New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-07-18
ELSK,s baptism OLE TIRE.

DARING AND SUCCESSFUL SCALING or ONE
FESCE-Ius ESCAPE IN DISGUISE FROM MS
TEARS-FALsTAFF REDIYNUs-A NEW DE-
PARTURE" FROM SHAKESPEARE.
There is nothing new under the sun. Fall
staff for instance reappears in each generation TO fight
his battles But haplcss indeed the nation into the
midst Of which this metcmpsyohOsis brings him In the
shape OF a who by his craft and swaGGer, and by
help OF other and ADLER cutpurse gains control Of
tual millions Of money, and thousands Of real men. As
the boss Of the ring" is still staggering at Long
Branch and recountng his vaOrOus deeds OF and
maguifyns the one fence he climbed 10 Eve fences"
high fence" "and several fences" making at
least ten, it is fitting that the true history OF his flight
should be given. retail merchant who does business
on Eighth ave, within few doors OF Twenty -lfth-st,
thus depOse5
Il sat i'm nv second story window al through the
firing being the west side and seeing at glance that
the shots mostly directed toward the east side;
aid not shrink back saw Col Fisk there On his shirt
sleeves several minutes before the heavy fusade; can
testify that none Of the crowd OF rioters came near him
when the .hcts came thick the crowd mainly rushed for
the houses the east when Wyatt and Paige fell their
comrades fred mostly toward the south west corner Of
Tweutvfth-st and up that street. then thev recOed In
confusion toward NY side OF the street bringing Fisk
with them; some OF them dropped down moment. with
the idea, apparently OF giving tue 7th-Who were on
this sde chance 10 fire over their heads; company
close by me, behaved pretty well, but the neglected to
reload IL seemed me that hundred resOlue rioters
coming the other side AT that moment, could have
swept of The whole OF them; was 80
excited at their not, loading that ] scarcely
yelled at them, why don't you load why don't you
load Of them did so; but tell you the rioters dis
appeared quick; in moments the street quiet
churchylri the soldiers who ala not march on with
saw Fisk lying his back bed In the second story,
with biz arms stretched out, looking Ike great tat
turtle 10 my thinking he showed the white feather all
through; he seemed quite taken UP with the idea Of his
own safety, and an the while imagining there
sooner get away from here the quicker tine crowd will
get away;'. told him there was no crowd before the
house-no dozen people tod INN also mar would
get carriage 10 take him away he looked toward the
back yard and asked q he could not get ont that way
Parker SAID You VIII nave u get over the ence FISK
said, can do that; 80 lie hobbed out they put short
step-adder Parker's side Of the fence, and he wob
bed up on top you should have seen MN slttng aside
that fence while they passed the steps over lac looked this
and that way then he got into the yard on the
other side the house there II occupied by Hessan
family, who disguised him. ana bept nun there gOOd
while; after about Is minutes he out on the back
stoop TO look around and that was the last saw Of HIM
know IL there he disguised, because the little
boys OF that family said 10 my little boys, You ought 10
sect how father fixed up Col Fisk he BACKED his mus
tache and put an old OyeTcO1t on HIM. ana made HIN
Took ike an old man :; my impression ~ the time was
that he had no confidence IN himself a military
leader think that be scared nearly 10 death"
This tLen was all the real foundation for Fisks news
paper stories about his fight with the mob aud his inter
mnabe clainberng5 the fences Of Backyard Did
ever FataG In his druukenes brdgng-, perver facts
more al wholesale than Prince Elie has In this last
recital in a morning paperi
The reporter visited the Hessan family" around
in Twenty -nthst Looking into the basement window
he saw "A man sitting there and addressed him, at
venture with request for Information a. 10 the course
taken by Fisk when lie left there This man. evidently
person Of much kindness Of disposition very recent
nj first and ignored the whole matter; but he fully
impressed with the idea that lie had played an important
part ia a very important lie soon thawed out"
and invited his visitor 10 come in and be seated Then
in quaut curious sentences, he gradually told his tale
1t seems he IL not Hessan az all by nationality, but
that "Hessan {" il his He is, In fact Irish His
statement Is az follows;
81 was out in the street when the firing began. was
not frightened at all only just made up my mind that
/ would save some poor cfeatures' lives And did,
saved several. But you want To know about Col FISK
/ know more than can tell now, but 10 VIII all come
out That man would have been all In inch bits II II had
not been for me- would do the same for any poor re-
ture: but saved his life, anyhow. helped him down
from the fence and took him IN az the price OF my mo-
II the rioters known at the time that an lrlshmA
did tL they wOuld have torn me TO pieces. Well got
him I'M and BACKED his mustache, and got him pair OF
INV uauaOons You ought 10 have seen MIN getting INTO
them I'm a small man, you Know ana u wac tlght
sqecze | wnuted 10 rip them some but be would not
let me had no coat big enough FOR him, 40 gave INN
an old oycrcOat and the worst hat Ia the house
H. was the worst scared man you ever sawl Hes no
lupts 10 be- Colonel He kept geting scared about
tie mob coming for him ana fur me. was not night
eued bit went out n the street ana walked about
anu Told him, LOOK at me- au't UIeLteuUu aud you