Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1913-07-11
A PARIS
LANDMARK
And What Happened TO An
American
By F. A. mitchell

When MacKnight Wentworth was in
Paris he stopped at hotel in the old
est part of the city, and the building
was so ancient that no one could tell
him when 1t had been built.
That was the year the car of Russia
visited Paris, and every nook in tho
city was filled with the crowd of visit
ors who came to witness the festivities
attending his reception. Wentworth
was lodged in part of the house that
had not been occupied before within
the memory Of any one connected with
the hostelry. His room was a small
one and wainscoted. There was no
closet in 1t and no hooks on which to
hang any clothing. Every one about
the hotel was too busy to pay any ex-
cept ordinary attention to q guest, 80
Wentworth went out and bought q few
nails. with II view to driving them into
the wall to serve as hooks.
He Ind driven three nails and was at
work on fourth when the panel into
which he was driving 1t began to slow
ly slide on rollers to one side. 1t stop
ped. leaving n gap just wide enough to
allow person by STOPPING to pass
through. The wall had been cut away,
but, since 1t was dark beyond, Went
worth could not see what was there
and for n time he was too much aston
ished to make an exploration. The
blows of the hammer had shaken the
panel. doubtless unloosening a spring
which had held the door shut. This
spring was easily found, close to the
point where Wentworth had been driv-
ing tho nail
Timidity at length gave way to curl
oslty. and. lighting n candle that stood
on bureau, the American passed
through the opening and entered a
chamber. 1t was hung with tapestry
and furnished in a style that dated
back several centuries. A bedstead
stood against the wall, with canopy
above, and the curtains were lowered
The windows had been bricked up.
Wentworth pulled aside the bed cur
tains, and the dim light of his candle
fell upon figure betwixt n skeleton
and a body. woman dressed in n
style of the period Of Louis XIV.
Wentworth drew back. Again he
found 1t necessary to give curiosity
time to overtake timidlty. But the
former is n rapid mover, and in few
minutes he wns examining the body
Taking hold of the dress, 1t crumbled
There was some jewelry on the body,
earrings and necklace, and the gems
were large. Judging by the hair, In
which there were no gray strands, the
woman, II not young. was at least not
old, and her apparel so far rs 1t indi
Gated anything indicated youth.
Wentworth looked up from the grew
some sight and turned his gaze about
the chamber. There had been no eff
fort to conceal the spaces where the
windows had been, and he wondered
If they had been left the same on the
outside He did not believe they had.
He wondered If the room had been
walled up before or after the woman
had been confined in It. He looked
about for another egress than the
one by which he had entered and in o
corner discovered trapdoor. But
there was no means of raising It, not
handle or even ring. Having a
strong pocketknife with him, he put
n blade into the crack, but the trap
was not to be moved. Mt least with
such an instrument
Suddenly he heard n sound like the
shutting of door He started, the idea
coming into his head that he might be
shut up In this grewsome chamber.
Looking toward the opening through
which he had entered and through
which had come small quantum OF
light, he saw that the light had been
shut Off. With rapidly beating heart
he hurried TO the place and found the
panel closed For awhile he was too
horror stricken to look into the mat
ter, but when he did the cause of the
shutting of the panel was evident
When the spring that opened It WINS
pressed n weight pulled 1t back. The
cord by which the weight had been
held had parted. For years, perhaps
for centuries, 1t Ind rotted. and the jar
occasioned by its recent opening had
reduced II to n single strand, which
had Just given way. Could the spring
be worked and the door opened from
the side on which he stood7 A hnsty
examination showed that It could not.
Wentworth was appalled,. Shut up in
n chamber without n single opening,
with a candle that would not burn
more than an hour, he began to fear he
was doomed TO the fate OF the woman
who had evidently died there. He
might make noise to attract atten.
ton. but why could he DO heard any
more than she7 When he gathered his
wits he bent his ingenuity toward get.
ting out Of his dilemma. He first tried
TO introduce the point Of his pocket.
knife Into the lock TINT held tho panel.
II he could disengnge tho catch that
held 1t he could move It back against
the force of the spring that closed IL
But he failed to move the catch.
He next turned his attention to the
trap in the floor, examining It carefully
whilo his candle burned TO discover
some means Of opening It. He could
see no way whatever Then he made
an examination Of the room 10 see II
there might not be some other opening
that nc had thus far failed TO notice