The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-01-27
Our Daily $bcrt Story

| rouse everybody in the house"
 | Then they will find you a dead man." he said. The moment you op- en your mouth, I'll shoot.
 If ever a mans voice expressed de- termination. his did, as ne gave me that warning. and. fully realizing my helplessness. submitted to the inevi. table. s1.v..+
 He grasped my arm. and scratch--- seratch--scratch went the steel It caused little pain at firt, but as it sank deeper into the flesh 1t became correspondingly harder to endure. How long must this continue? asked. ,~- -.- ! Until be reach the bone." he an- l swered in a voice as hard as the steel he was using. | why, man. calculated, I'll bleed to death long before that time." "No" he muttered. mot to death. | Don't worry. it won't come to that. l You'll lose some blood, but you'll live never fear. You've got to live. If you should die my experiment would be lost. You see.' he went on to ex- plain. I've got to reach the bone be- fore apply the preparation. To use 1t before, would send the poison all through you"
 Not till then did see my position in all it's horror. Held at the point of firearm while a madman pro- ceeded to sever the flesh from my arm; watched by an eye as alert as 1t was crueI: threatened with instant death If I made any outcry, and cer- tain of a similar end If yielded sub- missive1y. Imagine, if you can, my feelings as I lay there at the mercy of the needle.
 l The blood began to trickle out of my arm, and drop to the floor. The sight of 1t seemed to give added im- petus to my captor's efforts. Tn fact. I could almost fancy that his face frightened up with grim satisfaction. as he saw the warm, red fluid ooze out beneath his instrument
 1 did a vast amount of thinking
 in that brief space of time. Many schemes for attracting some one to liberate me entered my mind, only to be rejected as impossible. Every way appeared to be barred, so viligant and watchful was my adversary.
 1 Finally, my mind conceived of a plan which. though hazardous. prom ised freedom if it was successfully carried out. In order to further that end, I tried to make 1t appear that the pain was more than I could bear. With each succeeding touch of the steel I moved about little more reck- lessly. I also began to groan and | toss my free arm about, increasing the intensity of the action as fast as pos sible without exciting suspicion. Nor was 1t all counterfeitinR. By that time the pain had become intense, so that 1t was easy to impart natural ness to my behavior. Fortunately for the success of my undertaking. the fanatic who worked upon me did not notice anything unusual. and contin- ued patiently at his task. -., s- At last, giving a desperate swing with my arm, I swept of the lamp which sat upon the table close beside the bed. It struck the floor with a crash. and was instantly enveloped in a veil of flame. The fire spread rap idly until 1t surrounded my unknown assailant, who still sat there trans-
 fixed by the shock
 Had l not leaped from the bed even as the lamp was falling, too would
 have been encircled by the merciless enemy. AS it was I had barely time to snatch a few articles of clothing and make my wuy through the chok. ing smoke into the hall. Once out
 side the room looked below to see staggering down the stairway, his form
 wrapped in streaming flame-the man who had lately held me prisoner. :, The other lodgers. aroused by his
 terrified shrieks, poured out into tine
 halls. Some sought to aid the unror-
 tunate man; others stormed below for
 pals of water In every part of the house was noise and confusion. Dashing into a vacant room, slipped on the seanty wearing apparel had saved-using a part of 1t to bandage up my bleeding armand went to join in the work of rescue My services were not needed, how ever The fire had been extinguished
 through the determined efforts of that : gallant little band. As for my unwel- nome caller, he was past all hope of rescue.
 : They had found him in the street , burned past all recognition. He had
 rushed on and on to his death The
 oil from the shattered lamp haSl doubt less splashed on his clothing, thus making 1t quick to ignite.
 The village of Waldo was still wear. ing the shroud of darkness when the
 train bore me away. whether or not subsequent events may have revealed the identity of tn" dead man, car not say; to me the whole affair has
 always remained mystery. Noi shall I ever attempt to make it other. wise. Nothing could induce me to visit ] the place again.