The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1885-11-13
THRILLING NARRATIVE.
A Wonderful Escape from the San Diego
Mines.

A Wonderful Escape from the San Diego
Mines.
Allen Wade, of Portage, Summit
County, recently q convict in a Mexi-
can prison, condemned to labor in a
mine half mile beneath the surface
of the earth, recently told the story of
his sufferlngs to a representative of
the Cleveland Plain Dealer. sI am 81
years. DID," he said, "and feel as If /
were twice that age. In 1878 | OBJ
tained employment on the Mexican
Central Railway in the capacity of
passenger conductor, and ran between
Chihuahua and the City of Mexico.
My trouble began on the 18th day of
February, 1884. My train ran at
the average rate of thirty EIGHT
miles an hour and when l left Chi
huahua that morning at o'clock
I told my engineer, Mcfarland, to
slack up ten or fifteen miles an hour
in passing Sierra Blanco, a quarry
twenty miles out, where about 1000
Mexicans are employed by the govern
ment getting out stone. Every pay
day these laborers would get drunk
and hang around the track, and as
this was pay day warned my engi-
neer to slow up around the Sierra
Blanco curve lest he might hurt some
body. Well, it happened just that
way. Mcfarland saw fellow lying
right across the track and whistled for
him several times. The man moved.
and my engineer thought he'd got off.
JI 4 ~ HxroG Srt1
OF course he was dead, and when
we reached Domingo we were both
arrested, Mcfarland and I. After
to the City of Mexico and tried before
the Governor of Sonora. I had two
Mexican attorneys and paid them
S11 900 to get me out, but the preju-
dice against Americans was very
strong, and I was sentenced to two
of $500. McFarland's sentence was
Just twice as hard, four years and
$1,000.
"But your term of service has not
elapsed yet?'' suggested the reporter.
"No," dryly remarked Mr.: Wade,
s'not yet. That is in the regular fash
ion."
"When I got my sentence" he re-
sumed, II appealed to the American
Minister, but nothing was done for me
until managed to get letter to the
St. Louis Globe-Democrat, and then
intervention was of no avail. I was
taken to the Tortez Penitentiary, and
employed as understeward. made an
impression of the key to the stockade,
but just as l attempted to escape |
was discovered and placed in irons.
Then 1 was sent to the San Diego
mines, 2,2S5 feet underground. My
work compelled me to kneel all the
time-striking a drill. A Mexican in
the mine insulted me, and I knocked
him down. For this l was sentenced
to receive thirty-nine lashes on my
bare back, but the sentence was sus-
pended until my term OF confinement
should expire. [ met some men down
there who had not seen daylight in
nine years. After working in the mines
three months the hydraulic pumps in
use there gave out, and | told the cap
itano of the gurd that 1 was a me-
chanic and could repair the machinery.
The engineer sent for me and | stayed
up two days fixing the pumps. One
OF the men in charge belongs to a cer
tam secret society to which belong
and he told me that if 1 could get up
on the cage he would hoist me. Ac-
cording to agreement I returned to
work, and on the third day
l made break for liberty.
Three or four times Istarted, but each
time my courage failed and my heart
was in my mouth. At last took my
lamp off my hat and dashed it to the
ground. That meant certain death
to me if was caught and ran to the
cage and gave the signalto hoist. I'M
mediately the cage began to move,
but had not been lifted five feet when
the three guards fired their double
barreleda carbines as me. None OF
them hit me, however, and was drawn
up safely. Near the mouth of the
mine found a burro tied, and with
out asking many questions l mounted
and made tracks for the American
line. That day rode seventy miles"
Mr.. Wade halted a moment to mop
big drops OF perspiration from his
forehead. When he had cooled off
bit he said: "It's no wonder I get
excited in telling my experience. It's
only six weeks ago that escaped, ,and
1 have never felt safe until 1 struck
American soil. I made my escape On
the 2Sth of May, and from that day
I knew no rest for weeks. l traded
my burro for amustang, but one night
the mustang got away from me and l
had to footit. Footsore and famished
1 made my way through the prairies,
getting ride and a square meal here
and there. The first American town
I struck was Tombstone, A. T. There
I was all right"
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