Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1880-08-05
soIatory news.

Il
, they had heard the dog barking
they applied themselves to tn
: other. They found there fold
. ing doors, one of which they o
pened, and found themselves il
a long, dark passage. At tn
end they perceived still anothe
door; but listening very intently
they heard the sound Of voices
lit, in fact, led to the guard-house
where several soldiers in theil
lnationalunifolm were assembled
This was,indeed, "a terrific stroke
Had they then gone so far only
Ito meet with a worse obstacle
than any they had yet encom-
tered? Must all their labore
prove, then, at length fruitless
| Only one resource now re-
manned, and that was the door
which they had passed on the
|side of the passage, and which
they conceived must lead to the
great court Of the Hotel de Vile.
In fact, having forced the
door, it appeared they were not
mistaken; that they were at the
bottom Of the staircase which
led into the court. 1t was now
half-past four o'clock; the morn
ing was dark and cold, while
rain and snow were falling in a.
bundance. The associates en-
braced each other with transport,
and were preparing to mount the
staircase, when Porral cried out:
"What are you about? If we
attempt to go out at present, all
is over with us. The gate is
now shut, and if any one should
be perceived in the court the a.
larm would instantly be given,
and all would be discovered. At
ter having had the courage to
penetrate thus far, let us have
resolution still to wait a while.
At eight o'clock the gate will be
opened, and the passage through
the court free. We can then
steal out by degrees, and ming
ling with the numbers, we can
go away without being perceiv-
ed. 1t is not till ten O'Clock the
prisoners are summoned to exc
cution; between eight and ten
there will be time enough for all
of us to get away. We viii re-
turn to the cave; and when the
time of departure arrives, each
of us five will inform two 9TH
ers of the means of escape offer
ed. We shall then be fifteen,
and, going out three at a time,
we shall pass unobserved. Let
the last three, as they set off, in
form fifteen others, and thus in
succession we may all make our
escape"
This plan appeared judicious
and safe; it was unanimously a.
greed to, and the associates re-
turning to the cave, made choice
of those who should first be in
formed of what they had done.
Montellier, a notary, and Bar
on de Chaffoy, to whom the
means of escape were offered,
refused to avail themselves Of
them, the former from a conf
dence Of a pardon, as he had
been mistaken for his brother;
and the latter, though in the
flower of his age, declared all
ties in the world were broken,
and that life had nothing now to
offer which could make him de-
sirous of prolonging it. They
were both guillotined the next
The fate of the fifteen who
fed was very dissimilar, and the
of the rest was prevented
by the imprudence of one of
them. The last Of the fifteen
who, in quitting the cave, was,
according to the plan arranged,
privately to apprise fifteen 9TH
ers, instead Of doing so, cried
aloud:
'The passage is open; let ev-
cry one that can escape"
This excited a great move
ment among the prisoners. They
arose in an instant doubling
whether what they heard could
be true, or whether he who ut
tered these words was not mad.
The noise they made alarmed the
sentinel without; he called the
turnkey; they hastened immedi-
ately to the cave, perceived what
had been done, and closing upI
the door by which the prisoners
had escaped, placed a strong
guard before it. Nesple, who
had excited this movement, was,
with three others, taken and ex-
ecuted. Another Of the fugitives
took refuge in the house of a
in an obscure street; but
he was discovered, brought back
and guillotined.
1t was not thus with Porral,
the original author of the plan.
He was the first that came forth
from the cave. AS he passed the
sentinel in the court, he said:
an, o.oo1 f,.iooJ - ,.o;,,e cpJ