The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1860-11-20
Who is Carl Schurz |!

Carl Schurz was born thirty two years
ago, in Bonn, on the Rhine, in the Prus
sian dominions. In l849, he joined the
Constitutional army, and sharing in its
reverses, was sentenced to death for hig h
treason. For three days and nights, af-
ter the Prussians had entered Rastadt, he
lay concealed in shed, on beam or
rafter, just wide enough to conceal his
person from the eyes OF those who stood
below A guard of some kind was sta
toned in the very house to which this
shed belonged, and every night the sol
diers assembled on the floor beneath his
hiding place, and danced to the music of
the trumpet. On the fourth night a
heavy shower of rain gave him the first
opportunity OF attempting an escape, and
he jumped from the roof on chicken
coop, which broke down under him with
a loud crash, though without attracting
the notice Of the sentry, who was or
ought to have been but few yards off.
BY the assistance Of his friends he reach
ed a sewer, and thus attained the outside
of the fortifications. Even here there
was a sentry, but, by following closely
behind him as lie walked by, he man
aged TO gain cover before the sentry
turned on his beat. He made his way to
Paris, and remained there considerable
time, in the vain hope Of a favorable turn
in the affairs OF his native country. In
a little book, published by the chief spy
Of Bonaparte's police, he received hon
orable mention as g the most audacIous
and most adroit" of the exiles, who,
while constantly active, could never be
ensnared into any act furnishing pre-
text even to the liberal conscience of a
Bonaparte for his extradition.
Al this time the public opinion of Ger
many was much aroused by the coward
ly vengeance wleaked by the Prussiau
Government on Godfrey Kinkel, towns
man of Schurz 5, professor, who had
joined the constitutional movement al the
same time with himself This man,
poet OF delicate frame, highly educated,
and accustomed 10 all the reiinements of
lille, was imprisoned at Spandau, twenty
miles from Berlin, dressed as a convict,
his hair cropped short, and forced TO la
bor at wool carding. and mess and room
with telons. Schurz having determined
TO rescue him repaired TO London, col
lected the means, and made the arrange
ments. With a forged passport he uav.
eled direct 10 Berlin, lett his papers with
the police over night, Obtained a giSe for
some other town the next morning, and
instead Of proceeding, took lodging in
boarding house. There he remained for
SIX weeks, going to Spandau every day,
and returning late at night, when the po
lceman was always so obliging as to un-
lock the door of his boarding house .or
him. All the arrangements having been
completed, he carried off kinkel in a
coach one rainy night, together with his
keeper. Relays of horses were in readi-
ness from station To station until they
reached the sea-shore, where pilot boat
received them. They landed al Hull or
Yarmouth long before the government
had the remotest idea of the prisoners
whereabouts. Coming 10 this country in
1851, he registered himself as law stu
dent at Philadelphia, and sojourned there
for number OF years, occupying his
time, almost exclusively, with the study
Of this country, its history, its institu-
tlons, and lis future. Ia 1860 he remov-
ed to Wisconsin and entered on the prac-
tice of the law in Milwaukee.