Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1913-07-11
ROCKVILLE. MARYLAND FRIDAY MORNING, JULY IL, 1913


Suiocilteu III tulS nOfflDle chamber
seemed worse even than dying of star
walton Tearing away the valance, he
stamped ON II. But the curtains had
caught fire, and he tore down these
also. exposing the bones that foretold
his own probable fate. In this way he
succeeded In putting out the fire,
But Il new terror was In store for
him One half IN inch of the candle
remained. and when 1t burned away he
would I've In darkness in darkness with
tHt horrible thing on the bed He re
nrWcd his search. but was so agitated
that he would not have been likely to
detect II concealed opening If one were
before him Round and round the room
he went. the candle ever burning lower
Thinking there might be an opening In
the wall behind the bed, he endeavored
to move It, but 1t was so heavy that 1t
resisted his efforts, Then despair gave
him strength for one concentrated push
and he moved II far enough to thrust
the now iickering candle behind It
Aims, there was nothing but bare
WALL
His only hope now lay between the
panel by which he bad entered and the
trap In the corner. He kicked upon
the former but 1t was solid oak. He
turned from it to the trap, remember,
ing that If all else failed he could
keep up continued hammering on
fhn hut In
entered his room she would hear him.
Once more ne scrutinlzed every point
in the outline of the trap, but as be-
fore he failed to SEQ any Indication of
the fastening.
And now the candle began to flare in
its socket An irresistible fascination
drew the prisoners eyes to the be-
jeweled corpse on the bed. Hldeous 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 SEQ tho 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 tho way to the panel, he sat down
beside 1t and began rapping, which
he resolved to renew every few min.
utes. Hours went by and no response.
He did not expect a 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 Mt all, I'M
less he reported the matter ut the Of
Zee OF the hotel Remembering his
watch. he remembered as well that he
could not SEQ It. All, but he could
feel Having wound It, he removed
the glass from It's face and felt, light
ly as possible. for the hands.
II had been about o'clock in the
evening when he entered the room,
and the hands now indicated @. He
had been there an hour. 1t seemed
twenty four hours. After all, there
would be no use keeping up the rap
ping, since no one would DO likely to
enter the adjoining room till the next
morning
He resolved that he would spend
some time while waiting I'm tapping
all about the trapdoor in the floor in
tho hope that he might strike spring
that would open It. He had nothing to
tap with, but thought Of the heel OF
his boot and, taking It off, held 1t by
the toe and began his work, pursuing
II systematically in order that he
might not go over the same ground
more than once. He first tapped all
around the edge of the trap for n dis
lance Of three feet, as nearly as no
could tell I'm the dark. This occupied
an hour Then he began work on the
wall beside the trap. He was tapping
at point MS high rs his head, his back
turned to the trap. when no heard
something behind him drop. Turning,
he felt n current of cold air coming up
through the floor and saw u square
plncc n trIne lighter than the rest
where the trap had been. It had
opened, swinging downward.
Kneelng beside the opening, Went
worth explored with his hands and
feet narrow winding steps. Without
needing where they led to no descend
ed. The flight was long ono 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 H.
he easily broke It away.
He believed he was over a sewer
and no was. Indeed, no could see into II
and that 1t wns nearly empty Drop
ping down on to tho stones which
formed the tube, no went toward
light some distance from him. The
light also came toward him. II was n
lantern IN the hands OF n sewer tender
That is the end Of tho story so far MS
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 tho room examined
and the record OF the building looked
up All they could find out about It
was that It had been built I'm the thlr-
teenth century and during the reign Of
Louis XIV. when private revenge occu.
pied the plnce Of law, had gained the
reputation OF being place where GER
tain persons obnoxious to certain other
persons OF power we're put out OF the
way. But who tho woman was whose
body Wentworth found there was ney
or learned Doubtless sho wns the last
of number Of persons who had been
starved IN that room.