Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1868-01-16

'No, sir" said the warder, she's
atop of the prison" I jumped
up, and hurried into the yard, to
| find men at watch, for some peo-
pie caught sight of the poor fel-
lows head from the neighboring
house, and informed the gatekeep-
er. - g ascss- .aol
Itwas now plain enough that the
prisoner had reached the top of the
high wall, and then, probably from
its being daylight, been afraid to
descend, so he had climbed from
thence by means of a water pipe,
right on to the top Of the prison,
and was now lying concealed in
one of, the cutters. I'm too old
and stout to take part in such
matters, SO / sent up three men to
the top of the prison, and went up
on one of the buildings to see the
capture made. I did not have to
wait long before first one head and
then another appeared above the
trap door, till the three men were
upon the roof, which is rather ex-
tensive, consisting of high stated
ridges, separated by wide lead
cutters. The noise they made
must have aroused the prisoner,
for | saw him start up all at once
as If from sleep, and stand facing
his pursuers. "Of course he'll
give up, poor fellow" I muttered
to myself; but l was mistaken, for
the next moment / saw him slide
up one side of the ridge and scram-
BILE down the other in way which
showed that submission was far
from his intention. Not to be
outdone, the three men separated,
and as one followed in the prison
er's steps the others tried, to cut
him off right and left. But for
duty, I felt SO much sympathy for
the poor fellow that Ishould have
said, 'Let him CO."
But all | could do was to gaze
horror-strieken at the scene 60.
ing on about thirty feetfrom where
l stood. Once a warder was near
enough to touch the prisoner, but
he eeluded the grasp: and led hispur-
suers right to the end of the build
ing, each in.the excitement of the
chase, running fearlessly along the
coping of the parapet or darting
up and down the ridges in way
that chilled me with horror, as |
thought of a fall full fifty feet in
to the stone yard below. ''Thank
God!" / calculated at last, for
at the second race around the
building [ saw one OF the men
drop behind the projection in hid
ing, and then, as the prisoner
came round, the warder leaped up, |
caught him by the throat, and l
thought all was over; but directly |
afterwards / shuddered as | saw. a
deadly struggle going on within a
foot Of the parapet, and felt that
the next moment must see the |
pair falling headlong to the ground,
while it was almost a relief to see
them go down heavily into the
gutter, and the prisoner leap up
md continue his fight, pursued
by the other two men who had
agged behind to cut off their
quarry. But new plan was now
,eing adopted by the pursuers, who
on hands and knees be- I
,ween the ridges, one going one
way, and the other another way,
While, to my astonishment, saw
he prisoner stop at the corner
where the brick -burdened wall
the building and let down
!. rope of knotted blankets, hith-
,rto hidden in the lead gutter: to
which it was somehow secured.-l
The next instant the poor fellow
vas over the side, swinging back
yard and forward, and turning
ound and round as he lowered
himself quickly, staring upward
It the men, who now came up
nd lookedoVer at him. Tn COVER
.or of this gaol, ,sandI know my
Iuty; bat ih that moment of peril
, could do nothing. but look on,
Or I felt, ] may say, that some
hing was going to happen. My |,
Iands4 were .:Wet, the big drops I,
TODD upon my brow, while, when .
siding swung round, and dsaw
is diIated eyes, Ishuddereda again
Just as the fragile rope parted ]
nd came down with his back 4
tr;L;no fha wall and dislodciuc | I