Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1865-02-11

for giving the prisoner chance Of escape,
If not from death, at least from the ignomy
ofdying by the hands of the accursed
hangman.
"lf | die by the gallows, most revered
father,' said the young man, great sor.
row will some day fall upon all concerned
in my death. The real murderer is sure
TO be discovered, sooner or later, and then
L shall have been a murdered man, and
the just retribution of Heaven will pursue
my murderer. Aid me 10 escape, rather
than risk a great stain upon your con-
science. Stand upon this chair, which 1
place upon the table, thus, and then, by
mounting upon your shoulders, I can reach
the window, and drop from it,"
"But the river belowi'
IL can swim like an otter, and at any
rate it is better to be drowned than hang.
ed"
Convinced of tue young mans iuno%
cence, Father Alard consented to aid hi N
in his escape A moment sufhcod 10 carry
the plan into execution The prisoner
gained the window, and disappeared.
Parading iD a struggling way outs de
the building, went one of the mDor of. .
GERS Of justicc-a stolid peasant who had
been placed there by way of sentry, aud
who at this moment, happeded 10 be look
ing towards the river wall Of the MILL
His eight nearly left him AS he afterwards
stated, when be saw man drop from the
Jail window, strike on platform that
pro'ruded from a doorway in the second
story, aud reboundlng from that fell into
the water with heavy plunge, reappear-
ing at intervals uBtll he was carried away
10 the rapids below
The alarm was at once given. Village
officials rushed to the prlson room, where
they found Father Allard alone, seated
10 he chair, pale, and rs if just recover
! ing from the III t of some supernatu. al
vision. To the questions put 10 him, be
replied that, as hc was administ ring the
consultations OF his holy Office 10 the pris-
ouer, voice sounded through the apart
ment, accompanied by the shadow of a
mighty pair of wings, on which he mount.
ed to the ceiling Of the apartment and was
no more seen by him. The voice, he ad
ded, proclaimed the prisoners innocent,
aud that the real circumstances of the
murder would soon be made manifest. IL
was mrlcle; aud the good country pco
pic, ever ready to accept that form of in
terpo,iIion, were easily persuaded to doc
on the present occasion.
Meantime, L2roche, when he leapcc
from the window, had forgotten all abou
the platform As he fell upon it, he dis
placed sack of grain, which splashed il
the dark waters Of the river. appearing tt
the eyes of the bewiIdrred sentry to b.
the body of the man who had dropped
from the prison window. Lsroche lay
upon the narrow platform, stunned by hi
he ,yy fall, Spiride, the mlIer's daugh
ter, saw him fall. There was no one els
in the mill at the time. She drew hin
quickly behind the sacks and great heap
of grain on the floor, and having admin
msistered to him such restoralives as he
young experience suggested, threw rom
loose sacks ovel him, sad told himto Ii
still.
That night Spiride and her lover
Larocbe and she had been lovers 70
about six hours oply--made their way t
where a boat lay moored below the falls
and, embarking in it., were soon carrie'
far beyond the reach of pursuit. 1t wa
supposed by the affrighted villagers tha
Spiride must have been carried from th,
platform when the body from the windoy
above had been seen to strike upon it
aud as the whirlpool below the torrent hat
been uever known to give up its dead, bu
little search was made lor her, and he
friends resigned themselves to mourning
for her awful fate.
Less than six months after this, Landry
was tried for the murder Of brothe
keeper and was convicted and hangeC
accordingly. Previous to his execution
however, lie made clear breas, Of it II
Father Allard, confessing that he ha
murdered the farmer for his money killing
him with the stake cut from the hedge b.
young Laroche, which, as he stated sing
ularly enough, suggested to him the ide
oil committing the crime.
Two years elapsed, and Father Altar
, had been promoted to parish at dis
tauce of some fifty miles from the one {
. which he had been pastor for so man