The Bell Ringers - revised 4/9

THE BELL RINGERS

The lovely Miss Delilah Hatch is a 30 year old woman of five foot six who cut a luscious figure. Her curly hair was thick, dark and cropped like a mushroom, just below her ears. Her hairstyle framed her heart shaped face nicely. Her bewitching smile and twinkling eyes were irresistible. Her voice is renowned; a very talented singer who very easily adapted her voice to mimic most every popular (past or present) female singer. She was always very well dressed in a figure hugging, floor length, sequined gown that drew even more attention to her talents. Delilah was a very unusual case, although women were not commonly accepted as stand up vocalists. Her talent to mimic other singers won every heart that ever listened to her. The norm was set aside conveniently any time Delilah was available to sing. This had a way of upsetting the apple cart. Many men had lost their careers or had been interrupted if Delilah decided she wanted their spot. Delilah never hesitated to use what skills were necessary to get ahead in her early days.

Mr. Bennett Arnold was just as versatile in his playing and singing style. He too was always very dapper. A tall, muscular fellow somewhere in the neighborhood of forty years old, though he would never say. He had a winning smile and charming good looks and debonair personality. He had a knack for saying just the right thing at the right time. Bennett always put his best foot forward; he always wore his black tuxedo for performances, topped off with his new black fedora, for effect. His piano playing talents were phenomenal and well known also. Music he heard in his dreams once, he could play for his audience the next day as though he'd been playing it for years.

One night they happened to be in London to listen to the symphony, with their respective dates. They accidentally bumped into one another in the lobby. Delilah had heard of Bennett Arnold and Bennett had definitely heard of her. It was love at first sight. They were married a few months later. They had toured with their most unique talents individually before they met. Now they entertain crowds all over the world as a couple. At one point they had to extend their engagement in Stockholm, due to being in such high demand.

Just before the turn of the century they decided to settle down in a small rural town called Woodstock. They became a local sensation very quickly. Businesses in town wanted to hire them to perform for one event or another. Truth was, people invented reasons to hear their wonderful performances of the philanthropist/Operatic singer from Sweden. Jenny Lind- the Swedish nightingale was sponsored to perform by P.T. Barnum in the fifties and had gained great fame in the United States.

They performed three times weekly in the small community. The owner of a less popular tavern/gambling hall, The Black Thorn, was intent on having the duo perform for his club. He made an offer they couldn't refuse financially. He knew he had to pay more than anyone in town because of how seedy The Black Thorn was. But it would be worth it in the long run. People would come from far and near to spend their money at his club; he'd see a great profit.

The previous entertainers were a scrofulous pair of brothers who lived on a farm outside of town. Junior was the elder of the two, he was a large but a gnarled looking man who bullied people to gain whatever he had a fancy for. Dewey was a thin, sickly looking, shy, cross-eyed fellow, who did whatever Junior told him to do, out of fear. Although the dastardly pair was intensely disliked by the townspeople, they were tolerated because they played a mean pair of banjos. They called themselves "The Banjo Boys". They had a hypnotizing way of playing back and forth between themselves as if in conversation. One brother would pluck a tune and the other would respond with the same strings plucked at the same speed, and this would continually get faster with more notes added each time around.

When Bennett and Delilah were approached with threat from the Smith brothers they didn't take them seriously. Junior and Dewey Smith were very upset at having lost their "gig" to the new people in town. As times were, it was very difficult to find a paying job. These people had stolen their job and nobody in town would hire thhem.


The "Moonlighters", as they called themselves, Delilah Hatch and Bennett Arnold had been performing one night as usual, when they decided to take their fifteen minute break. The jeering from the Smith brothers was becoming quite annoying. They wound through the back halls of the building the tavern was located. Deads thought she heard a noise like footsteps and felt a whoosh of air as if a door were opened. She dismissed her concern after they stopped in their tracks to listen and all was quiet. Bennett told her she must have been hearing things.

The couple continued to the dressing room where the Smith boys had preceded them and were lying in wait. As soon as the door had been closed, Junior knocked Bennett over the head with heavy flower vase; flowers and water flew everywhere before the vase shattered on the floor. Dewey grabbed Delilah's mouth to keep her from screaming, she managed to wrestle free. Before she could voice further complaint, Junior, was leaned against the wall, with his arms crossed over his belly. He watched his brother's feeble attempts to control Delilah. Junior, with a disgusted harrumph, pushed off the wall. He took one long step and slammed his 16 pound hammer like fist into her jaw; she fell limp into Dewey's arms.

Junior had had Dewey park the wagon by the back door of the tavern, which made the get away simpler. They whisked Bennett and Delilah through the door they had propped open before the show began. Junior hefted the singers into the back of the wagon. He jumped in, snapped the reigns, the horses reared and begin to immediately surge forward. Dewey was desperately clinging to the side of the wooden seat, trying not to fall. One foot alternately pumping and dragging the dirt road, with one last push he managed to pull himself up and sat next to his brother with a hard thump.

They took their rivals to a dungeon-like area of an old abandoned building on the outskirts of town. They drove the wagon out of sight of the main road. Junior hefted Bennett first onto his shoulder took two wide strides when Dewey shuffled quickly past and opened the warehouse door. He held the door until Junior brought Delilah inside. The door was closed and bolted. Delilah and Bennett's hands were bound behind their backs with heavy jute. They were laid down on old discarded mattresses in the far corner, behind some boxes. The boys had found the mattresses along the road a few days before; they were damp, smelly, lice infested mats is what they were.

Not long after the scheming pair had begun to discuss what they were going to do, Delilah and Bennett began regaining consciousness. Their eyes met with acknowledgement of the danger they were in, but neither said a word. They tried to listen, but all they could hear was a faint murmur of voices, and an occasional whimper from Dewey.

