The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1870-01-06

1
smooth grass where there are no stones.
But soon discovered my error, for I
found that there were innumerable little
hard Jumps of earth and brambles that
caused me the most fearful agony, and
WAS again obliged to throw myself down
Ny strength was ao~ exhausted, and
signed that il they wished me to proceed
! they must carry me. closed my eyes
and throwing my head back begged
|, earnestly that might be allowed some, If
Eenly ten minutes, repose. I had just be
gun to think they h d granted ms this Pc
tition when was suddenly made to start
Iup by the most fearful dart or paia
Through my faet; to my rage and horror
saw that the ruffians had lighted match
and were carefully applying it TO the
solss Of my feet. They now explained to
|me by signs that unless / went on they
would continue their pleasing operations
ELL did. For a momsnt I tried to bear
the pain and to lie still, but the agoRy be-
came intense, and | was forced to stand
up; once fairly upright, they passed a
rope round my waist and actually dragged
me along. | felt that I was gradually
losing consciousness,m eyelids c!osed my
head swan, sort Of buzzing noise filed
my ears, and became Indifferent as to
what was happening I only felt an oeca-
sional pang of pain from my feet, now
naked and bleeding. Suddenly / became
alive to the fact that we were among the
ruins OF Galera, and by great effort |
sufficiently recovered, myself to notice
that we were entering cave, formed by
the fall of some large stones from the
wall of the town that looked over the
valley. Once inside this place my ca D.
tors tied my legs and arms and threw me
on rough couch Of fern that was strewed
near the entrance Of she cave, and then
left me to rest, while they earnestly con
versed at the other end I tried hard TO
listen, bat exhausted nature oveFpowsred
me directly, and fell into deep, fever
ish sleep. | must have slept about four
hours when | was awakened by terrible
thirst; my eyes were burning and my
head throDed with such intensity as to be
almost unbearable. The two men were
sitting wrapped in their cloaks about five
yards from my bed, and when begged
for some water one of them stretched out
his arm and handed me jugful Having
Stacked my thirst | fell back again and
soon slept. | was rudely awakened by a
feeling of suffocation and intense heat
about my head and neck. Alarmed at
what concluded was some new device of
the enemy, felt about with my hands,
and found that one of The men was hold
ing his cloak over my head and neck. At
first | thought he meant 70 suffocate me,
but soon the sound Of nen s voices came
confusedly to my ear through the cloak,
and immediately guessed at what was
really the case, that party sent from
Rome were searching the ruins in quest
of me. My first impulse was to cry out
for help but speedily subsidized when I
felt the pistol pressed against my temple.
then felt my only chance was to lie still,
and trust that one of he party, more mi
mute and careful than the rest would du-
ring the search, discover, the mouth of the
cave and proceed to explore it; but the
hope was very faint, for | remembered
that the entrs nee was nearly concealed by
hanging bushes and iYy,and twas almost
impossible for any one not knowing of the
cave tosuspect its existence; evidently, then
| must arrange some plan to attract the at
tention of the searchers, and that quickly
| do not think | mentioned that the floor
OF the cave was steep incline, the lower
end began the entrance; there was then
drop of some nine feet from the cave to
the ground. We had climbed up this by
means of some projecting stones. During
my restless sleep [ remembered having
struck my feet against barrel at the end
of my bed of fern. now determined If
possible, to give this kick, trusting to
the velocity it would acquire in running
down SO steep an incline to carry it out
of the cave before it could be stopped
and hoping that the noise of its fall would
attract the attention of some of the police
So gathering up my feet as far and as
quickly as | could, l gave the barrel a.
most energetic kick, which, though 1t had
the effect of almost breaking my bare toes
sent the cask spinning down the incline,
and out of the mouth of the cave. For a
moment it hung in the ivy, and great
was my fear that it would stick there,
but it was too heavy, and finally fell with
a crash, that made my heart glad, into
the valley beneath. When the ruffian
who was keeping my head covered felt
the sort of jump madein order to effect
my kick, he at first imagined that l was
attempting to break my cords and escape ;
he bent down, therefore, to hold my head
the tighter, and consequently, the rolling
barrel did not catch his eve; it was only
when the noise of its fall came upon his
ear that he suspected the real reason Of
my movement. AS quickly as he could
he pulled me from my couch, and tried
to drag me to the other end Of the cave,
but seeing that he did not intend to use
his pistol, [ gathered courage, and wrig-
gled and struggled to such purpose, that
before he could drag me very far, the
cavern was filled with my friends, and
my captors became in their turn prison
! L ,,olr:l-- 4 H. Ior.r thnt