THRILLING ESCAPE FROM FORTRESS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 312, 29 June 1912, Page 2 (Supplement)

THRILLING ESCAPE FROM FORTRESS

A STORY FROM MOXTFXKGRO. M. Michalo Juvanoviteh, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs in Montenegro, who recently arrived in Constantinople, narrates a thrilling experience. In October, 1907, he and about 20 of his colleagues, among whom were Radovitch, the President of the Chamber of Deputies; Ritzvitch, the Minister of Justice; and Kurevitch, the Minister of Finance, were condemned in Montenegro to fifteen years' imprisonment with hard labor for having conspired against the dynasty of King Nicholas I. All these statesmen are said to have belonged to what is known on the Balkan Peninsula as "the Black Hand," a secret league with extreme revolutionary tendencies. It is very widely spread throughout the kingdoms of Montenegro, Servia and Bulgaria. The condemned men were incarcerated in the terrible fortress of Podgoritza, called, "Yaussouvatcha," where political prisoners are detained. Juvanoviteh and his unfortunate comrades had been caught in the act of storing up large quantities of dynamite in-the house of the Foreign Minister for the purpose, it is said, of blowing up the King's palace. All the time of their detention the prisoners had to wear heavy chains on their feet. The chains of Juvanoviteh weighed 111b. About ten months ago they conceived a plan of escape from the fortress. It consisted in digging a subterranean passage. It was an ex : tremely hazardous undertaking, full of difficulties and perils. It was crownejl, however, with complete success, owing solely to the courage and perseverance of Juvanoviteh. He and Radovitch, who were confined in one cell, feigned serious illness. Their chains were consequently removed. During the night-time they began digging the passage. The accumulated earth they succeeded in disposing of, little by little, down the drain. For over six months the work went on quietly and assiduously without any interruption. One of the warders, however, noticed that the attitude of the two statesmen was not that of persons stricken with illness. He seported his suspicion to the medical attendant. For a while it seemed that the prisoners' cause was lost. Juvanoviteh, however, continued to play his role with such admirable skill that the suspicions of the warder and doctor were soon completely dispelled. The digging of the subterranean passage went on for another two months. The intrepid conple intended also that it should communicate with the other cells where the rest of their colleagues were incarcerated. These, too, contributed their own shave of the work by digging. During the daytime the holes were covered by the mattresses, which served the prisoners as beds. On'the night of the flight they communicated with one another by a certain sign. There was no practical difficulty now in the way of their escape, as the wliole fortress was plunged in complete darkness and silence. One of the prisoners succumbed. All the others slipped away after having buried him and freed their legs from the fetters. The feet of Juvanoviteh show terrible wounds from the chains he had worn for over four years.