The brothers approached their enemies with fists clenched. Junior was full of RAGE; Dewey's look was more of fear. Dewey walked straight toward them, kicked the mattress, swung around and walked out the door. Dewey got into the wagon and led the horses back toward town.


Junior screamed and yelled at the unfortunate pair about how ‘If they hadn't done this.... and, If they hadn't done that.....' He told them a ransom would be requested for their release, due to them not having a job anymore.

After arguing all night, Bennett told Junior once the ransom was paid, they wouldn't report what happened, they would make some excuse for "slipping out". Junior agreed with an additional stipulation that they move from town.

The next morning, Dewey arrived with a basket of foods he had stolen from town; he had to buy the coffee from the cafe. Junior turned his back to Bone and Deads just long enough to slip some laudanum in their drinks before handing it to them. They ate and drank what had been brought for them as they weren't sure what would really happen next.

A short time later, it became obvious to them that they had been drugged; they became woozy and disoriented. They tried to talk but only incoherent garbled sounds escaped from their efforts. The laudanum had slowed all their senses as well as rendered them immobile. Bennett and Delilah could do nothing, they were conscious but none of the muscles seemed to work.


Junior told them they were crazy to think he was so stupid as to believe they wouldn't tell anyone. Dewey had been paid the $10,000.00 by the Black Thorn tavern owner for their release. He was the only one in town who had that much cash on hand. He picked the money up early this morning from the agreed upon place, behind the livery. He slunk through the umbra, being sure to remain undetected.


After the sun had set, Junior picked them up one by one; carried them to the wagon and let them flop onto the cargo area, not caring if they were injured. Junior and Dewey headed for the old cemetery two miles down the road from town.

When Dewey passed the cemetery earlier that day there had been a double burial, but the grave had not been refilled with dirt. Dewey climbed into the graves, plied open each coffin. Dewy Picked Bennett up first, like a sack of potatoes; slung him over his shoulder. He dropped Bennett on top of the body already occupying the space. He turned around, looked at Dewey with a nod toward the grave. Dewey did as he had been bid. Now, Junior looked at Delilah with lustful eyes but decided it wouldn't be much fun if she couldn't respond. He picked her up a little more gently, shaking his head. He told her what a shame it was that he wouldn't get a chance to play with her. The disgust in her eyes angered Junior; he slammed her into the coffin with the elderly woman and banged the coffin lid closed himself. He leaned up against the tree that was nearby and watched while his brother swished the ground with a branch from the Willow tree, to eradicate their footprints. He chewed on a twig as Dewey finished filling and tamping the dirt. Their troubles were over he thought.




The police were alerted by the Tavern owner, an unscrupulous man, himself, when his singers had not been heard from by the next day. A search was conducted for Delilah and Bennett. Most of the town's people began to search for the missing pair. They combed the forest areas, they looked in buildings, through the fields, by the stream, even out by the old factory; they searched everywhere, unsuccessfully. The sheriff finally had to call off the search; it had been three days.

At this time, when people were buried, a string was attached to a finger and fed through a hole in the coffin then up through a pipe and attached to a bell above ground. This was done in case someone awoke and found themselves buried alive. The string could be pulled to ring the bell and alert any passers by that the person was still alive.

Old Doc and LaVonne Hoskinson were in the cemetery visiting a recently departed loved one when they heard two bells ringing. LaVonne is a sprightly little woman of eighty-seven years, not quite five feet tall, whose greatest fear was being buried alive. Panic stricken, she jumped into their wagon and spurred the horses into a frenzied gallop racing into town to notify the police. Venerable, Old Doc used to be the town physician and was still pretty fit for a man of his age. He dropped to his knees and began to scrape at the fresh dirt, hand over hand; feverishly digging at the graves trying desperately to unearth whoever was begging to live, with each ring of the bell. Oh the horror!

When the townspeople learned of the erroneous burial, they rushed to the graves to rescue the duo. They knew it had to be their missing couple, Miss Hatch and Mr. Arnold. Even though his words couldn't be distinguished, Bennett died imploring the crowd in vain, to save Delilah. The bell kept ringing above his final place of rest as his body quivered violently in the last moments before death overtook him.

They had almost unearthed Delilah when the people closest heard her weak screams for help. She was still heard thru the wee hours of January 1, 1900 scratching at the roof of the shared coffin.
When the coffin had finally been opened that Delilah Hatch-wife of Bennett Arnold had been buried, there was a small hole in the top of the coffin. It was almost big enough to put her hand through. Her hand was bloodied to the bone from digging through wood as well as the flesh was completely torn from both hands of the corpse lying next to her.

The townspeople had no doubt, at whose hands, this most talented couple had met their end. The Smith brothers were hanged by the next morning light below the tree that had been moved to your front yard, just before you moved in.

And each night at dusk, you can see the mist gather in clouds around the graveyard as Delilah Hatch and Bennett Arnold emerge from the beyond, to this world to play a serenade of hauntingly beautiful music. If you listen carefully, no matter where you live you can hear the faint melody of "Lost in this Masquerade" by George Benson, echoing through the mist.

Are we really happy with this lonely game we play
Looking for words to say
Searching but not finding understanding anyway
We're lost in this masquerade~~~~


It is also said, that on Halloween night, a mist rolls in thunderous clouds through your yard, under that old tree where the Smith brothers were buried. If you hear a tinkle of an old bell, consider yourself warned; Your death is imminent if you are witness when the bell rings and the mists dissipate to reveal the ghostly figures of Junior and Dewey wandering in search of revenge of the Bell Ringers.

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