The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1913-04-29

keep up continued hammering on
the panel, so that in case q servant
entered his room she would hear him.
Once more he scrutinized every point
In the outline of the trap, but as be
fore he failed to see any indication of
the fastening.
And now the candle began to fare in
its socket. An irresistible fascination
drew the prisoners eyes to the be-
jeweled corpse on the bed. Hideous as
1t was. 1t was the last connecting link
between him and humanity. Then he
covered his eyes with his hands, that
he should not see the candies last
flicker and when he removed them
he was in total darkness.
The horror of that moment was
never to be forgotten. But hope never
dies, and hope inspires action. Feel
ing the way to the panel, he sat down
beside 1t and began a rapping, which
he resolved to renew every few min
utes- Hours went by and no response.
He did not expect q responsible only
hoped for one. Unfortunately his
room would not be put in order by the
servant till the following morning, and
the servants were so busy that 1t
might not be put in order at all. I'M
less he reported the matter at the Of
fee of the hotel Remembering his
watch. he remembered as well that he
could not see It All, but he could
feel Having wound it, he removed
the glass from its face and felt, light
ly as possible. for the hands.
1t had been about 8 o'clock in the
evening when be entered the room,
and the hands now indicated 6. He
had been there an hour. 1t seemed
twenty-fo four hours. After all, there
would be no use keeping up the rap
ping, since no one would be likely to
enter the adjoining room till the next
morning.
He resolved that he would spend
some time while waiting in tapping
all about the trapdoor in the floor In
the hope that he might strike spring
that would open it. he had nothing tC
tap with, but thought of the heel OF
his boot and. taking it off, held it by
the toe and began his work, pursuing
it Systematically in order that be
might not go over the same ground
more than once. He FIRST tapped all
around the edge of the trap for dis
lance of three feet. as nearly as he
could tell in the dark. This occupied
an hour. Then he began work on the
wall beside the trap. He was tapping
at point as high as his head, his back
turned to the trap. when he heard
something behind him drop. Turning
he felt current of cold air coming ur
through the floor and saw a square
place trife lighter than the rest
where the trap had been. 1t had
opened, swinging downward
Kneeling beside the opening, Went
worth explored with his hands and
feet narrow winding steps. Without
needing where they led to he descend
ed. The fight was long one and as
dark at one point as another. Finally
when he reached the bottom he found
himself standing on wood. but there
were rotted parts. and, stamping on It.
he easily broke 1t away.
He believed he was over a sewer
and he was. Indeed, he could see into II
and that it was nearly empty. Drop
ping down on to the stones which
formed the tube, he went toward q
light some distance from him. The
light also came toward him. 1t was a
lantern in the hands of sewer tender
That is the end of the story so far as
Wentworth's escape is concerned. but
not the explanation of the cause of his
Imprisonment. He reported his expe
rience to the authorities, and the his
torical society had the room examined
and the record of the building looked
up. All they could find out about II
was that 1t had been built in the thir
teenth century and during the reign OF
Louis XIV, when private revenge occu
pied the place of law. had gained the
reputation of being a place where Ger
tain persons obnoxious to certain other
persons Of power were put out of the
way. But who the woman was whose
body Wentworth found there was new
err learned. Doubtless she was the last
Of number of persons who had beer
starved in that room