Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1864-10-15

their certainty that the Frenchman was still
in the house, caught in his own trap. 80
they call for a 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 bravest man that ever stepped might
be well pardoned for not adopting a 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 "Stopl
stop +" from a female voice in the crowd, and
presently little women, greatly hurried and
excited, came elbowing her way toward
them. "0h, General, honeyi" she cried,
"sure We won't break open my little room
have the kay some where-only wait one
minnit =" And the little clear starcher fum-
bled desperately in her pockets and in the
bosom of her dress, vowing the while, as well
as she could speak, that it was 1.-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 APP
pearance, in answer to despairing dive into
the depths of a capaeious 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
dow shut, and bolted on the inside, preclud-
ed any idea of escape in that direction; the
fire cheerfully burning in the large CRATE, as
effectually proved that he could not have as
cended the chimney; he was nowhere in the
4bar ,loiU To hahnldQrc
aperture in the ceiling by which he had got
down. And louder than the cries of the an-
gry soldiers were those of the little clear
starcher, whose apartment had been so uncer-
enormously disfigured. The wOuld-be captOrs
were baffled-they swOre that they were BAT
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 starcGer 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 we're the matter. There she was when
the ceiling gave way, and the poor hunted
Frenchman, pale and covered with dust, stood
OClOAC ntAs OhO ACNCI NlACA Ohb, hOA WIN
spoke she just looked at him for a 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 un-
/ observed with the people in the street.
Whoever the Frenchman was, he was saved.
When he jumped out through the window, he
made off across a garden, on through other
gardens, on 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 a wild
goose chase after a 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.