The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1885-08-05
A THRILLING STORY.
l,sr Wade's Nlracnlous Escape
from the San Diego Mines.

Nan to PIaln Dealer reporter yes
lrday, 'but I am only waiting fol
I,ne new clothing, when / shall
lake myself more presentable.'
| The speaker was MIR. Allen Wade.
Il Portage, Summit county, bu'
lore recently convict IN a Mexl-
Ian prison, condemned to labor IN a
n;ne half mile beneath the surface
| the earth. How he came to be a
l0nyict, and how he made his way
\ liberty, forms the body of the in
I,riew he had with the Plain Dealer
teporter.
i am 81 years DID, he SAID, and
feel as # I were twice that age.
/ 1870 obtained employment on
L. Mexican Central Railway IN the
kpacity of passenger conductor, and
Il ran between Chihuahua and the
tity of Mexico. My trouble began
bn the 18th day of February, 1854.
NV train ran at the average rate of
lbjrty-eight miles an hour, and when
LEFT Chihuahua that morning at )
Iclock | told my engineer, Nc
farland, to slack up to ten or fifteen
biles All hour IN passing Sierra
blanco, a quarry twenty miles out.
Ihere about 1000 Mexlcans are
lnployed by the Government getting
Iut stone. Every pay day these
tborers would get drunk and hang
tcund the track, and as this was
bay day | warned my engineer TO
lcw up around the Sierra Bianco
karye lest he might hurt somebody.
Nell, it happened just that way.
tcFarland saw fellow lying right
Itross the track and whistled for him
Eyelal times. The man moved and
BY engineer thought he'd got off.
lie didn't, however, and was struck.
d course he was dead, and when
fe reached Domingo we were both
lnested, Mcfarland and l. After
ldelay of three months we were
bken to the City of Mexico and tired
before the Court of Assizes, presided
lser b, the Governor of Sonora.
Ihad two Mexican attorneys and
|aid them $11 900 to get me out, but
be prejudice against Americans was
fey strong and | was sentenced TO
(Ro years Imprisonment and to pay
! Rne Of $500. McFarland's sem
|snce was Just twice as hard. four
|ears and 81, ,ooo.'
But your term of service has rot
|lapsed yet suggested the report
No, dryIy remarked Mr.. Wade,
bot ivet. That is, not III the regular
Eshion.
When got my sentence he re
'qned, / appealed to the American
Minister, but nothing was done until
managed to get Il letter to the St.
LOUIS Globe-Democrat, and then
alerFentIon was OF no avail. | was
aSen to the Tortez Penitentiary
lnd employed as understeward. l
fade nv impression Of the key to
p stockade. but just as attempted
escape l was discovered and
@aoed IN irons. Then l WAS sent
' 'he San Diego mines, 2,cSS feet
aidefsroand. My work compelled
le 70 kneel all the tune e-striking a
4li' a Mexican III the mine in
a''ed me and | knocked him down.
vi tbs | was sentenced to receive
1i''y-nine lashes on my bare back.
~ lhe sentence was suspended
aa' my term of conlin cment should
Apue. | met some men down there
'd0 mad not seen daylight in nine
s-'S After working IN the mines
s0i'hs the hydraulic pumps in use
-s's gave out, and | told the capi-
80 OF the guard that | WAS me
s@'ae and could repa,rthe machine
s The engineer sent tor me and
S'a'd Up two days fixing the pumps.
: q Tie 'aen in charge belonged:
1 Ha-..