Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1918-12-12

| thin-lipped mouth sort OF aWrul
smile.
Again he waved an arm; this time
toward the door at the rear of the
| room which led back to the entrance
to the tunnel, as / knew.
Very slowly and as one driven by
shop sdled along back of his counter
before the others advance.
So we reached the rear of the room
and passed through it's door to another
apartment behind it.
And first of us all walked the keep
er of the shop.
He seemed cowed, overawed, but he
was still not without a sort of cor
nered courage, such as the weak
things show at times in unacceptable
| places.
OF sudden, and before ] had
dreamed of the action, he sprang for
ward, cried out in shrill sort of
scream and threw himself toward
second door beyond us.
AS 1 followed that mad leap my
eyes distinctly saw an electric button
set into the frame of the door.
saw it and found my gaze fastened
upon it as a target toward which the
little man had launched himself in a
wild chance Of sounding. an alarm.
But he never reached it.
Have you ever seen hawk strike
running rabbit? / have, and to this
day always liken that scene to the
other which transpired now.
AS the little figure hurled itself for
ward the man with the hawk eyes
acted, as quickly even as the hawk it.
self sweeps down.
He lunged from his position at the
others heels. His great arm with its
long talon-like nails reached out, it's
fingers spreading like the claws of the
bird itself.
They spread out and closed with
grasping, prehensile motion, and =
they closed on the throat of the man
who leaped before.
The little man screamed again -
screamed as the rabbit cries out when
the hawks claws pierce it.
The great hand dragged him back.
I caught glimpse of his face, drawn
and distorted with pain and terror.
Then l looked at the claw-like hand.
1t had caught him just under the
chin. Its long nails seemed buried in
the flesh of his scrawney neck and
while l looked tiny trickles of blood
started from beneath the strangling,
tearing fingers and ran down over the
yellow-brown skin of the puny thing
they held.
With heaye the great arm raised
and held him striking and struggling
as the rabbit struggles, and the threads
Of blood widened aud deepened, and
the eyes in his face started and rolled
backward like the rabbits.
Dual" l cried out. Semi! He
will kill him."
My friend shook his head.
Very slowly the great arm lowered
the writhing thing it held, to the floor,
and released it. 1t lifted skinny hands
to it's torn throat and moaned and
whimpered.
The great hand seized it again, this
time by the back of the neck, and
turned it toward the rear of the room
and the door it had sought to reach.
We passed through the door and
down a ladder-like flight of steps.
Damp earth was at the bottom. A
dim light came from row of incan-
descents which hung from line Of
open wiring at the top of the tunnel.
They led off and disappeared at a
turn.
Semi Dual thrust hand into his
robes and brought it out filled with
bits of torn paper He let few frag-
| ments fall to the floor.
ut was necessary to gain guide"
| he said softly to me. "The man is
not seriously injured, but he knows
death waits if he disobeys."
nodded. ! could we'll believe the
terror of death in the warped little
brain under the stiff. black hair.
could fancy how we'll l myself
would recognize the potential death in
| that gaunt, talon-like hand, the nails of
which were holding him helpless on
either side of his yellow-brown neck,
/
felt sort of compassion for the
fellow, thug and white SLAYER though
he was, as he shuffled ahead, while his
| blood welleG slowly from beneath the
dripping nails.
So we went forward along the
| dim length of the tunnel, where the
| light showed the sheen of moisture,
and the earth was sodden and fetid
beneath our feet.
Little by little, as he advanced the
| bits of torn paper fluttered and drop.
ped to the floor from the fingers Of
Semi Dual. Ee was laying paper
| trail to guide the steps of those who
came after.
| began to tingle with nervous sort
of elation as we pushed deeper and
| deeper into the crooked channels be-
meath the upper city. l thrilled as !
saw how completely 1t had all been
thought out and arranged. Nothing