Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1864-10-13

their certainty that the Frenchman was still
IL the house, caught IN his own trap. 60
they call for crowbar to break open the
door, and seize him at last. Somehow none
OF them ventured to follow him through the
opening he had made in the floor and ceiling
They knew he must be armed-they had
abundant proof Of his energy and desperation:
and the bra7est man that ever stepped might
be well pardoned FOR not adopting means
Of descent sure TO be fatal to himself
But, just as the crowbar was about to be
put into requisition, there was CRY of stop!
stop from female voice in the crowd, and
presently little women, greatly Hurried and
excited, came elbowing her way toward
them. "Oh, General, honey" she cried,
sure We won't break open my little room
| have the kay someh nere-Only wait one
minnit - And the little clear staEcher fun
| bled desperately in her pockets and in the
| bosom OF Der dress, Vowing the while, as well
! as she could speak, that it was the Lord
| sent her back from her errand in time to pre-
vent her little place from being smashed"
Still the poor creature was so frightened and
so confused that it was not until the General
losing all patience, had again called for the
crowbar, that the key at length made its ap-
pearance, in answer to a despairing dive into
the depths of a capacious side pocket.
1t was snatched from her, the door was
flung open, and the men poured in. In mo-
ment every nook and Granny was ransacked-
in vain There was no trace of the fugitive,
and they were completely at fault. The win
low shut and bolted on the inside, preclud-
ed any idea of escape in that direction; the
fire cheerfully burning in the large CRATE as
etfectually proved that he could not have as
cended the chimney; he was nowhere in the
room, yet there was plain to all beholders the
aperture in the ceiling by which he had got
down. And louder than the cries of the an
cry soldiers were those of the little clear
starcher, whose apartment had been so uncer-
enormously disfgured. The would-be captors
were baffled-they sWore that they were baf-
fed by the devil himself.
But the evil one had no need, even were
he so inclined, to interfere in the natter
The little Protestant clear starch er had con-
trived very cleverly to outwit the soldiery.
That she was odd in her ways was certain ;
for while every man, woman or child, except
herself, was in cOmmotiOn on the arrival of
the military, she remained at her wash-tub,
rubbing away, and liste ling to the uproar and
the blows overhead, as if nothing at all unu-
sual were the matter. There she was when
the ceiling gave way, and the poor hunted
Frenchman, pale and covered nth dust, stood
OSiCiS 4iCi' Dut never CllCu OUT, uOF even
spoke she just looked at him for second
then pointed to the open window; he sprang
out, and fastened off in the direction she in
dictated. The little woman busted the win
dow-sill where he had left the prints of his
feet, shut the window, bolted it on the inside,
threw some fresh fuel on the fire, slipped out,
locking the door behind her, and mingled I'M
observed with the people in the street
Whoever the Frenchmaa was, he was saved.
When he jumped out through the window, be
made off across garden, on through other
gardens, Oh into field where some men were
digging potatoes These seeing him running,
and his dress all torn, guessed how it was,
and one of them gave him his jacket, another
his brogues, another his caubeen, and they
rubbed clay over his hands and face, and
otherwise aided his disguise. They put a
spade into his hands, and set him to dig
with them. By-and-by the soldiers came to
make inquiries, and were sent of on wild
goose chase after gentleman without hat
whom they said they had seen running in an
opposite direction. The soldiers never found
him. and the fugitive got safe back to France,
1t was not rightly known who he was; some
said one thing, and some another but from
what Gen. Duff cried out when the soldiers
| wanted to fire down on him, it was believed
| he must be somebody of great consequence.
The poor people said it was the King of
France