A NIGHT OF HORRORS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIII, Issue 4, 15 May 1885, Page 23

A NIGHT OF HORRORS.

On the night of the 31st December ult., at Allihiea, a village near Castle-town-Berehaven, happened an incident, which, for Buffering and horror, has not been surpassed in the most thrilling narrative of the present day. On New Year's eve night Sergeant Michael Blake, of Allihies Police Station, was returning to the barrack, and, as toe evening was rather dark, being about seven o'clock, he took a short cut across some fields, in which unfortunately for him, was an old disased shaft of the Allihies copper mine, which had no protection whatever, as the paling which once encircled it has long since rotted away. The pathway leads close by the mouth of this shaft, but being well acquainted with the place the sergeant apprehended no danger. He stopped for a moment to light his pipe, his cover fell, and in groping for i*, his eyes being dazzled with the glare of the match, he tumbled headlong into the pit. When about half way down the back strap of his overcoat caught a projecting rock, and he hung for a moment, but the strap broke almost immediately, and then he fell to the bottom, which was covered with rotten matter of all descriptions, as this pit had be-n the receptacle of all the carrion of tha neighbourhood, such as dead hogs, horses, etc., for the past 16' or 20 years. Into this mass of putrid matter the unfortunate man fell, and found when he attempted to move that his right fore-arm had been broken, and his left ankle dislocated. As, in all possibility, no person would pass that way until morning, the poor man had to contemplate the fearful fact that if he did not die in this horrible bole he would have at least to spend the night there. But matten got worse, for soon a horde of rats collected, who, thinking this man legitimate prey, attempted to eat him alive. The feeling of Sergeant Blake at this period may be better imagined than described. The agony of his miad must have been something dreadful. With an old bone wnich he found in the place he defended himself, but the attempt was oaly partially successful, as, lying on his back and nearly disabled, he could but use his left hand, and he frequently, found the rats running across his face, and he found himself obliged to sbut his eyes to exclude the filthy matter with which these vicious animals were reeking. When daylight came the only intimation that the poor man had of its appearance was a light which looked like a star far above his head. He began now to shout with all his might, and a young lad named Denis Harrington who heard the noise, and fancied that a dog had been recently thrown into the pit,' commenced to throw down stones to put the animal as he thought out of pain. This was certainly not what the poor man below expected, and it must have heightened the agony of his mind. When this lad had satisfied himself with throwing stones he went away, and happened to meet a woman who was looking for her husband (be not having returned the night before). He told her of tha noise in the pit. She immediately went to the place and shouted down, and on receiving the answer that it was Sergeant Blake who was down there, she went to the barracks and told the police, who had* been looking for the sergeant all night, that he was down theKilogue* shaft. They immediately procured ropes and all necessary appliances for the descent of the shaft and the release of the poor sergeant. But no one could be found to make the descent, until an old miner named James Kelly, who had worked in the mine about twenty yean ago, came up and volunteered to rescue the man below. He was lowered into this black hole, and on reaching the bottom he fastened the rope around Blake's body, who was hauled up to the surface more dead than alive, at about the hour of one o'clock p.m., eighteen . hours after his fall into this loathsome den. The rope was again lowered for brave Kelly, who fastened himself and was hauled up, A litter was prepared for Blake, who was conveyed into Allihie*. Blake is rapidly recovering from his injuries. — Cork Examiner.