Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1881-02-12

His room was not more than six feet |
high the only light, that broken glim-
mer sIanting through the barred window
where he received his food.
His was to be the fate of those
40 whom the goodly earth and air
Are bannd and barrd forbidden fare
In less than week he had matured
a plan, daring and improbable, but the
only chance.
He received with his bowl of soup a
large iron spoon, and this soon shaped
itself, in his imagination, into the one
possible tool of escape.
This harmless utonsil, he contrived to
Hatten and sharpen on the stone wall
into q rude but powerful chisel.
With it he began to cut ont section
OF a beam overhead, which should be
large enough and heavy enough to strike
out, with repeated blows, the huge bolt
of his trap door in the roof. Slowly
and quietly he had to proceed, to avoid
the suspicion Of the officer on guard
but this vigilance and caution served to
occupy the long weary hours Of his in
terminable confinement.
With this second instrument, after he
had cut it out, he cautiously began to
experiment upon the fastening of the
door. He knew that the officers, well
aware of the penalty with which the
Swiss law visited their negligence, in
case of an escape from under their
charge, were constantly on the watch,
going often about the galleries; and
would Immediately discover bis plan, If
they overheard any noise.
Nothing daunted, however, by this
seeming enevitable check to his design,
his ingenuity suggested a chance OF
avoiding it.
The tower clock was just above him
and it struck every hour.
By proceeding carefully, he gradually
acquired the knack of hitting the bolt,
with his wooden bar, just as the great
clock was tolling the hour, with such
nicety of operation that the boom o.
tho bell entirely overpowered the sounC
of his stroke.
In this way, practicing only when the
/ bell was striking, he soon made himscl
, master of his immediate cell, having
| knocked back the bolt, and could nov
, escape to the roof of the great tower.
! But this he dare not do, at once-a
the food of liz ht which would hay'
e Illuminated his cell the instant the doc
G wasopenod would have betrayed him tt
}, his keeper.
|. Hard as it was to resist rushing out Oh
d the roof and greeting the glorious sun
@ light once more, he had the power t.
: control himself, and determined to.wai
}, for the first very dark night, as at n
b other time could he take the last ant
d most dangerous step to complete hi
freedom.
Q Hours and days he waited, crouche
in one dark corner of his horribl
l. dungeon, apparently resigned to hi
g cruel fate, but inwardly rejoicing in tn
j. thought of greeting again the happ
l. face of her for whom he had INQUIRE
this living death.
l. Her bright eyes visited him in h
e darkness and haunted his wakefr
f, dreams. That silvery voice in thos
e familiar songs seemed to gil his prise
T. with grateful melody.
s. But how often the heavy tread OF I'll
10 man without or the doleful cry of I'll
sentinel on the wall above recalled hi
o harshly to the reality of his solitude:
10 At last the dark night came which |
did not fail to recognize by the noi'
- pattering of the rain on the roof.
~ Locking about him he could dlscov
" horrid wall or parapet, with sent
mel pacing upon it, still fencing in h
=; supposed liberty.
~ Thus sickening disappointmentalmo
made him fall back and take refuge
his dark corner again.
,c The sentinel has reached the end
I'll his post and is turning to come iowa
IS him. Back he must go, down into b
rs. don, and thud, falls the heavy door II
90 on him.
RS Must he give mp and despair of ev
20 breathing another breath Of the co
evening air He takes heart again al
,st listens. The sentinel comes neart
se passes, and turns again on his tour
the furthcst end Of the wall.
he Once more reaching up, he raises t
I'll trap with the strength Of desperate
o, and lifts himself again up into the bIa
,irnt