The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1888-05-18
FORT LAFAYETTE.
LIFE IN A NOTED PRISON DUR
ING THE LATE WAR.
The PrisOners-Blockade Runners
"A Desperate Escape - Tho
Fate of Colonel Zaryona,
The French Lady"

tile tue DlockaQe runners were the most
dangero Is and gave considerable trouble.
During the war some three or four hur-
I'D Of them were brought TO Lafayette,
but not more than forty at one time. One
day they were ordered to police their
{ quarters and replied that if the other
prisoners were made to do the same they
would, otherwise they would not. As
very strict discipline was necessary they
were all handcuifed. Two hours later
/ the executive officer visited them to as
certain if they were ready to obey the
order given them, and TO his surprise
found that every one of them had sue
ceeded in removing his handouts. Not
/ knowing how far he would be sustained
in case Of extreme severity, this officer,
with rare Judgment. tried another plan
and reasoned with them on the foolish
ness Of their course. They were COM
pletely nonpused at being met in such
manner, anticipating very different
treatment, and the affair ended in their
agreeing TO obey in future the orders
given them.
One Of these men, native Of New
Orleans, informed Colonel Burke, the
Commandant, that be did not intend to
remain long, and that he would leave
when it suited him. He very nearly
made good his boast A basket of apples
was sent to him one day, which, after
! examination by an officer to see that it
| contained nothing contraband, was
turned over to the prisoner. One dark,
stormy night, not long afterward, this
prisoner picked the lock which fastened
tho iron rrrstfrs, s,rar The an, brauura ap1
crawled through to the outside of the
fort. The sentinel on that post heard
the noise, and called out; "Halt, there,
or l will blow your head offr' and ad-
vanced on the escaping man with his
musket at full cock. The prisoner saw
that his opportunity for escape was gone
unless he could brihe the sentinel and
offered him $50 and his gold watch, but
the sentinel declined the offer and
shouted Justify for the corporal of the
guard. The corporal, fastening to the
scene, took charge of the prisoner,
marched him back into the fort, hand
cuffed him and placed him in solitary
confinement, where he remained until
! exchanged. When he was searched he
had on a new life preserver and in his
pockets were found $50 in gold and
gold watch. The innocent looking basket
which had contained the apples was then
re-eXamined and found to have double
bottom, in which receptacle had been
secreted the life preserver, watch and
money, a file ard two pieces of wire of
peculiar construction. His plans had
been well laid for escape He had a
brother who was the captain of power
full tag in New York harbor, from whom
he had received the basket of apples and
with whom he had arranged that at
given time he was to escape from the fort
and with the aid of the life preserver
swim TO 4 small boat which the Captain
would have in waiting to convey him to
the tug near at hand.
Another of the most noted prisoners
was Colonel Thomas. alias ZarvOna. who
in the early part of the war commanded
a Zouave regiment in the Southern army
and late obtained the sobriquet of THE
French Lady In the early summer Of
1868, just before the great battle of Get
tysburg, he made his way, disguised,
into the city of Baltimore, and with some
bold outsiders of Lees army conceived
the plan of capturing Fort McHenry,
situated a few miles below the city. As
a necessary preliminary to this plan he
volunteered to 90 down the harbor dis
guised as a woman, and thoroughly in
spect the fort and its armament One
bright afternoon "A steamer touched at
Fort McHenry with party Of ladies' de
sirous Of visiting the fort. The officer
of the day courteously volunteered to
escort them, especially as one of the
number was fascinating French woman,
whose broken English and chatty, agree
able manners made her the life of the
party. After they satisfied their curiosity
and returned to the steamer to leave Tor
Baltimore the officer who accompanied
them detected something suspicious
about the French Lady, and reported it
to the commanding officer Before the
steamer could get away guard was sent
to search it thoroughly. The ladies ap-
peared much frightened, and the charm
ing French woman was not visible, but
after a long and exciting search was
found slowed away in the hold of the
vessel, and was ignominiously dragged
out. with skirts, cloak and bonnet grimy
with coal dust. and shortly afterward
was sent to Fort Lafayette for safekeep-
ing.
Colonel Zarvona was aprisoner in La
fayette nearly three years, and Of course
received many visits from friends, who
from time to time brought him delicacies
to relieve the monotony of the army ra-
ton which was the daily food of the
prisoners. Among other articles Of food
brought him were a dozen small tin cans
of fruit, the tops of which screwed on
instead of being soldered in the usual
manner, and as fast as he emptied them
he would carefully rcfasten the tops and
secrcte them under his bed. As Zar-
vona had always behaved well during his
confinement, Colonel Burke granted,
without hesitation, his re quest TO pur-
chase linen table cloth and two silk
hankerchiefs from the prisoners su:ler.
Watching his opportunity he cut up the
linen tablecloth and covered the cans so
as TO make them water tight, and with
the two silk handkerchiefs TO fasten
them around his body constructed an ad-
mirable lite preserver The prisoners
were allowed 10 visit the closets outside
of the fort, singly, under charge of
guard up to nine o'clock at night. Short
ly before that hour one very dark and !
foggy night, Zarvona put on the life
preserver, drew his cloak about HIM and I
called for the guard to accompany him /
to the sea walk. The guard, armed /
with a loaded musket. escorted HIM /
outside the fort to the edge of the wall, /
when Zarvona threw off his coat and |
sprang overheard. Instead of shooting /
him, as was his duty, the guard called 1
for the Corporal The tide was running /
out very swiftly. and before the barge /
could be lowered into the water Zarvona I
had drifted quite n distance and was I
trying to reach the shore at Fort Hanil- (
ton, but was unable TO make any head /
way against the seething tide, and slowly I
but surely drfted out TO sea. The boats /
crew, which was kept in training to Pur-
sue any prisoner who attempted to es-
cape, hastily lowered the barge and
pulled Justify for the Fort Hamilton side I
Of the bay to intercept Zarvona, if pos
sible, but the fog hid him from view, /
and after a long and fruitless search the (
crew returned and reported to the com
mandant that the prisoner had made |
good his escape The unlucky guard
was tried by q Military Court Martial FOR
allowing the prisoner to escape and /
served three years sentence ut 1ard /