Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1865-12-20

Weekly paper only, or st irregular Intervals h
either of tho papers, viii be CHARGED 81 re
square for each and every Insertion. -
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Dublin Corrsspondenoe Nov. % orr. y. News
THE ESCAPE OF STEPHENS.
one Of the Most Remarkable Fsafs on
Recora-A True Story that Raads
Ike R0mdRce
Precautions, unheard Of since eighteen
hundred and thirty-eight. in-Richmand
prison were taken % provide for rStephen' 5
safe keeping. He was lodged in the top
story Of the most central part Of the
building, the only other prisoner lodged
on the same corridor being kickham and
BrOphy, who were both arrested with
Stephens, and a lad named Mcleod.
about whom / shall have something %
say presently. The prison staff was re-en-
forced by twenty-five Of the meUropOli-
tan police, whose sole duty was to assist
in guarding the Fenian prisoners. But
the prison officials distrUsted even the
police; there might be Fenians in the
fOrce-Fumor positively averred there
were, snd in this ease who could say
what might become of Stephens? Full
Of this idea, and with a profound belief
IN their own wisdom, the governors Of
the prison excluded every one by night
from the corridor on which Stephens
ceN was situated. Confident that COM
plicated locks and massive bars were
better security than could be afforded bv
the presence Of the police. But the prison
authorities have Yet another string
10 their b0w-another very deeply laid
plan for preventing Stephens escape.
which they conceived to be a very know
ina .HrsHr-. rraHa..H In
that occupied by Stephens they placed
the boy Mcleod, who had been sent 70
jail 81 some petty larceny charge, prom
ising him his liberty and one hundred
dollars on the condition that he would
pull a wire IN his cell, which sounds
large gong placed AT the end Of the COZ
ridOr, IN case he heard any unusual noise
in Stephens cell during the night Nc
Cleod, who gladly consented to the ar
rangement, was allowed numerous priv I
ileges, and was permitted to sleep Though 4
the greater part Of the day in order that I
he might be better qualified for the work Of /
watching and listening at night While \
his iail0rs were thus devising means for
keeping him in custody, Stephens on his
part was taking extraordinary measures
10 iull them into a sense Of security. He
refused from the day be entered TO the
morning Of his escape 10 see ANYBODY
from the outside world, wife, friend or
lawyer. Mr.. Stephens procured the ne
cessary pass and visited the prison To
see her husband few days after his ar
rest, but Stephens declined an interview,
declaring that ''he would never see his
wife within the walls Of a prison. Seve-
raj old friends called, but he would see
no one; he wanted, be said, 70 be left
alone with his cares. In pursuing
his course Stephens had a double OBJ
5eet in view; he knew that if the plans
he WAS then engaged in were one day
carried 70 success, suspicion would natu-
rally fail on those who had visited him
in prison, and he also knew that the ap-
parent absence Of al communication be-
tween him and the rest Of the world out
side the prison would render the surveil-
lance 70 which be was exposed less strict.
The correctness Of the latter assumption
j. proved by the fact that the board OF s1-
perintendence, believing that the > Do
licemen were, under all the cireumstan-
ces, an unnecessary addition % the prison
staff, sent - Of them back % their regu-
lar duties, retaining but three of them
within the prison.
THE ESCAPE.
such was the position Of affairs up 10
Thursday night last. At eight o'clock
on Thursday evening the corridor in
which Stephens slept WAS securely
locked, the cell door was, Of course, kept
locked, except during the hour allowed
for exercise. This corridor forms The
upper story Of an l. shaped building: it
is ah.Sdt thirty yards long, and is divided
from its continuation in the other wing
by a heavy solid iron door, which was
kept securely locked. AT the wrong side
Of the door, through which they could
not even see the prisoners cell
door, the three policemen were
the corridor is massive iron
door, with 3 huge, cumbersome lock,
opening directly on the lobby Of a stone
staircase, by descending four flight of
which, you reach the ground. The door
Of the cell in WI ch Stephens slept, Is
cased with iron: the keyhOle i on th
outside the innerside being complete
blank The door is secured by a huge
swing bar, fastened by huge paddock
Of about eighteen inches in circumfer-
ence. At 10 o'clock on Thursday night
the keys Of the cell and corridor doors,
with many Others. were deposited in the
case provided FOR the purpose, in the
governors room. The night was Wild
and stormy, the rain poured down in
torrents, and a fierce gale howled and
whistled round the labyrinth Of dimly lit
buildings that stand within the Halls Of
old Richmond The night passed dreaT-
ily along, and the prison authorities slept
on IA ful security til about four o'clock
IN the morning, when Denis ByTne, the
Watchman for the night, whose duty it
was 70 patrol the outer yards and passa-
yes around the prison, startled Mr.. Phil
pOts, the deputy governor, out uf his
sleep, with the Information that he had
Just discovered two tables piled against
the boundary wall Of the prison. An
alarm was instantly sounded; the whole
force Of the turkeys, wardens, etc,
were at once assembled. Headed
bv the Governor. a number Of them
rushed % stephens cell, for the 81 Cap i
tain was first thought Of, and 10 his
cell was empty; the door was wide open,
II. paddock lying on the ground together
with the false key % which il had yielded;
the ccll door leading out on the stairs
stood also open. Between this point and
the spot where the tables were found
there are no less than twelve doors, two
Of which are always kept locked a. night.
one OF the doors which should have
been 0pen was found locked, Of the
ten doJrs which should have been iocked /
Hiue we're found open, the tenth, heavy
solid iron door, was found locked rom
-alE h4l,ilt-f anu tiAp faAnN ~ NAAtetl
opened it Was found in the key-hole. II
was seen at once that Stephens, the only
person missing, had been guided By some
one thoroughly acquainted with the de-
siDus S4ndings of the prison no one
-l~e could have led hiin through the in
ireate 1y-Ways, yards and unfrequented
passages through which he had passed.
lH unlfr % open sll the doors through
which stephens ssaaPe4, four KEYS only
were uecessary; key for the cell door, \
two latch keys for the outer doors, and
" pass key which opens some fcrty
doors Hilhin the prison. including the
iio1r " Jne head Of the stair case leading
froiF stephens corridor aud eight others
On his route 10 the boundary wall. The
tables mentioned were placed one on top
of the other al a point about iftv wards
distant from the room out of which thev
mad been taxed they are thick. heavy
nead tables, twenty feet by three. and /,
sere used as dining tables for the huatie