AN EXCITING ESCAPE. Showing How a Printer Advertised For His Own Apprehension.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 85, 17 January 1885, Page 5

AN EXCITING ESCAPE. Showing How a Printer Advertised For His Own Apprehension.

" Tins was what I heard : 'Halt ! Halt there you, Johnny Keb, or we'll blow off your head !' " This was what I saw : Six bluecoats in the underbrush, three on each side of the narrow road, muskets all held to cover me. " I bent down and dug the spurs into my horse, but ho had not made six leaps when ho fell on his knees, rolled over, and was doad in a moment, falling in such a way as to hold mo fast by the leg. " 'Confound it ! Didn't wo tell you we'd shoot?' exclaimed one of the Federals, a corporal, as the six came up and began heaving at the horse, to set me free. ' You ought to have halted whon we shouted, and thus saved a good horse.' "It was near Cynthiana, Kentucky, and on the morning of the same summer day when Morgan fought a battle and lost so many good men. I had started out on a foraging expedition soon after daybreak, and in returning had ridden directly upon the Federal ' fellers,' who were cautiously creoping down to surprise Morgan, backed by a forco which ought to havo eaten him up in ten minutes. How I camo to bo in Confederate uniform, to be a member of Morgan's command, to think and act with Contedorates, is a matter which I shall not bring up hore lam going to relate my adventuros, without fear of politicians or care for what has passed. It was no groat job to got my leg free, and then two of the mon were detailed to conductme to the rear or back to the advancing array. They were jolly good fellows, having no thought of malieo or wqrd of taunt. Thoy had cap hired mo fairly, there was no chanco for mo to egcapo, and I mado the best of it. I had received a lieutonant's commission not tuo weeks before, and it was rather hard to be captured just as I was sliding gracefully into position. But it's victory to day anddofeat to-morrow in war, and soldiers are all philosophers. I was greeted with cheers and shouts as I ronchod the main body, being the iirst armed ' rob ' which pome of the men had ever seen. Their criticisms were good-natured ones, their conduct courteous, and I was rather sorry •when a guard came for me to report at hoadquarters. Headquarters was on tho move, and had only time to take my ' pedign c,' when the guard was ordered to conductme along. Passing from hand to hand, always closely guarded, I at length ascertained that my destination was Johnson's Island, opposite Sandusky, Ohio, which was a great depot for captured Confederates during the war. En route to Sandusky, I having beon joined by ten others of the command, we were well treated by the guards ; but they at the same time kept a close watch of our movoments. From the first moment of capture I had been constantly looking for a chance to escape, but none offered until we were approaching Sandusky, about five o'clock in tho evening. Tho rear door of the car was open, and we were in the la3t car. I sat nearest the door, and observing that the guard was reading, that tho train was moving slowly, and that their were no stumps along the track, I made up my mind to spring to the door and leap off. Carefully gathering up my legs, and watched by two of my friends, I at length mado a bolt. I had all the advantage, and should surely have made the jump, but that my coat caught the handle of tho door as I went by, and the guard had time to seize me. " 'We went over him sure !' I exclaimed, attempting no resistance, but pointing behind at tho track. 'We must have cut the poor fellow right in two.' "'What was it?' inquired the guard, astonished at my passivenoss, and beginning to think that I had not intended an escape. I informed him that I saw a mass on tho track, leaped to see what it was, and that someone had been ground beneath the wheels. As I took my seat, and continued to talk about the 'fearful accident,' the guard was blinded, and tho circumstance was forgotten in the bustle of reaching the city. Ido not know what rule was practised in other cases, but in ours we were hustled out of the carriago, and then allowed to walk along at our own pace, part of tho guards being in front and part behind. My friends had given up s" hopo of escape. At our journoy's end, in a northern State, as good as landed \,'> the island, thoy bolioved that any attempt would bo useless. Not so with me. If I could once eludo the guard, I believed there wa3 a chance of getting away altogether. I knew that tho only way to get free was to make a sudden dash down some street or up some stairs. I therefore looked keenly about me as we passed along. I have not told you that I was a printer. Such was my profession before tho war, and I was called a fast type-sticker where ever I worked. Therefore, as we passed along, and I saw tho sign of the "Daily Register " over a hall door, it was natural enough that I should spring off the walk and dash upstairs, as I wa& determined to dash somewhere. The roar guard shouted ' Stop him !' as they saw me leave the walk ; but there was some little confusion, which gave me an advantage. I bounded up the steps, two at a time, reached a hall, turned to the right, and was in the com-posing-room. It was empty of life, the men being at supper. Just as the guards struck tho first steps below I jerked off my coat, thrust it into the big coal &tove, off with vest and hat, leaped on to a stool which stood in front of a well - filled 1 case,' and when the soldiers burst in the door I was putting up the type for dear life. "'Where is he? Where did he go?' shouted three of the men at once, rushing around the room in their anxiety. '"Where did who go? What do you mean ?' I replied, turning around on my stool as I spaced out my second line. " ' Why, one of our Keb prisoners is up here somewhere— he made a dash from the walk, and must have come in here.' "'Can't be possible,' I returned, commencing on another line. 'I have been here for the last half-hour, and have seen no one. I heard a great racket on the stairs a few minutes ago, and perhaps that was he. 1 "Not questioning my word at all, the soldiers rushed out and began a search of the building, continuing it half-an-hour before returning. They then came back, and reported that the man must have slipped out in some way. " ' But he can't escape !]' exclaimed one of the men, pulling a paper from his pocket. 'Here is his description : Five feet ten incheu, auburn hair, blue eyes, mole on right cheek, scar on right hand, one front tooth gone.' " It was the greatest effort of my life to reach out that hand with the ' scar ' on it after the figure ' B,' thrusting it right under the man's nose, but I did so. His eyes were within two feet of the ' auburn hair, blue eyes, and mole,' but they were as blind as those of an owl in a July day. I promised to make a ' local ' of the circumstance, and to give the bolter's description ; and the three went out just as four or five of the men returned from supper. "'Hello! tramp, where are you from?' exclaimed one of the compositors, looking me over.

" 'Droned down from Toledo,' I replied. ' I didn't find any one in the office, and thought I'd just have a turn at this manuscript, just to see if I had forgotten hoy/ to decipher spider tracks.' " I'll be snot if ne hasn't been setting up the old man's manuscript, and he has got it right, too !' replied the man, glancing at the lines in my stick. " The writing was the worst I had ever seen, but I had a peculiar forte of reading what no one else could read. What had bothered the men was as plain as day to me. To increase their surprise, I picked up two or three pages and read them right off. The foreman, whose name was Smith, if I remember right, came in at this time. After asking my name, where I was from, ani so forth, he told me that I could have a 'sit' for a few days, as he had never before seen a compositor who could 'jerk sense so readily out of the chiof editor's scrawls.' When the boys understood I had no money, they gave me a lunch. I took a 'case,' and was soon as much at home as any of them. I pondered quite a while over my promise to make an itom in regard to the escape of the prisoner, but finally concluded that it would divert suspicion to do so. The city editor coming along, I dotailed the circumstance, and later in the evening I had the manuscript to sot up. It was rather odd, my putting in type, to be scattered over the city and country, an account of my own escape, but I set it up exactly as written. The night passed off quietly, and when the boys started for home, at threo o'clock, they 'threw in' till I had enough money to get a bed and breakfast. I went to a small hotel, turned in, and was at the office at elcvon o'clock th ? next day to ' throw in' a caso with the rest. In thoso lively times every day brought forth some new excitement, so that in a few days I slipped quietly away, and soon found my way back j to my regimont and a hearty welcome." — "Tit Bits."