The Sun.
London, England, 1836-11-01 00:00:00

Stn—The English paper; have lately spoken of the
cape of a number of political prisoners from the citadel
of Doulens, in France. The reports given of it not
Wing been exact, 1 shall present you with their own
irrative.
The false amnesty of Louis Philippe, and the insolence
M. Persil's report, had excited one desire. one ambition
. the minds of the political prisoners at Doulens--namely,
to answer by an energetic protest to all those menaces of
clemency—all those demands of submission. A project of
escape was conceived. Two boards were raised in the cell
occupied by Mr. Beaumont, whose case has been so lately
before the English public. A perpendicular shaft was
dug, from the bottom of which it was necessary to excavate
a subterranean gallery of 120 feet, which, nwreover, was
to traverse a wall of the rampart 15 feet in thickness.
The difficulty was great, but they went to work. The
earth was lifted out every day by four men ; four others,
by means of a pully, raised it into an uninhabited granary
over the cell.

The plot was thus discovered—The soil was of a rod
colour, and though they had taken the precaution of work-
' ing naked, some were not sufficiently careful in washing
themselves when they came out, and thus left some traces
on their linen, which were noticed by the washerwoman ;
an investigation took place, and the excavation was found a
fortnight after its beginning. One of the prisoners, M.
Martin, took the whole responsibility on himself, and was
put into solitary confinement. The surveillance became
more strict, and the rounds more frequent, but. 'notwith-
standing, in forty-eight hours after the discomearire of their
first project, the prisoners resolved to try force instead of
cunning.
The prisons are in the centre of: the citadel of Dou-
lens, and divided into two corps dr; logis. The prison-house
is surrounded by a free Phie.e, divided into two separate
courts, where the prisoners, from 7 o'clock A. 34.,
until nine o'clock, P.M„ are allowed to take exercise,. In •
the centre there is a third court occupied by a irc..,
garde, containing generally 14 guards and gendarmeae ne '4\
, The whole is surrounded by a double wall, within 'tijn
were placed, day and night, ten sentinels. At a distanee'','..
in three different places, there are a post of 30 soldiers, a
barrack-of 300 men, of 'whom 30 are'.ahvays ready, and a
party of 12 gendarmes. In the er'nr.! where the escape
was planned there were 33 prz;oners, of whom several
were infirm or ill : 17 only entered the conspiracy. M.
Thome, non-commissioned '.3ffieer of a regiment of cuiras-
siers, was elected chief. At ten o'clock, A.m., the 19th of
the present month, she resolution was agreed upon, and
was to be executeAl at 6 o'clock P.M. ; within that int,,rval
all the prepaxatory measures were arranged. Sixte'en.hed
sheets wr..-re cut, each into three parts, which sr,ave four
ropes `.,iGO feet each ; four stakes were prepared, and four
wooden hammers to drive them into the eart'a. At six
o'clock a evatehman . was walking in the court ; one of the
conspirators enticed him into his house, when he was seized
and gagged. Upon him they found the key for entering
the court where the corps de garde was. After havi-ag
changed their prison garb, they precipitated themselves
upon the corps de garde, seized the arms they founil there,
and also three watchmen ; there were besides eight ser-
vants, whom they intimidated by the arms tv/wly seized.
The watchmen during the strife gave the alcarn ; the sol-
diers without cried aux armes ; and the p,arty and gen-
darmes hurried to the place whence the cries caw!.
The prisoners, however, opened the t3-oor, and within the
view of the soldiers—who were at most ten paces before—
ran to the rampart, fixed their fear.. stakes to attach their
linen ropes to them, and descend.ed into the ditch, a height
of .50 feet. In the -midst of 'the bustle, one rope broke
two prisoners broke tLey. legs, and were left in the ditch.
The alarm 'hells were yinging,;, the drums beating, the sol-
diers and gendariTtes, from all directions, ran to the ditch to
seize the priso:ors. The accident which happened to the
two who brake their legs retarded the soldiers, and gaye
time to OA others to fly ; they beard the officer crying 'to
his sol:ifers respecting these two, Je vons defends de leur
faire du oral. The prisoners ran, traversed a river, and
harried on a distance of twelve English miles -without
stopping, when one of the prisoners, who had fallen. too,
told his comrades that he could not go any longer. .An
isolated house was near them ; they rap at the door ;
the door opens ; they tell who they are, and show him
the weapons and keys which they had taken from their
guardians. The farmer cries, " Bravo, my friends, you
have acted as real -Frenchmen ; I have no horses, but
' I shall find you in a moment a man who will convey
you over the frontier." Some minutes afterwards a
smuggler presented himself ; the man hurt was placed
upon a horse, and the expedition went forth until
day break. The smuggler then left his prottges in a
small inn. The landlord was let into the secret. " Aro
.we in safety here ?" ask.ed one of the prisoners. "Comme
Mans le venire de votre mere," said the smuggler. The
:litridlord Immediately- procured a coach, which brought
ci',lplwra to Lille. Having perceived on their way a coach,
'escorted by gendarmes—it was the prefect of the depart-
ment, M. Machin—they found nothing better to do than
to drive immediately after him ; and while the Prefet was
seeking them, they arrived under the protection of the I're-
fet' at Lille. Some hours afterwards they were on t},o soil
of Belgium. At Ostend they embarked for Londor, where
they arrived safe and whole ; one of them bri.aging with
him a key of the prison of Doulens, which he gas given as
a souvenir to his friends he found at London.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
A FRENCH. 'REFUGEE.