Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-03-31

Escape from the Island Of James Stephens, th'
Head Center"-W onderful Adventures-Ste
pheDs Drives in an open Carriage through th'
Streets Of Dublin-He takes Shipping fo
France or the United States-How the Escape
was Planned-Treachery Of Pretended Friend
Government on the Alert.
Stephens, the head of the Fenian move
ment, has actually escaped from Ireland, af-
ter having been hidden in Dublin. The
Dublin correspondent of the New York
NeOs, writing on the 9Th, furnishes the fol
lowing highly interesting wonderful
particulars:
On Sunday evening last, about $50 P. NJ
Just as the shadows of night were falling
over Dublin, handsomely appointed open
carriage, containing FIVE persons and driven
/ by four dashing horses, two Of which were
bestridden by postillions, drew up before a
second class hotel in one Of our best streets,
not quarter Of mile from the General
Postoffice. The occupants of the carriage
were quickly joined by sixth person, a
compact muscularly built man, with fair
beard and piercing eyes, and the whole par
| ty then drove off at moderate pace through
the heart of the city, up Sac.iville street,
along the highway leading northward from
the city, past the spot where Clarke, the sus-
pected informer, met his doom, and then on
ward at full gallop, the horses heads still
turned to the north, while their hoofs spurn-
ed the earth with rapid motion as they
tore along from the city suberbs toward
Drogheda.
The lamps were glimmering through the
darkness that overspread Dublin as James
| Stephens-for Stephens it was who had last
stepped into the carriage-turned his back
on the City of the Pale. Hundreds of clever
men, as he knew well, were engaged within
/ it. striving to discover a means of earning
the reward placed upon his head in castle
yard, and detective Office, and police station
the minions of the Government were tortur-
ing their brains in endeavoring to light on
some clue which might lead them to the dis
covery of the arch-conspirator, and, what
was of far more importance, within the
castle ITSELF Government officials, high in
rank, were deliberating as to the value to be
attached to the information, which some
traitor had brought there the day before,
that James Stephens was about to tempt his
fate by endeavoring TO quit Ireland But
of this fact Stephens and his friends were ig-
norant They did not know that the author
tiles were on the scent, and that the work of
searching vessels outward bound from the
Irish coast had already commenced. OPP
position to their plans they expected none,
but moderate amount Of it they were pre-
pared to receive The occupants of the car
riage Irish Americans except Stephens)
were each of them well-supplied with re-
volvers, one of them carrying as many as
four of these formidable weapons in his belt,
and the outriders, both good Fenians, were
also armed to the teeth. Had score of
policemen crossed their path that night, |
am inclined to think that Stephens and his
party would have been able to give good
account of them.
Fortunately for all parties, however, no
necessity for resorting to these desperate ex-
tremities arose, and Stephens with his COM
panions reached the end of their land jour
ney, sandy cove about. half a mile distant
from Skerries, in perfect safety, at 10 o'clock.
Skerries is q picturesque little fishing village
on this coast, some 80 miles north of Dublin.
Here they speedily erected communication
through the medium Of fishing smack with
the vessel which was living 70 q short dis
tance seawards, and which had beea engaged
for the work Of taking Stephens off and be-
fore daybreak on Monday Stephens was far
at sea beyond the power and jurisdiction of
the enemies who thirsted so ardently for his
capture. The bark which carried Caesar
and his fortunes" was sailing vessel and
her course after leaving the Irish shore, was
steered for 'the sunny land of France" Ste
phens, ] may add, left Ireland unaccom-
panied by any of those who escorted him
from Dublin, the whole of whom drove back
to this city on Sunday night
am bound To state that while the above
narrative is in perfect accordance with in
formation which think is accurate and re-
liable in every feature, another version Of
the escape, differing from that ] have given
in some important particulars, is supplied
by persons not likely to be i'll informed.
According to this account. Stephens and
his friends drove not toward Skerries but to
Kingstown, where the Head Center embark
ed ON board a steam tug, which soon placed
him on board a large American steamer,
which then proceeded at full speed to New
York. Whichever of these stories is the
true one, this much, at least, is certain: that
Stephens left this city at the hour have
mentioned on Sunday evening last, and left
it in the manner ] have described; that he
embarked on the same night on board sea-
going vessel, and that he is now far beyond
the limits of the domains of her gracious
Majesty, Queen Victoria
1t is hard to imagine, without imputing
treachery to some of Stephens closest conf
dants, how the Government became possess
ed of the intelligence of Stephens intended
escape. 1t is unquestionable, however, that
some vague information on the subject reach
ed the authorities in this city as early as last
Friday. That the information was rot very
precise may be seen from the paragraphs l
am about TO quoteI in TACT, its sum and sub
stance appears TO have been that the Head
Center was going ito fight it out on that line
no longer" and that he meditated an imme-
diate flank movement by water. Read by
the light of what have written, the follow
ing from the Irish Times, of Monday, appears
Ineligible enough:
The police, in consequence of information
they received, made an active search at a
late hour ON Saturday night, among the ships |
in the river, for the notorious Head Center,
but up TO a late hour last night they did not |
succeed in obtaining any clue to his where |
abouts
The subioined from Saunders Neus Letter, |
of The same date contains some additional |
particulars
AT an early hour on Saturday morning, |
II. NJ. gunboat Nightingale took up position |
at the mouth of the river Lifley, off the |
Pigeon Rouse light, while the revenue cut |
ter Racer cruised about, with view, It was
understood, to overhaul outgoing vessels to |
search them for the Fenian Head Center, |
Stephens, or his eonfreres.
As a favorable breeze set in from the west |
ward, the number of vessels going out of the |
river was considerable, therefore the labor |
of overhauling them was great. 1t is stated |
that trawler, paying no attention TO the |
signal to bear up, was chased, and . shot |
fired across her bows before the skipper came |
10 q sense of his position. She was duly |
boarded, but WITHOUT any result 1t is also
stated that a strict watch is kept pVef King /
ston harbor during the night time. Yester-
day afternoon the gunboat and the cruiser |
remained ont of Howth and Lambay for
some heurs on the lookout.
The EueaiHg Mail of Monday gave the fol-
loving
Suspicion having attached to q vessel
which Left the river yesterday morning, and
which, il Is surmised, carried a passenger
whose capture would be important, Her
Maiesty's revenue cutter Racer, In the course
of the afternoon, started in pursuit, with de-
tective officers on board, and had not
returned up TO the hour of going TO press.
The following, from the Tuesday issue of
the same journal, tells the result of the ex-
pedition: