The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1903-11-21
Il Night in the Iron Chamber.

Martin, could dc with him what. he
pleased: When Paul INLAND regained
foot SO firmly that he. could not even
move his head A faint strip of light
coming through the door showed him
where he was-locke1 up in the iron
that Martin only wished to friEhten
him and tried to ":wheedle his cousin
into: letting him out .4SB Ut he received
! no.reply and the: :ft1l horror Of the.ssit:
I!1a tlonSWas soon clear toSh him: He knew
the secret Of the iron chamber that
the course of an hour-or twenty hours,
according to the regulation Of the me-
chanism. He heard his cousin breath
ing heavily and understood that Mar
TIN was lying in an apoplectic fit out
side the door of the chamber. Giving
loud shrek of terror, Paul began to
cry like child. for he was young, and
IN the town girl was waiting for him.
1t no one heard his cry and Martin
should not soon recover Consciousness.
the hour was not far off when the iron
door would close in upon him, and
spear him on the long daggers which
would enter his brain. heart and eyes.
He shouted again and again, but the
cries died away in the vault. unheard.
He had never lived through minutes
so long. He saw that the sharp steel
points of the door had drawn nearer,
and with shrek Of agony he again
1alnted. and knew nothing for sew
eral hours.
When he came to ray of DAYLIGHT
was creeping in through the cracks Of
the boards in the trap door of the floor
OF the chamber. and through the cracks
h ne could =, see the river glittering far
most shut. The steel points were ap-
eye could not follow their movements.
II the daFgers could have bored them
selves into his heart and brain at once.
ne would not have lifted a hand against
nun SO that he tore at his letters with
the strength Of a madman. and at last
broke them from their rusty. hinges:
But when he had tried with all his
strength to burst open the door. he un-
derstood how little he had gained.
When Paul realized the situation he
knelt and tried to shut his ears and
eyes. In an attack Of wild frenzy he
began to strike with his fists against
the rotten boards of the trap floor. and
Eoh, miracle! they broke and fell to
dred feet under the breast-works of the
castle: The, torture vault was builr
beneath the breast-works. and the iron
chamber was a sort Of projection hang
ing out over the precipice. When the
have, fallen on the rocks had he not
| caught at a beam which had recently
been put under the projection to stay it.
ne Wept and laughed for jov as he
hung to his support and, did not realize
mat the danger was as great as in the
| The sun had Just risen and it was =
| long time before there was any sign OF
| me IN the town.. He shouted as loud
as aed MS s st 70 lungs permitted, but no.
his JOY waned. and he began to fear
that he would die after all.
| 1T. was woman who saved him from
| his perilous position. His fiance had
heard. early in the morning. that: the
cided to accompany the men who
started out to search for them. From
the court of the castle she saw pau
clinging to the beam, and rushed ii
to the men who had just found Mar.
tins lifeless body in the torture vault
A rope was thrown to Paul and willine
hands pulled him up. The living ana
the dead We're carried from the castle
both victims Of the inhumanity of1Smar
in that far-aWay time. the horrors o1
which ought now to be. forgotten. =a@ssS5ss5sD'