The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1843-07-13
From the Ncw-York Herald.
Most Extraordinary Escape from the
GuadoIOupe Earthquake.


We notice the arrival, at the As,o
/ house, OF Professor RisIey, and his IitI
, son of six years old, who made one.ofth
most Astonishing escapes in The Guadl
Ioupe earthquake, that was ever recolde,
ia verse or prose. MIR. Risley has IA mos
remarkable and original genius for clas
sic gymnastics, and his little sou is a per
feet prodigy. We shall now give sjme
remarkable PARTICULARS ofthal great earth
quake, as nearly as possible In his owr
words.
and my little boy had been at Poin
Petre, GuadaIoupe, four days previous lo
the earthquake, which occurred on tn,
morning of Wednesday, the eighth 0.
February. | was there on a short pro-
tes>ional engagement. | vas taking my
lodgings at the American coffee house,
and my meals at the French coffee house,
in different places, according to the Gus.
tom Of The country. "Wednesday morn
ing, the eighth, was one Of the most beau.
tiful that could be imagined - the sun
shone out in all lis s~pIendcr.a soft and
pleasant breeze cane in from the SELL
and everything seemed in a STATE of na,ur.
al peace anl q tlet.
There was estimated to BE- about sew.
enty five persons in the F,tnch coffee
house, where | was taking my meal.
We had all sat down to breakfast on thlt
moruihg is usual, aud were e Iietly taking
our morning mea', chatting aud talking
freely upon the thousand trivial subjects
that came up IN such occasions ia Iced,
W. had all nearly finished breakfast.
For myself had finished, aud was Sit
ting, partly sideways at the table, as one
would naturally sit alter eating-convers-
iog with the gentleman who sat opposite
to me | bad the towelring in my hand
turning 1t about aud carlessly. playing
with 1t.
The first thing which attracted my at
%tenlion, was a sudden jar, accompanied by
1 rumbiIng sound like distant thunder. |
had some two weeks before this been at
Port Royal, in the island Of Martinique,
aud seen the effects OF a similar visitation,
an | instantly knew what it meant. So
suIden was the shock, that within two
seconds from the instant fl st felt the Jar,
| looked up and saw the whole building,
Commencing at the farther end, falling
upon the peopIe-the joisis opened, and
ali began 10 come down with an awful
rash. | instantly uttered the word
"jlmp !'-,he man who st opposite to
me turned his head, and looked up side
ways, bat never rose from his seat - and
Al precisely the same momrnl, and with
out stopping to turn myself about, [ start,
ed from my seat, aud actually Jumped,
ii Iewavs, out of the window, through
glass, sash, and all, landing some ten or
we've feet In the yard below. think 1t
could u0t have been over three to five
seconds rom the instant | first felt the jar,
to the instant my feet struck the pave.
msnt.
NV impression on touching the ground
was rs ludescribably rapid motion-l can
compare il to nothing, unless it might BE-
hat Of sieve of threshing mill, in its
most rapid motion. | should Judge, from
the distance | was thrown, first one way,
and then the other, that the lateral motion
OF the earth must have been from eleven
to fourteen feet. | sue eeded, notwith-
Standing, in retaining my feet for some
eight or ten second Is, I'll. J got away from
the building to The diStluce of thlrtv o:
forty yards into an open loI Of ground.
While | was walking this distance of
thirty or f)rty yards, | saw the buildings
of the whole ca tumbJlog into one mass
of rnin&-and also The earth opening IN
h., Ia ,,nr p,r ~ IF w., in,-n o,l c,nati,,r
up immpnse volumes Of water, to the
height Of an hundred and fly feet. The
multitude Of thoughts which passed tlro'
my mind during these few seconds is Ut
terry lnconce.vable aud inc redlbIe.
Ii there could have been any fl st
Thoughts amid such an iHs anianeous
dooI-my first thought was Of my boy.
In relation to bin, he was rot wlh me
on that morning. AT about half past
eight O'Clock, Mr.. Montague, ii friend of
mine, had BY previous arrangement call
ed for him, pod taken him away % break.
last with some lfiepd of his - where or
who Il was, | know not, and neither does
the boy know. But knowing the reputa-
ton of Mr.. Montague, !, Of course, felt
that Master John was safe, and gave my,
self no uneasiueSS about hlm.
Master John tells his story thus: Mr..
Montague took me 10 the dist tnte ofsomc
SIX or eight blocks from The coffee house,
where | left my father, to the house Of
some friend Of Mr.. Montague's, whose
name | do not know. There was a store
kept under he house, and | was taken
up to the second floor. There was one
young lady who was playing upon the
piano, and several others were also pres.
eni, who had been invited that morning.
The whole party were walizing Il was
also WALKING with one of the young la.