The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1857-07-29
NO. s..


outside; no sound of tread, light or
heavy, in the room above-absolute ST.
fence everywhere. Besides locking and
boiling my door had moved an old
wooden chest against it, which 1 had
found under the bed. To remove this
chest (my blood run cold as I thought
what its contents might be) without
making some disturbance, was impossi-
BILE; and moreover, to think of escaping
the house, now barred up for the night,
was sheer insanity Only one chanes
was left me-the window. Isseie to it
on tiptoe. sf sg
My bed room was on the frst floor,
above an catresol, aud looking into the
back street. I raised my hand tosopen
the window, knoa ing that on that action
hung, BY the merest hairs breadth, my
chance of safety. They keep a vigilaut
watch in house of Murier--if any
part of the frame cracked, if the hinge
cracked, | was, perhaps, a lost mani Il
must have occupied me az least fvemi-
nutes, recko.ing BY time 1--we hours
reckoning by susponse--to open that
window. l succeeded in doing, it silent.
ly-in doing it with all tie dexterity Of
house-breaker, and then looked down
into the street. To leap the distance
below ine,would be almost certain deathl
| Next I looked round at the sides Of the
house. Down the left side ran thick
water pipe--it passed close BY the outer
edge of the window. The moment
saw the pipe, knew was saved my
breath came and went freely for the first
time since 1 had seen the canopy Of the
bed moving down upon mel
To some men the means of escape
which had discovered might have seem.
ed difficult and dangerous cnough--to
me, the prospect of Slipping down the
pipe into the street did not suggest
even a thought of peril. I had always
been accustomed, by the practice of
gymnastics, to keep up my school boy
powers as daring and expert climber,
and knew that my head, hands and feet
would serve me faithfully in any hazards
of ascent or descent. had already got
one leg over the window-sill. when I
remembered the handkerchief, filed With
mouev, under my pillow. 1 could we'll
have afforded to leave it behind me
but I was revengefully determined that
the miscreants of the gambling house
should miss their plundeT as we'll as their
victim. Sol went back to the bed, and
tied that heavy handkerchief at my back
by my cravat. just as I had made is
tight, and fixed it in acomfortable place,
I thought heard sound Of breathing
outside the door. The chill feeling of
horror ran through me again as listen
ed. Nol dead silence still in the pas
sage-I only heard the night air blow
ing softly into the room. The next mo-
.ment was on the window sill and the
next, | had firm grasp in the water
pipe with my hands and knees.
slid down into the street easily and
quietly, as I thought should, and i'm
mediately set off at the top of my speed,
to branch prefecture" of Police,
which / knew was situated in the imme-
diate neighborhood. A Sub. Prefect''
and several picked men among his SUBJ
OF dinatcs, happened to be up, maturing.
1 believe, some scheme for Discovering
the perpetrator of mysterious murder,
which all Paris talked of Just then
When began my story, in bresthless
hurry, and in very bad French, Iaeould
see that the Sub Prefect suspected me
of being a drunken Englishmanl who
had robbed somebody; but he soon al
tered his opinion, as / went on, and be-
fore had anything like concluded, he
showed all the papers before him into =
drawer, put on his hat, suppliedme with
another (for was bare headed, J ordered
file of soldiers, desired his expert fol-
lowers to get ready all sorts of tools for
~
breaking open doors and ripping up brick
flooring, and took my arm, in the most
friendly manner possible, to load me
with him out of the house. will ven-
tpre to say, that when the Sub Prefect
was little boy, and was taken for the
first time to the Play, he was not half
as much pleased as he was now at the
| job in prospect for him at the 'sGamb-
ling House. ss
Away we went through the streets,
the Sub-Prefect cross examining and
congratulating me in the same breath,
as we marched at the head of our for
midable posse conattatus. Sentinels were
placed at the back and front ofthe gamb-
ling house the moment we got to it .
tremendous battery of knocks were di-
rected against the door. light appeared
at window, waited to conceal myself
behind the police-then came knock af-
ter knock, and cry of "Open the door
in the name of the law !" AtFthat ter
ribIe summons, bolts and locks gave way
before an invisible band and the moment
after the Sub Prefect was in the passage
confronting waiter, hals-dressed and
| ob,sslv rala This wasftbe short dia.