The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1886-05-06

1
dyar the moosic, Kurnel?"
~ hope they'll give you all Won
deserve, you cold-blooded murderer, {,
the william. '0"io 'nfo'Cle
Now, Kurnel, don't git out O, sorts
~ ~ ar mighty comftable in hyer-
BOARD an lodgin' free. Bows. mir wa
ready! Them hounds air nickin, nc
up. RLight the fire, Cobe Kurnei
hyer air knife ter cut yer loose artn,' %
we leave yc. Don't git skeered O, tho
ghosts, am member We air miohtv
comf'tablo-rboard an lodgin' free on,
yer epertaph air down on the bio non.
lar: Gocd-by Kurnel" iNp
tne outlaws were already placino
fIe powder In position, and when Car
iaWklns had squeezed his way omt
Inc, INC rock was rolled into the OPENING,
WIN crunchiug sound it settled into
Hole. III onioky
listened for the bavino of tho
hounds, hoping that they had tracltnd I
me 10 tnc cave, bnt not sound pen o.
trated the door of nv prison p Tbo
hre burned briskly, and smoky Hole
gloWed in the light of the pine knots
IL was the work of few minutes to
cut my bonds with the knife the ont.
Jaw liad given me, and then took an
Inventory or the contents ofthe cavern.
INC place had evidently been fitted up
iot the Illicit manufacture of "momn-
tain dew" and "tanglcfoot" and "rpd
rye" for there were the vermont
copper still, the worm, the mash inh
Jugs and TASKS and other apparatus ~
the noonshiner. The cave was about
.nc size OF railroad box car, cxcept
mat the roof was higher and more
arched. | jabbcd my knife into every
square loot of the walls. They were
soiiu rock. In vain, mad effort to
| Loll inc ooWldcr from the entrance, |
urew the blood from my shoulder. It
| was ali OF no use. Unless help came
soo, ~ nne from without my doom was
a dull, heavy feeling came over me
"nu L sat down near the fire. The
confined air was getting close. sud-
denly, on looking up, | was appa]Icd
at inc discovery Of 4 new danger. The
ROOT OF the cavern was no longer
Visible. The dense, black smoke Of
,ne Pltch pine, unable to escape, was
banked above me like an ominous
cloud, ever growing denscr and black
&c ana descending steadily, rcnlorsc-
lGssly, upon me like a yeritablo
shadow of Death.
Already. the asphyxiating gases
were causing my brain to Whirl
craWlcd to the fire and STAMPED mon
the blazing knots until every spark
was ,e&tinguished, but they continued to
send up their Sitting smoke. | could
1eci 1t ascending, hot and pitilcss.
ralllhg hat upon the ground [ satu-
rated my coat sleeve with the wafer
the outlaws had left me, and placing
It against my mouth secured full
breath a strained gas. But it gave
me little respite. The high pressure
OF the atmosphere made my veins
sWeie almost to bursting, my hands
ana leet were bcnumbed, and | was
unable to move muscle. Then |
longcd for death.
Suddenly there was a loud eXplo-
sion, followed by q falling of loose
earth and rock and a rush of air. A
fant ray of light appeared in the cor
ner of the cavern over the still, grow
ing broader and stronger as the smoke
cleared away. With life and strength
renewed, | made my way to the
opening, where | drank in the fresh
air W IN " swelling heart and lighter
conscience than had ever hoped TO
possess. The explosion had torn
away some rough masonry with which
the moonshiners had stopped up IL
fissurc in the rock. 1t never occurred
to me in my investigation of the cave
that there ought to be some way of
exit for the smoke of the still. But
everything was plain enough now.
had found the chimney. and it was my
determination to use it to advantage.
In moment, fOrgctful Of pains and
bruises, | was climbing for freedom.
1t was tight squeeze now and then,
but L made rapid progress, and felt
SO good over my prospects Of escape
thet | wanted to shout. But prudence
restrained me.
Soon the rocky sides of the chimney
gave place to wood, and the opening
changed from flat to round. Still
climbed on, my spirits rising with my
ascent. My progress was compare
lively easy by the imitation Of Brer
Rabbits method Of climbing a stump
hollow-that is, by bfacing my back
against one side Of the chimney and
my feet and hands against the other
But the opening grew tighter and
tighter, like an inverted funnel, and
still the top seemed long way off. |
must have climbed some thirty feet in
all when Istopped to rest, propping
my foot against knot-holc projection,
which suddenly breaking off left q hole |
through which the daylight strcamcd. |
Then, for the first time, it flashed upon
me that / was in hollow tree. a |
lance through the knotholc proved |
this to be the case, for there was the |
ground ten fcot below me-the bench
or earth had noticed when the out
laws were making ready for my in
generation.
Escape now seemed certain. The
wall OF my prison was only two inches
thick and though the wood was dry
ana hard from age and exposure to
york cnlarging the knothole. As this
faccd c the Cove. ! could keep lookout
lor the moonshincrs, and stop cutting
at the iir9t suspicious noise. Niohj
soon set in, and with the darkness
Chero came peculiar sounds from cliff
woodland D,,I 4