The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-01-17

tions, gcndarmes stationed on all the roads
| leading to the frontier, and every place in
Geneva likely to conceal fugitive from
justice, carefully ovcrhaulcd All this
time the missing man was inside the Jail
The momcut the turnkey had turned his
[ back, he had followed the supcrinte tendcnt
| to the workshop, and while the latter was
busy with his discovery of tho rope ladder
he had hidden himself in a place where
it never occurred to anybody to look for
him. High above the superintendent 8 roe
| trun,, whence he surveys the prisoners at
work. is window, almost dark and sunk
deeply in the wall. With the agility and
noiselcssncss ef a cat, Menassade climbed
up to this rcccss aud doubled himself up in
such fashion that when, shortly afterwards,
! the police searched tho room 1t never occur
rcd to them that tho bundle e rags they
saw lying there was other than what it
seemed to be. In this position he remained
! until night. when he descended from his
perch, and with the help OF the tools found
in the workshop removed board from the
Stage which sustains the superintendent 8
rostrum Creeping inside he made it his
hiding place for eight days and eight nights,
only coming out ia the intervals between
the wardcrs' rounds to prepare for another
lie fixed hook on the board TO keep it in
its place when he was inside. as there
| was lavatory attached to the Workshop
he had al ample supply of water, and he
sustained life Oh two slices of bread day,
abstracted from the breakfasts of the pris-
oners, which were placed near his hiding
place, More he dared not take for fear of
exciting suspicion. With piece of steel
and stone he struck n light by the help
OF some cardboard lie converted an old pc
| troleum lamp into dark lantern, ane from
the string which aboundcd In the workshop
II: manufactured q strong knottcd rope.
On Sunday mornings after the rooms were
swept II was the custom of the ward,r rs to
carry the waste materials up to the garrct,
on which occasions they generally left the
door unlocked. Mcnassadc's plan was to
remain concealed until the following Sun
day, follow the wardcrs to the garrett slip
in mpcrccivcd and lie there pcrclu until
nghtfall. Then tho garrct window being
unbarred,, he would, by the aid of his knot
ted rope, have let himself down to the win
dow-lcdge below, Oh which there Is ,sufii.
cicnt standing room for man of his cat
like agility, and 80 on until he reached tho
wall, whence Tic descent into the street had
been comparatively easy task As he
would have taken the ropo with him, no.
body would have known how or when he
had escaped. But this hopeful scheme was
marred by on untoward incitlcnt-one of
the warders in leaving the workroom turn
cd the key in the lock. Then Mcnassatle's g
courage failed him; another week of semi
s'arva'i IN and suspense under the super,n-
tendcnt's rostrum on the chance of the
door being left open tho following Sunday
was more than human nature could bear {;
and when the warders returned they were
surprised to see before them the man they
had 80 cagorly sought, and for whom tho
psacc cvcn then were securing tho country
far and wide. "lfc uotta" he exclaimed,
'Jc nc rcnds" The individual most re-
| joiccd at this denouemcnt was naturally tho
disgraced turnkey who had bccn locked up
whole week for an offense Of which he
was innocent. AS for the superintendent,
he is still greatly disturbed, that 70" seven
days he should have literally sat upon one
OF his prisoners without knowing it. g