Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1858-07-01

encampment, gathered rapidly in upon tn
. occupants, made prisoners of them, and a
once disarmed them. They were thel
. marched to San Augustine, and closely i'm
+. prisoned in the ancient castle, of that city
f There was abou. an equal number of Exile
e captured, at this violation of our plighte,
faith; they were, however, sent 10 lamp,
Boy for safe keeping.
Wild Cat, having been made the instru
I ment for betraying Osceola and other friend
, felt great indignation at what he regarde
as the Peridy practiced upon him and hi
brethren, and determined to escape from hi
imprisonment SO soon as an opporIunit,
should offer. But he was imprisoned in th
> Castle of San Augustine, whose gray walls
!ofty turrets. battlements and CathoIi,
chapel, must have presented to the young
warrior spectacle IN striking contrast will
the rude hHts in which he was accustom et
to lodge, in the interior of the Territory -
We prefer letting him tell the story of hi,
escape, which We copy from the works O
ens who was then serving in our army.t
Said Wild Cat:
"We were in small room, eighteen OF
twenty feet square. All the light admitted
was through hole (embrasure) about
eighteen feet f:cm the floor. Through this
we must effect our escape, or remain and
die with sickness. A sentinel was con-
stantly posted at the door. As we looked
at from our bed, we thought it small, but
believed that,could we get our heads through
we should have no further or serious diff
lculty. To reach the hole was the first OBJ
ject. In order to effect this, we from time
to time cut up the forage bags allowed US
to sleep on, and made them into ropes. The
hole could not reach when upon the
shoulder of my comp anion; but while stand.
ing upon his shoulder, | worked knife in
to creyice OF the stone work as far as
could reach, and upon this raised myself
to the aperture, when found that, with
some reduction of person, could get
through. In order to reduce ourselves as
much as possible, we took medicine five days.
Under the pretext of being very sick, we
were permitted to obtain the roots we re-
quired. For some weeks We watched the
moon, in order that, on the night of our
attempt, it should be as dark as possible
At the proper time we commenced the m ed
icine, calculating on the entire disappear
ance of the moon.
"The keeper of this prison, on the night
determined upon to make the effort, annoy.
ed US by frequently coming into the room,
and talking and singing. At first we thought
of tying him and putting his head in bag,
so that, should he call for assistance. he
co uld not be heard. We first, however,
tried the experiment of pretending to be
asleep, and, when be returned, to pay 10 re-
gard 20 him. This accomplished our object.
He came in and went Immediately out; and
we could hear him snore, in the immediate
vicinity of the door. then took the rope
we had secre;ed under our bed, and, mount
ing on the shoulder of my Tcourade, raised
myself upon the knife worked into the |
crevice of the stone, ,and succeeded in reach !
ing the embrasure. Here I made fast the |
rope, that my friend might follow me.
then passed through the hole sufficient
length of it to reach the ground upon the
outside (about fifty feeD, in the ditch;
had calculated the distance when going for
roots. With much difficulty, succeeded
in getting my head through, for the sharp
stones took the skin of,ny breast and back.
Putting my head through first, was oblig-
ed to 60 down head foremost until my feet
were through, fearing every moment the
rope would break. At last, safely on the
ground, awaited with anxiety the arrival
of my comrade. had passed another rope
through the hole, which, in the event of
discovery, Talmeco HadJo was to pull, as a
signal to me upon the outside that he was
discovered, and could not come. AS soon
as struck the ground, took hold OF the
signal for intelligence from my,,friend. The
night was very dark. Two men passed near
me. talking, earnestly, and could see them
Soon heard the Struggle of
my companion, far above me; he succeeded
in gettir G his head through, but his body
would come no farther. In tie lowest
tone of voice, urged him to throw out his
brea tn and then try; soon after, he came
tumbling down the whole distance. For
few moments thought him dead. drag
ged, him to some water close by, which re-
stored him, but his leg was so lame he was
unable TO walk. took him upon my
shoulder to a scrub, near town. Daylight
was just breaking; it was evident we must
move rapidly | caught a mule in the ad-
joining field, and, making a bride of my
sash, mounted my companion. The mule
we used one day; but fearing the whites
would track US, we felt more secure on foot
in the hommock, though moving very slow
ly. Thus we continued our journey for FIVE
days, subsisting on berries, when I joined
my band, then assembled on the head-wat-
ers of the Tomeka River, near the Atlantic
coast. gave my warriors the history of
my capture and escape, and assured them
that they should be satisfied my capture
was no trick of my own, and that would
not deceive them"
tCapt. Sprague, of the Regular service
Additional Att raction.
The Springfield Republican, makes the