H3llO¥99Il 



Qiambei' of Hara'S 



C. E. Fannins^ 



HALLOWEEN entertainments where 

 young people of both sexes partici- 

 pate are usually characterized by 

 merrymaking in which witches of a more 

 or less friendly type are the principal 

 feature; but where none but brave 

 scouts of the genus homo are present, 

 as at a club or a boys' school, the horrors 

 may be as real as they can be made. 

 The "Chamber of Horrors" described 

 here was fitted up by boy students last 

 October 31, and the thrills and shivers 

 which the participants in the fun 

 received are not yet forgotten. The 

 materials used were borrowed from the 

 school laboratory or from the students' 

 homes. The experiences began at the 

 very entrance doorway. 



Beside the arch outside the entrance, 

 which was draped with black crepe and 

 surmounted by a sign reading, "The 

 Cave of Death; All Hope Abandon, Ye 

 Who Enter Here," stood a witch in 

 skeleton mask and long black robes, 

 who barred the way with a long dry 

 bone, questioned each applicant as to 

 his strength of nerve, and in serious 

 tones made each assert that he entered 

 the cave at his own risk and peril. Two 

 raps from within the closed door 

 signified that the victim had permission 

 to enter. In the arch under which the 

 victim passed hung a human skull and 

 cross-bones, suspended by fine wires. 

 Those who were curious to touch or 

 handle them, received a moderately 

 severe shock. 



As the victim placed his hand on the 

 knob to open the door, he received 

 another shock and was commanded in 

 hoarse whispers to close the door behind 

 him. The room which he now entered 



was absolutely dark, except for phos- 

 phorescent hands here and there, and a 

 phosphorescent skull near him. Before 

 he had time to see them distinctly, some- 

 thing cold and flabby struck him in the 

 face. A pair of the gleaming hands picked 

 up the phosphorescent skull, and a voice 

 whispered, "Take this baby's skull in 

 your hands. Press it to your lips. There 

 are maggots crawling on it — a-a-a-a-h." 

 After actually experiencing the revolt- 

 ing sensation of maggots crawling over 

 his lips the victim was allowed to 

 proceed. He was struck again in the 

 face by something cold and flabby. A 

 blinding light flashed in his eyes with a 

 report like that of a pistol. "Look!" 

 said a hoarse voice. Before him he saw 

 an irregular-shaped greenish light, shin- 

 ing down upon some white object 

 stretched upon a table. "A corpse," said 

 the voice. One of the phosphorescent 

 hands took his own and placed it on that 

 of the corpse, which was cold and 

 clammy, and also on the foot, which 

 gave the same chilly thrill. From the 

 dead man's side, a jack-in-the-box 

 jumped in the victim's face. The 

 flickering light died and the whispered 

 voice commanded; "Proceed!" He 

 passed between two phosphorescent 

 snakes, crawling on tables. A door- 

 knob glowed nearby with a phosphor- 

 escent light. I<"rom just above the knob, 

 with a loud and continuous crackle, a 

 6-in. spark commenced leaping to a 

 point by the side of the door. As soon 

 as he started toward the door, this 

 spark, which would really have been 

 dangerous to receive, ceased, and when 

 he went out of the door, he received the 

 same comparatively mild shock he had 



777 



