Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1871-11-25

uCSG DItphIuliDls GOSL tlCln tlEl
teen months work, nearly night and
day.
All these things were needed to as
cend the chimney and the platform o.
the tower, thence to descend one hun,
dred and eighty feet to the moat
and climb up from thence to the para,
pet into the Governors garden ; then
again to descend to the great OuteI
DlOat, and to climb over the gate o.
st Antoine. With all these precautions
one thing was indispensable, and that
was something no care could secure
and that was a suitable night; for Il
rain, storm, and darkness lured them
out, and then it grew fine, the sentinel
would be sure to see them. and they
would either bo shot or dragged back
TO solitary dungeons, there to pine till
the detested woman died. But even
for this difficulty La Tude in some de-
gree provided, He calculated that
the overflow of the Seine had cOlroded
the mortar Of the outer wall, and that
it could be perforated with q rude GIN.
let he could manufacture from the
screw of his bedstead, and 80 he might,
with iron bars, force a passage into
the outer street. Making, therefore,
wrappers for these iron bars, and In
spite of the water being four feet deep
in both moats, they resolved to start
on the evening Of February 25, 1856.
La Tude, knowing they would get
soaked In the mOats, took with him
the singular incumbrance OF q port
manteau filled with two complete
suits Of clothes. Next day, immedi,
ately AFTER dinner, they fitted up the
rope-ladder, and hid it under their
reds, that 1t might not be seen by the
turnkey who brought in supper. They
then fitted up the cross-stsff ladder,
and made up their other implements
into bundles and as the officer had
searched them both that morning they
felt safe. They also removed the iron
bars from the chimney, and put them
into wrappers. They took with them
a bottle Of spirits, in case they
should have to work in the water.
The moment had arrived. Directly the
turnkey, who had brought supper,
closed the door, la Tude, though he
had rheumatism in one arm, began 10
climb the chimney, but with no sack
over his head, and no wrappers for
the elbows and loins, such as sweeps
then used. Blinded with SCOT, hsyed
at the elbows and knees, black, and
streaming with blood, he emerged at
last. Says NJ. La Tude, to use his
own words:
"Finally got to the top Of the
chimney, where / placed myself
astride, and from thence unWound a
ball ofpack-thread that l had In my
pocket, and to the end of which my
companion had agreed to fasten the
strongest rope that held my portman-
teau; by this means | drew it up, and
lower ed it on the platform. return
ed the rope, to which my companion
tied the wooden ladder. | drew up in
the sane manner, the two iron bars,
and the rest Of my parcels for which
We had occasion. When | had these,
| again let down my pack-thread to
raise the rOpe.ladder, drawing up to
myself the superfluous length, that by
the end my companion might mount
the chimney with more facility than |
had done; and at his signal / fastened
II. He ascended with ease; we finished
drawing up the remainder, and sus-
pended the whole in such manner
across the chimney that we decended
both at once on the platform, serving
for a counterpoise to eabh other.
1.-TWO horses would not have been
able to remove all our luggage. We
began with rolling up our ropC-lad-
der, which made coil five feet high
and foot thick, and we wheeled
this kind of milestone to tho tower
ofthe Treasury, which we thought
most favorable for our descent. We
fastened this ladder securely TO a
piece of cannon, and then let 1t gen.
tly down into the trench. In the
Same manner we fastened our block,
passing through it the rope three
hundred end sixty feet long and
when we had moved aside all our
other parcels, l tied my thigh Sc
curely to the rope Of the block, got
on the ladder, and, in proportion as |
descended its steps, my comrado let
ont the rope of the block but not
withstanding this precaution, every
time l moved my body rosembled
knifedancing in thoiair, SO that, hst55 X Il
happened by daylight, Ola lhousand
persons who mightlnove seem me