The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-03-12
Imprisoned in Vaults.

II was fortunate that the stupid joke
by which a young man and young
woman were locked in the big iron safe
I'm the Criminal Counrts building the other
day had not "A fatal ending. It recalls
other cases OF persons being accidentally
locked in safes, some of which resulted
in the death OF the unfortunate prisoners.
says the New York Press
IL would be hard 10 Invent "A more
grewsome case OF making the punish
ment NJ the crime than the accident
which resulted in the death OF a well
known German usurer recently. He had
amassed great wealth as money lender.
and In the process had achieved a repu-
tation for being a man OF hard dealings.
one day he mysteriously disappeared. No
trace could be found of him, and after
whiting some time IL was decided that he
probably was dead. and his property was
taken possession Of by his next of kin.
With great difficulty a large safe In the
usurer's bedroom was broken open and
10 the horror OF the onlookers, the body
of the money-lender was discovered sit
ting in a corner OF the interior clutching
In his dead hand a bag OF money. How
he came TO be thus entombed in his own
safe Is not known, but IL Is supposed
that he had entered TO replace a bag of
geld which he had been counting, and
mat the door accidently swung to and
thus closed his career forever. But STILL
there Is something mysterious and un-
canny about II. for the door of the safe
did not close generally of its own voli-
tion and the safe stood i'm place where
no gust OF wind would have been able
TO get at II and blow il TO.
Not long ago there was a most grew
some safe accident In Scotland. A man
Of great wealth and also of great eccen-
tricity ha decided that when he died
he would like to be buried I'm a safe. He
bought a big safe ana had IL placed In
neighboring cemetery. II was the mans
custom to pay periodical visits to the
cemetery and inspect, and even open
and enter, the queer tomb which he had
chosen for himself. One winters day.
when he was thus grimly sitting inside
side. gust slammed TO the door and he
found himself prisoner. Suddenly that
tomb which he had so gloated over lost
all attractions for him, and he called
of the safe while a wind storm ragged out
aloud I'm terror for help and threw him
self against the door of the safe. He
might as well have thrown himself
against a rock. and as TO his cries the
rushing and the roaring of the wind
drowned them.
Some hours later, when the wind had
gone down, a passer by thought he heard
sounds coming from the safe. He did not
Walt 10 llNtStHdtt. IL uliknt Dt ~ kHOsi
for all he knew, but ran and told the peo-
pie of the village, who came In a body
10 confront whatever might be crying for
help In the cemetery. When they became
convinced that some living thing was In
side the safe IL was opened. and the rich
man was found lying on the floor of his
steel prison In the last stages of exhaus-
tion, with almost every particle OF cloth
ing torn from his body In the agonies OF
dispair OF an imprisonment which had
so nearly meant death.
Some time ago London bank clerk
was imprisoned In the strong room of
the bank, and nearly died from the effects
OF It, lie was on the point OF leaving the
bank after the closing hours when his
eyes fell upon bundle of notes which
he had forgotten 10 place In the vault.
lie stepped inside the strong room "a
stow away the notes when the cashier.
not knowing he was there. closed and
locked the door before the clerk realized
the situation and went away leaving the
young man to his fate.
In vain the clerk shouted ans kicked al
the unyielding door. His cries and strug-
giles were unheard and the terrible fact
dawned on him that he was entombed
alive and that long before the morning
brought release he would be dead man
At length, after what seemed an etern.
| ity OF agony and vain crying and strug'
Cling, horror and vitiated air overcams
| him and he fell insensible. When he re-
covered consciousness IL was TO find him
| self lying on the floor OF the bank, outside
| the safe, with The cashier and his owl
| wife bending over him. The explanation
OF his timely rescue from death was tha
his wife, becoming anxious at the non
| reurn OF her husband from the bank a
the usual time. had gone TO the cashle
| 90 inquire about him. They had gone q
| the bank. and. falling TO find him there
] the cashier, by happy inspiration, ha6
opened the strong room just In time 4
| save the clerks life.
| This last incident carries strong mora
| with n for all married bank clerks. Th
| clerk who was shut In the safe was
| man OF exemplary habits and always wen
| straight home from the bank. Hence tn
| wifes anxiety when he did not show M
at the usual time. If he had been friv
olous bank clerk. accustomed TO loite
with the boys on his way home. she woul'
not have been anxious. and he would hsv
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