Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1879-04-03

underground cell, Alexander desern-
ined 70 nakn an EFFORT to escape. His
s8iEe had recently arrived from Rich
monds having heroiealIY crossed the
Potomac in y small and leaking boat a
night. and lid such wealheF as would
Aave kept most men askoEe. She was
permitted to VISIT her hnsband dalIy. by
an order rom Cameron. the Secretary
of War. They arranged Setween them
liie plan Of escape. She brought him 4
liIeepresefving waisE-c0af and i clothes
line. beth ccncealee henealh her hoops,
Ns 0l Aleh ilsIasEsa0n. Standing
ID tie cell near the corner where there
was . camp-cot, with scissors which
she had brought Tor the occasion, she
cut The strings holding the hfe-preser-
yer and line dropped them to the floor,
and quietly pushed them under The cot
with her foot. She also provided her
husband with letter head, which was
picture of Fort McHenFv with It's sur
roundiags. On u she had dotted with
blue ink. the positions Of the various
sentInels about the Fort. This was on
Saturday. Alexander was made 20 pro-
mise that he would not make the at
tempt tIll the following Monday, 50 that
she might have opportunity for anoth-
or interview with him. She left; night
came. Alexander determined TO es-
cape that very night, and be his own
messenger to announce the attempt 10
his wife.
As il grew dark ZaFvona went out Of
the cell, and walked up and down with
the guard in front of the door. Alex
ander arranged bis bed so that II would
appear TO be occupied, and getting be-
hind the door put on his liie-preserVer.
and over that a Federal uniform, also
brought him by his vile. He forgot
his clothes-line. Stepping to the door
as the guards back was turned. he
moved briskly forward, and saluted Ear
vOna and the guard as they returned on
their beat. The guard returned bis sa-
lutte without suspecting his identity.
Passing over the mortar batteries which
had been erected but a few days be-
fore, to bear on Baltimore in case of an
attack, he knocked down a crow-bar
1t fell with such a loud ringing clang
that he thought all the bells in Balti-
more had that moment struck. He hur-
ried to the rampant on the Patapsco side.
The clothes-line He had provided it
! for this place, as the hight was consid-
erable. To his forgetting 1t, however,
his escaping the sentinels at this point
a
line with hirn be would have attracted
attention while looking for some pro-
lection to which to fasten it. He paused
for a moment. Finally he made the
jump, and struck on hard ground. At
tempting to rise he discovered that he
was badly injured in the right leg and
right shoulder. But he managed TO
crawl to the water. eluding three guards.
Lying there for awhile, he found the
cool bath diminished considerably the
pains from his wounds, and initiating
his life-preseryer he struck out, alone,
in the night, faint and weak. The sky
was black, and the water little rough.
His prospect Of seeing his wife again
seemed a gloomy one. But after being
reached land at a point near Riverside
Park, and crawled to where he saw a
light. There was an old man sitting at
the door. "Are you drunk Z" be asked
OF Alexander, who by this time cut a
sorry figure. "Not drunk but badly
hurt" Alexander replied, and was then
carried into the house by the old man
and his daughters. When light was
brought the girls recognized him, for
they had seen him at the Fort. The
old man at once declared that Alexan-
der must 60, as his property would be
conhscated IL he were found there
The girls, however, inserceded for the
wounded man. and finally prevailed on
their father to get buggy and team to
carry bin away. They themselves got
in, and concesled him, lying in the bot
tom Of the buggy, with their skirts
He was taken TO the house OF w. VI.
Norris. Mrs. Norris sent her son Owen
for carriage, in which the prisoner
was driven, at his own urgent request,
down Hoffman Street. Here be saw
his wife for a moment. This was her
FIRST intimation of her husbands liberty,
and was no small surprise.
LIeutenant Alexander was then taken
TO E. Law Rogers place where at 4 p.
nj. he had the services Of surgeon.-
Thence he was conveyed to CarrolIton,
where Charles Carroll and wife treated
him with the utmost kindness. &10,-
900 was offered for his capture.
Il a n n
him IN a buggy to q point below Fort
Washington, where, in company with
Lieutenant DunOtt oil the 9Th Virginia,
he crossed the Potomac, eluding the
gunboat which passed and repassed as
they lay above on the bank waiting their
chance. General Johnston meeting him
soon after said to him jocularly: "Well,
Lieutenant, see you have saved US as
an exchanged "Yes" Alexander re-
piled, "but lost you a soldier" Soon
after Lieutenant AIexander-now Col
onel AlexandeT-was made Provost
Marshall Of the Eastern District Of Vir-
ginia, where be did good service in pre-
serving order ia the Confederate Cspi-
tai.
As to Col. Zarvona's fate. After the
escape Of bis companion, he was trans
Eerred to Fort Lafayette. After lie had
been here awhile Il was discovered tha;
he had almost perfected an oTganiza-
ton for the capture Of the Fort: where
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