A Night Of Horror

A NIGHT OF HORROR

Terrifying Experience of a Young Woman With Tarantulas.

Awakened From Sleep to Find Her Bed Covered With a Swarm of Loathsome Big Spiders.

   One often hears hideous stories of encounters with venomous snakes and spiders by people who have been compelled to sleep in old deserted cabins in some wilderness, but what girl ever dreamed of going to bed in a beautiful city home surrounded by every luxury and waking to find the room swarming with great, vicious spiders? Yet that is exactly what happened to Miss Clara Hitchcock, a beautiful and accomplished young woman, while visiting friends in Los Angeles, Cal., recently.

   Miss Hitchcock is an exquisite type of woman- young, vivacious and intellectual. She is tall and willowy, after the fashion of the Gibson girl. Her waving hair, in which the sunbeams seem to linger and radiate, is pure gold and makes a gorgeous frame for her lovely, expressive face. Her complexion, with its pink and cream and dimples, would be the envy of a baby, but try as she will to be courageous and indifferent, the color dies from her cheeks and the dimples cease to play when she relates the horrors of that night.

   "I had telegraphed the fact of my coming to my friends," she said. "They were at the station to meet me. I arrived late in the evening, was very tired after my long journey across the continent, and after a very short chat in the library my hostess took me to the spare room on the second floor.

   "I lost no time in getting to bed and in a short time was sound asleep. As he night progressed I became restless. Once it seemed that something dropped on my forehead, but when I put up my hand I felt nothing. I slipped off into a troubled doze, but was awakened by something running across my hand, which was lying outside the coverlet. A sort of terror stricken nervousness swept over me.

   "The night was inky black- so black I could not discern any object in the room. I imagined I could hear sounds dim, strange and intangible. When I was getting ready for bed I had noticed a banjo in a corner of the room, and now I heard a faint tinkling as of something creeping over the strings.

   ''I felt as if I must have a light or die. I crept out of bed and groped about in the darkness for the electric burner. When I found it and turned the screw no light came. The works were out of order. Something cold and fuzzy ran across my bare feet. With a moan of terror I jumped into bed and pulled the covers close about me."

   "But why didn't you call the folks in the house?" asked the listener.

   "I did cry out several times, but as my room was far separated from the other sleeping apartments no one heard - no one came. Oh, the hideousness of that night! I covered my head with the bedclothes.

    "But I couldn't breathe very well, so I threw the covers back again. As I did so a great, bristling, fuzzy thing, with hairs that pricked and feet that clung to my flesh, crept over my face. I struck at it wildly and sent it flylng with such momentum that it hit against the opposite wall with a mushy thud, then dropped to the floor.

   "After that I fell into a dream tortured sleep and did not awake until the sunlight was streaming through the dainty lace curtains that shielded the windows. A dim memory of awful dreams came to me, but I fell so drowsy and so tired. I gaped and stretched my arms, but as I let them drop my hands came in contact with things soft and hairy that writhed and struggled under my palms.

   "Horrified I caught at the ironwork of the headboard. I sat up. The white counterplane was covered with immense black tarantulas, some of which were standing on their haunches bristing with wrath, probably because of my quick movements. They were not only on the bed, but they were crawling up the curtains, while the carpet was dotted with the awkwand, sprawling, venomous things, many of which covered a space as large as a man's hand. The room was a regular Dante's 'Inferno' as far as horrors were concerned. I screamed in terror."

  The screams of the terrified girl brought the household quickly, for it was getting up time, and all were awake. The hostess arrived on the scene in negligee and slippers, but beat a hasty retreat when she realized the situation. The host, however, managed to control his repulsion and fear enough to wade into the spider den and kill the pests with a walking stick he had hurriedly grabbed when he heard the first signals of distress. As the spiders seemed eager to crawl up his clothlng, he was compelled to tie his trousers securely about his ankles to avoid being bitten.

   During the slaughter Miss Hitchcock fainted. When the spiders had all been killed and Miss Hitchcock resuscitated investigations were begun to find out how the creatures got into the room. A large member of berry boxes were found in a corner by the dresser and added greatly to the puzzle. At last, however, the actions of little Willy, the youngest member of the family, just turned ten. aroused suspicion.

  When asked what the matter was he broke down completely and confessed the whole business from beginning to end. It seemed that the day before he had hunted the fields on the outskirts of the city for tarantulas, which he intended selling to the novelty works for 5 cents each. He caught thirty-flve of the loathsome creatures and confined them in some empty berry boxes and had placed them in the spare chamber.