off
A few weeks later I was doing a
cathedral in one of the principal cities
on the continent. l do not care to
name the place.. I was irreverently
poking my nose into all the corners
and ~crannies | could find when | was
~accosted by a young man, who asked
! me if I would like to see a very curious
closet. l told him that l would be-
glad to see anything curious, where
upon he invited me to follow him.. He
| led me to a dark corner, where a door
| not over four feet high stood open.
eff you will stoOp and enter there"
he said, "you will be repaid for your
trouble"
| did as was bid and entered a
closet not much too large to hold my
body. Then | heard the door slam and
the bolts in the lock shoot forward.
NY sensations are not only indescrib-
able, but, if l could give any idea of
them whatever, would be extremely
painful to the listener. l had not been
locked up a minute before it occurred
to me that the band upon whom | had
spied had tracked me, discovered who
I was and taken his means of putting
me out of the way. There was moth
ing beneath me but a cement floor,
nothing about but four stone walls.
Therefore / looked up to see what
there mignt be for a ceiling. Far
above / saw what appeared to be a
rectangle Of light. l gazed at it a long
while, trying to determine what it
was, but my mind was not in a state
to deliberate on anything, and / made
no Roadway.
After awhile I fell into a sort of stu
por, owing doubtless to my terrible
mental condition. During this time,
l presume, l gained some rest from
my sufferings, for my consciousness
was restored. Since there was moth
ing to see except above, | cast my eyes
again upward.
The rectangle had doubled in size.
Again | fell to thinking as to what
it might be, and this time, in order to
occupy my mind and thus relieve the
mental strain, / gave way to all sorts
of speculation. The cathedral clock
struck, and I counted nine strokes. /
had been shut up ever since 4 in the
afternoon. | was thunderstruck, hav-
ing supposed that I had not been there
an hour.
Presently I saw something dangling
from above. After watching it for
some time l was able to make out that
it was a rope. Then I discovered that
it was coming toward me. Lower and
lower, nearer and nearer, it came till
at last | was able to grasp it. Then I
remembered that / had my box of wax
tapers for lighting cigars in my pocket,
and, striking one of them, l tossed it
upward. Fol- an instant | could make
Out the ceiling. 1t was of iron, and in
it's center was an iron ring, from which
the rope was swung. Lighting several
tapers in succession, I held them above
my head and at last could see the cell
ing as long as a taper would burn.
Horror Of horrors! 1t was coming
down to crush me!
Again, from sheer agony I became
unconscious. | was revived by the
clock above striking II. Every stroke
seemed to toll my knell. The ceiling
was now so low that | could touch it
with my hand. In half an hour all
would be over.
Then | heard, far above, a sound as
of the rubbing Of metal against metal.
l listened and could distinguish the
and oh, blessed sight! The ceiling
was rising!
Then it occurred to me that I was
in the clock tower under the weight,
which was now being wound. l would
not be crushed. l would starve. There
was one chance for me. Selling the
rope, l tied it under my arms. AS
| soon as the slack was taken up l be-
gan to rise-ten, twenty, fifty. a hun
dred feet. There was more light. l
looked above. Between me and the
weight were arched windows. Might
I not get through one of them on to a
roof? l got up a swinging motion and
when ! reached the window chung to
the easement and unloosened the rope.
Breaking the glass, I looked out. The
roof was twenty feet below. l jumped
and landed safely on my feet.
In the east was a streak Of dawn,
but l did not stop to take note of it.
going here and there till l found a
door by which to descend. l found