The Sun.
London, England, 1832-01-13 00:00:00

was of oak) in his room, which he accomplished,
but found underneath a bed of masonlilrlt,
sufficient to forbid any idea of escape in that
way. The breach was concealed by his trunk.
It became necessary now to adopt another course,
and it is probable that his inventive genius was
not long in suggesting. the plan which eventually
proved successful. On Sunday night, the 6th
of November, about ten o'clock, the Sheriff'
went through the prison on a round of examina•
tion, to see that all was safe. Finding all right,
he retired to his own part of the house, and
soon afterwards Mina commenced operations.
His first business was to open the two doors of
his room, the first of which was of wood. and
was hooked outside. There was a small hole
over the latch, probably penetrated by himself ;
through this he inserted a string, putting it
through until the end dropped on the floor
outside ; the other end being secured at the
hole by a small stick. With a stick or straw
he drew in the end through a chink along the
floor ; holding this in his hand, he worked it
along the sill, brought it up the side of the door,
and then, with a jerk, threw up the hook out-
side. This admirable contrivance brought him
to the iron door—which barrier was removed, as

it would seem, by putting his hand through the
grate, and wrenching off the padlock with the
handle of the knife. He had then come to the
entry. On the opposite side of that passage is
a long room, furnished with a stove, in which the
prisoners usually sit during the day. The door
of the room not being • fastened, Mina entered,
and having procured fire either in a stove or from •
the hearth, applied it to 'the floor, which was of
pine. He also heated the stove rods, and pierced
the boards to facilitate the process. While this
was slowly going on, Mina went up stairs to
liberate Brown, a prisoner confined upon a
charge of larceny, and with whom he had pre-
viously conferred upon the matter. The pad-
lock was twisted, the wooden door unfastened,
and Brown, ironed and handcuffed, brought out.
The handcuffs were readily dispensed with ; but
the irons were stubborn, and had to be left upon
his person, concealed, however, under his pan-
taloons. Mina's bed-clothes and ticking were
transformed into a rope ; and all his clothing
packed up, with arm holes, to resemble a
pedlar's pack. With the most persevering in-
dustry,
however, they were nearly all night
engaged in making the breach through the
floor ; this was at length effected, and both
prisoners with rope and pack, safely descended
into the cellar. From thence they had no dif-
ficulty in reaching the yard. The project then
was to scale the wall by means of the rope,
manufactured for that purpose ; hut this, after
repeated trials, was found to be entirely out of the
question, and they had now almost abandoned
the further prosecution of the enterprise,—but
discovering an axe lying in the yard, and being
now driven to the extreme resort, they deter-
mined upon the desperate experiment of chop-
ping off the great lock which secured the door
of the yard ; Brown being the stronger of the
two, undertook this task, and set to work, deal-
ing his blows with an athletic vigour that caused
the whole building to reverberate with thunder-
ing noise. The alarm was soon given ; some of
the prisoners were aroused, to witness from their
windows the bold transaction : and the Sheriff;
with one or two of the gaoler's family, came
forth into the piazza which opens into the yard,
as the last blows of the axe were dealing with re-
doubled energy. The door is made to fold,
having a bar and lock on each side, so that when
the inner lock came off, it was with difficulty

that the prisoners squeezed their way through
the slight opening. The Sheriff who is of a
portly frame, was effectually precluded from fol-
'owing suite, and his only way to get out of the
prison was by returning through the front doors,
which, if we mistake not, were refastened upon
their first coming through. The fugitives im-
mediately separated, Mina leaving his bundle and
shoe behind in the hurry of the moment. The
citizens were piesently alarmed, and soon num-
bers of them were in pursuit. Handbills, offer-
ing considerable rewards, were printed and cir-
culated. About nine o'clock of the same morn-

ing, Brown, who had been ferreted out of a pile
of bark about a mile from town, was brought
back. In the meantime Mina kept on his way,
wholly ignorant of the country, but in hopes to
reach Philadelphia. About four o'clock in the
afternoon he came to James' Tavern, in Hilt-
town, on the Philadelphia and Bethelem turn°
pike, about seven miles from Doylestown.
Finding he could go no farther without shoes, he
first stopped at a quarry near the tavern, where
several men were at work, stated that he was a
Chinese, and wanted to buy an old pair of shoes.
Mr. James directed him to the house, where he
went, and made the same application to Major
J. 0. James, son of the former named gentle-

man. It so happened, that at the same time a
gentleman, residing in that township, was there,
relating the news of Mina's escape, and upon
seeing the stranger, intimated his apprehensions
that that was probably the very man. Major
James immediately charged him with it. With.,
out the least change of countenance except by a
smile, Mina immediately denied his identity, ex-
pressed his entire willingness to be taken to
Doylestown, for, when they got there, he said,
they would find their mistake. There was how..
ever scarcely a doubt upon the mind of the gen-
tleman whointerrogated him, and it was decided
to take him. back to Doylestown. He was ac,
cordingly seated in a dearborn waggon, between
Major James and another gentleman, and in this
style made his re-entry on the evening of the
same day, into Doylestown. On the way he
talked much about Mina ; was either acquainted
with him, or had heard much about him ;
said that the name of Mina was assumed ;
that the newspapers had retailed falsehoods
in relation to his case ; and many other
matters of similar amount. When within halt
a mile of the town, Major J. suggested that
perhaps it would be well to stop at one of the
public houses, with a view to ascertain whether
they had mistaken their man. The stranger then
said, " You may as well drive on to the gaol—l
am Mina." Crowds of people witnessed his re-
committal to the prison ; he appeared to be in
very good humour, laughing and talking to the
bystanders. He was returned to his former
room, his bedstead and bench removed, and his
person secured beyond the reach of the fire :Ton
the hearth.
Such was the enterprize and short-lived en-
largement of Don Lino Amalio Espoz y Mina.
The occasion was one of high and pervading ex-
citement throughout the community. The euor,
mity of the crime with which he stands charged,
and the uncommon, though adverse celebrity
which his name has acquired through many
importance to
the fact, that he had burst
pc
easrst sfuoi flitnhpeocsotourn, t rgya,aes
aa
his prison bonds and
effectually secured as to forbid any apprehensions
startling
landed and sue-
berty. He is now, however, so
os eft
future himselfe scaatple.
i