Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Mass.) 1828-1830, 1828-09-30

i His whole demeanor was changed-bnm-
BILE simplicity marked his gait-he an
preached the guard with seeming fear
fulness, and begged him, in suppliant
voice, to give the poor woman her four
!" Fool. idiot, exclaimed the guard, "who
are you ? See yonder guard-house If
you interfere here, thou shalt soon be its
inmate" May be 50, sir but won't
you give the poor woman the means of
supporting her little family one week
longer Recollect the distances she has
walked, the weight of the bag, and re-
collect'-
Hell and fury, sirrah why bid me
recollect! You plead in vain Begone.
or III seze you as spy"
You won't give this poor woman her
-four Z" "No.n
"Then, by my country's faith and
hopes of freedom, you shall''--and with a
powerful arm he seized the guard by the
throat, and hurled him to the ground.
!" Run, madam, run, see, the guard house
is alive; seize your flour, pass Vine street,
and you are SAFE" Twas done. The
guard made an attempt to rise when the
stranger drew pistol and shot him dead.
The reportofthe pistol Immediately alarm
ed whole line of guards-the unfortu-
nate man gazed around him with fear
less intrepidity. There was one way
of escape, and that was through the wood.
Selling the dead mans musket, he started
like deer pursued by hounds. " Shoot
him downtown with him." was echoed
from one line TO another. The desperate
was lost in the wood, and general search
commenced. The object oftheir pursuit,
in the mean time, flew like lightning. The
main guard was left behind but the whole
picquet line would soon be alarmed. One
course alone presented itself, and that was
to mount his horse, which was concealed
among the bushes, and gallop down to
the Delaware; boat was always ready
there for him. The thought was no
sooner suggested than it was put in exc
cution. He mounted his horse, and,
eluding the alarmed guards, had nearly
reached the Delaware.
Here he found himself headed, his boat
taken possession of, and himself hemmed
in by at least fifty exasperated soldiers.
One sprung from behind tree, and de-
manded his immediate surrender. "'Tis
useless to prevaricate rebel: you are now
our prisoner, and your boat, which before
excited suspicion, is now in our posses
sion." I" Son of slave, slave to a king,
how dare you address freeman :" "Sur-
render yourself" Doale never surren-
dered himself to any man, far less to a
blinded poltroon-away, or you die," and
attempted to pass. The guard levelled
his gun but himself was levelled to his
native dust; the ball of Doale's pistol had
been swifter than his own. His case was
now desperate. Behind him was the whole
line of guards; on the north of him the
Frankfort picquets, and on the left the
City of Philadelphia, filled with British
troops. One, and only one way presented
itself for his escape, and that was to cross
the river. He knew his horse he plung-
ed in; shout succeeded it; and, ere he
reached half the distance, twenty armed
boats were in swift pursuit. His noble
horse dashed through the Delaware, his
master spurred him on with double inter-
est, while the balls whistled around him.
The tide was running down, and when he
reached the Jersey shore, he found him.
self Immediately opposite the old slip, at
Market street. On reaching the shore, he
turned round, took a pistol, and, with
steady and determined aim, fired at the
first boat. A man fell over the side, and
sunk to rise no more. He then disap-
peared in the wood. The angry, harassed,
and disappointed pursuers, gave one look,
one curse, and returned to the Pennsylva-
MIA shore, fully believing that, if he was
not the devil, he was, at least, one of his
principal agents.
The exploits of these men were so fire.
quently of like nature, that the expires.
sion made use of by the disappointed pur-
suers towards this one, are by no means
to be censured. Personal danger seemed
to be no part of their character. Plumber,
but only from the British, seemed their
sole aim, with an ambition, however futile,
of creating in the minds of their enemies
this belief At one time, they were in
Philadelphia, dressed in the British cos
tune, and, at another, they were relieving
the distresses of their friends at Valley
Forge.
CURIOUS CIRCUMSTANCE.
The Massachusetts Journal gives the